Ashburton Courier: March 12, 2020

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Page 2, Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday March 12, 2020 BUSINESS OWNERS Build customers, sales and profits with us ... Over 16,065 copies delivered to EVERYhome,farm, RD and lifestyle blocks in MidCanterbury news Linda Clarke Editor 308 7664 linda.clarke@ashburtoncourier.co.nz Reporters Mick Jensen mick.jensen@ashburtoncourier.co.nz Toni Williams toni.williams@alliedpress.co.nz advertising Jann Thompson Sales Manager 308 7664 027 587 6351 jann.thompson@ashburtoncourier.co.nz Roselle Fuaso Sales Account Manager 308 7664 021 197 8297 roselle@ashburtoncourier.co.nz Karen Gane Sales Account Manager 308 7664 021 510 804 karen.gane@ashburtoncourier.co.nz getintouch Editorial linda.clarke@ashburtoncourier.co.nz Advertising info@ashburtoncourier.co.nz Production murray.thompson@ashburtoncourier.co.nz Accounts accounts@alliedpress.co.nz Distribution/Deliveries leonie.marsden@ashburtoncourier.co.nz Office office@ashburtoncourier.co.nz 03 308 7664 199 Burnett Street,Ashburton www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz 2253088 Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Sunflowers bloom as niche crop By Toni Williams Turley Farms Chertsey is among agrowing number of farms turning to sunflowers as a rotation crop to use between plantings. Sunflowers are good for high oleic sunflower oil, which is high in oleic (monounsaturated) acid (at least 80 per cent), and good as afrying oil. It also has agood shelf life and is used in infant formula. The farm group, which has properties scattered throughout Canterbury, has planted more than 40 hectares of sunflowers at the Chertsey site. There are 62,000 sunflower plants per hectare. Turley Farms’ Roger Lasham said around Mid Canterbury there are around 250 hectares of sunflowers growing for the processor Pure Oil NZ. ‘‘These are our catch crop. It’s always good to have aniche to fill the gap.’’ Turley Farms used the same model as last year, planting the sunflowers on land vacated by peas. They were planted on December 11 and are about 1.4m tall. While they are slightly smaller than last season, the flowers are full of seed. At harvest, just the heads are Useyour outdoor living areas all year round • Warm &dry in winter • Stylish &permanent • UV protection forsummer • 5year warranty Call your local installer BrentPatterson based in Geraldine Turley Farms’ Roger Lasham inspects the sunflowers planted at the farm’s Chertsey property. sent for processing with Pure Oil NZ, which supplies two bottled products to the domestic market; rape oil and sunflower oil. Both are good for cooking and as dipping oils. They are available in supermarkets nationwide. Bulk oil was also sent overseas. The Chertsey site was used as Fog cannons help Two fog cannons to deter robbers have beeninstalled in Ashburton under a special crime prevention initiative. Some523 fog cannons have been installed around the country in small businesses like dairies, liquor stores and petrol stations and now Government has announcedfunding for another 470. Shop owners at risk of crime are encouraged to apply, and may pay no more than $250. Police Minister Stuart Nash said 40 cannons had already been installed inCanterbury, with two in Ashburton. Cannons emit a cloud of vapour and a highpitched noise to deter offenders and allow workers to escape. He said fog cannons were having amarked impact and commercial aggravated robberies were at their lowest level infive years. ‘‘Many robberies are fuelled by a desire for a quick buck to feed a drug habit. Wastewater analysis indicates that methamphetamine use has fallen by 17 per centinthe first full year of nationwide testing. It’s stillearly days,but it’s headed in the right direction.’’ Funding for expanding the scheme will come from the Proceeds ofCrime Fund but not all businesses are eligible. Owners apply to police, who do an assessment based on risk, past robberies and crime in the area. CALL FOR A FREE QUOTE MID &SOUTH CANTERBURY Freephone 0800 777 855 l www.archgola.co.nz atrial crop farm after high oleic sunflower was identified as a potential option for growers in 2017, and aFood Products for the Future project, funded by Foundation for Arable Research and Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Farming Fund. They used the hybrid sunflower varieties, Idillic and 2128195 Your LocalVoice I’m available to meet with constituents onMondays and Fridays, and anyday that Parliament isn’t sitting. Contact my office in Timaru or Ashburton tomake an appointment to meet orspeak with me. Ialso hold constituency clinics in other towns across the region. Andrew Falloon MP for Rangitata Timaru Office AshburtonOffice 139Stafford Street, 81 Harrison Street, Timaru Ashburton 03 6831386 03 3087510 andrewfalloonforrangitata rangitatamp@parliament. .govt.nz Authorised by Andrew Falloon MP, 139 Stafford St, Timaru. Baltic. The sunflower hybrids were stingy on the use of nitrogen and only needed light watering. They reach maturity between 90 to 120 days and are alow input option. Mr Lasham said the biggest threat to the sunflowers so far was bird damage at the final stages. Fish dead in stream Several hundred fish have been found dead and dying in a stockwater race at Mt Somers. Environment Canterbury is investigating and has taken water samples from four points along the race, which runs along Ashburton Gorge Road. They have been sent for testing. The dead fish included smelt, trout, native kokopu, koura, freshwater bully and tuna (eel). Ashburton Water Zone manager Janine Holland said two staff investigated the situation on Monday. ‘‘At this stage, we cannot speculate on the cause of the contamination. But we encourage people in the community who may have seen something that could have contributed to the contamination of the stockwater race to contact Environment Canterbury.’’ She said the regional council would report back to the community when it had more information. Mt Somers resident Jeremy Hunter said he called authorities after discovering dead fish in the race that ran through his property on Sunday morning. Neighbours also found dead fish in their pond. He said it looked as if the fish had been poisoned and there were more dead fish further upstream and almost to the intake near Stony Creek.
Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday March 12, 2020, Page 3 Passports show Jewish past By Mick Jensen Rakaia Gorge resident Butch Stern had never laid his eyes on his parents’ old passports until last week. The passports are one of his few reminders of their lives and also a stark reminder of their traumatic flight from Nazioccupied Austria in 1939. The passports feature the Nazi swastika, alarge letter Jfor Juden, or Jews, and refer to the Austrian capital of Vienna (Wien) as being in Germany. Friedrick and Hedwig LustigStern were among the lucky ones to escape the Holocaust, which took the lives of an estimated six million Jews. Mr Stern said apart from an aunt who managed to flee to Hungary, his entire family had been wiped out by the Nazis. He had met the aunt shortly before her death. Mr Stern, who runs Mt Hutt Lodge with his wife Jo and has lived in New Zealand for 15 years, said his parents had settled in the USA in 1939, but the flight to freedom took its toll on them. ‘‘My parents were lucky to get out. My mother was an accomplished seamstress and had a job lined up in California. My father was adentist in Austria, but did not have good enough English to pass the dental exams and ended up working in afactory.’’ His father had died aged 49 in 1952, while his mother had been seven years older when she died in 1965. Mr Stern said news of the Children’s Holocaust Memorial exhibition at Ashburton Museum had coincided with him getting his hands on his parents’ old passports. His late brother Bill, who was a number of years older, had been the custodian of the passports, but on his passing, they had been sent to him by his sisterinlaw in the USA. ‘‘I received them last week and it’s the first time I’d ever laid my eyes on them.’’ He had only been two when his father died, he said. ‘‘Mum died when Iwas 16 and she continued to have nightmares until her death. Iwas surrounded by adopted Jewish aunts and asupport network growing up. The talk was not about the atrocities of the past, but on the emergence of the state of Israel.’’ The 71yearold has framed his few treasured photographs of his parents, alongside an Immigration Wall of Honour certificate issued to them in the USA. Mr Stern plans to bequeath the two passports to the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand in Wellington, for their archives and use as display material to help tell the story of adark time in history. Butch Stern with his father’s passport and the few-framed reminders he has of his parents. Seminar to help troubleshoot your hearing aids Hearing tutor Heather Talbott. Hearing aids can bring some joy back to the world of thosewithhearingloss. Butgettingtogripswiththe computerised gadgets is not always straight forward. The Ashburton Hearing Association has organised afree seminar next week (March 18) to talkabouthearing aids. The association has arranged for specialist tutor, hearing therapist Heather Talbott, to visit and talkabout howtoget the bestout of yourhearing aids. Ashburton woman KathleenVessey hasbeen usinghearingaids since 1986 to help with a loss of hearing and tinnitus. Without her aids she only hears the faintest sounds.She says the bestthing about using hearing aids was having some hearing and the worst not being able towear them when she has ear issues. She advises people to wear their hearingaids as much as possible when they get them. ‘‘New wearers sometimes find sounds too loud and keep taking them out. Your brain has to adjust to the new noise sothe more you can wear them, the better.’’ Mrs Vessey advises taking care buying aids, trial them first and keep going back to the audiologist untilthey are right. ‘‘Themost expensive aids are not always the best one for the wearer and their particular hearing loss.’’ Hearing association spokesman BernardEgan saidsome people struggled with hearing aids in group situations, and many using hearing aids needed advice about how to get used to them and look after them. Aids did notrestore naturalhearing, he said. Theseminar nextweekispart of the Ashburton group’s activities tomark Hearing Awareness Week. It will be held atthe Senior Centre on Wednesday, March 18, at 1.30pm. Topics to be covered in the discussion, which will be followed by a question and answer session, include: the onset of hearing loss, getting hearing aids and what toexpect, how to cope with hearing aids and how to cope in group situations. The session is free, but agold coin donationisappreciated.Afternoon tea will beprovided. Church fair There is somethingfor everyone at theStAndrew’s Presbyterian Church fair on Saturday. The churchisholding its annualfairat the Sinclair Centre on Park Street from 9am.Includedthis year is a localcelebrity piemaking competition,with confirmed bakers including Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown, Bernard Egan and Pup Chamberlain. Stalls will sell everything fromhomebaking, preserves, plants, books and puzzlesthrough to fruit, vegetables, garden items,hand crafted greetingcardsand prelovedclothing. Devonshire teas will be served. Youth hui Mid Canterbury youth aged 1524with an interest in leadership and theenvironment areinvited to attend ayouth hui next month. Organisedby Environment Canterbury,the threedayhui willbeheld at Wairewa MaraeinLittle River from April2022. Thetheme for thehui willfocusonthe importance of working together for positive change,and howwe use knowledgeofthe past, presentand futuretosustainour livingworld.Registrationsclose April 9. Moreinformationatthe website ecan.govt.nzunder the Get Involved section. Hypnotist here Hypnotist BrianGee will be performing at the Ashburton TrustEvent Centre on June 20 to supportthe AshburtonAviation Museum.The master hypnotist has been performingfor over 20 yearsand will bring his familyfriendly andfunny showtothe stage. Tickets forthe 7.30pm show cost$25, available from the venueorticketrocket.co.nz. School funds Mt SomersSpringburn School has been given funding to develop anew library and technology space. The purposebuilt facility will replace the former dental clinic. The current school library is too smalland areplacement will enable the school to also useitas learning space. The first stage of the development is to look at other areas forfunding,asthe contribution from theMinistry of Education willnot be enough to coverthe build. There will alsobe site visits to other schools to get ideas, before consultationwith plannersand builders. Very rarely do Luxaflex blinds go on sale – youdon’t want to missthis. Foralimited time only,you canexperience the world’smost admired windowcoverings at adiscountwith 15%off Roller Blinds, Sunscreens and Venetian Blinds. 15 % off * Beautyisinthe details, find them here luxaflex.co.nz * Offer available 1stMarch -31stApril. Redmonds Furnishing &Flooring Ltd 174Burnett Street,Ashburton Phone (03) 3085269 furnishing@redmonds.co.nz www.redmonds.co.nz 2263103
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Ashburton Courier: March 12, 2020

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