Ashburton Courier: April 30, 2020

Page 6, Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday April 30, 2020
Local news at www.starnews.co.nz
Duck­shooter Dave backs favourite spot
By Mick Jensen
The opening day of the duck
shooting season may be
delayed because of coronavirus
restrictions, but Dave
Thomson is ready and will
take aim from an irrigation
pond at Lowcliffe.
Dave’s been shooting ducks
for five decades and first
picked up his father’s 1901
steel barrelled hammer gun as
ateenager in Dunedin.
He still has the gun and, like
the weapon of choice for many
duck shooters, it’s a12gauge.
‘‘It’s asingle shot and the
barrel is 7cm longer than my
current gun and it weighs alot
more.
‘‘It’s made by Harrington &
Richardson and Iused for a
couple of years.
‘‘These days it’s more of a
family heirloom, has little
value, but Ikeep it for sentimental
reasons.’’
Dave will be joined by
former Lauriston School principal
John Bockett on the first
day of the new season.
The pair have enjoyed the
annual catch up many times
over the past 40 years and will
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Lowcliffe, afarm belonging to
one of the pupils Dave taught
during his time as the principal
of Lowcliffe School.
Dave is also akeen rabbit
and hare shooter and enjoys
the social side of the hunt and
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Dave with the gun he first
used for duck shooting
more than 50 years ago.
getting outdoors with mates.
He also enjoys cooking up the
spoils of his hunting trips.
‘‘I’ve got four mates I do
various types of shooting of
with, and Iknow when Igoout
with them I’m going to be
safe.’’
For anumber of years in the
1980s there was a sizeable
social gathering of duck
shooters at the Lowcliffe Hall.
Town versus country duck
dinners were held and when
numbers dropped off, the
venue moved to Murphy's, the
small hall at the Rangitata
River mouth.
‘‘They ground to a halt
when there was only afew of
the older shooters left,’’ said
Dave.
Dave has used aselection of
guns for bagging ducks over
the years, including adouble
barrelled, side­by­side shotgun.
‘‘I didn’t bag any more
ducks with that gun, but Idid
use twice as much ammo.’’
Later he used a double
barrelled over­under shotgun,
with the sight located on the
top barrel, and both barrels
pointing more directly at the
target.
With alaw change in 2004,
shooters like Dave were
forced to use non­toxic shot
when hunting waterfowl
within 200 metres of open
water.
‘I didn’t want to go down
the road of modifying the
choke on my gun, so opted to
buy apump action shotgun.
‘‘I didn’t get on with it and
it only lasted one season.’’
His current gun is a semi
automatic and he considers
himself to be an ‘‘average
shot’’.
He still prefers the old lead
shot, he says.
‘‘I my experience the steel
shots are faster than lead, but
if you shoot at close range you
go right through the duck, and
if you shoot from long range
there is now always enough
killing power.’’
Like most duck shooters
Dave will enjoy the opening
weekend of the new season,
and then will shoot probably
only shoot three or four more
times more over the three
month season.
The game bird season
will open on the second Saturday
following the introduction
of Alert Level 2, except if that
date falls on May 30. Based on
current Government projections,
opening day will be mid­
May or early June. Because of
the late start, the season will
also be extended.
Rakaia embraces new school norm
Seventy chromebooks and more
school work packshave been
despatched to the homes of Rakaia
School students to enable them to
continue learning at home.
Principal Mark Ellis said a
number of his188 pupilsalready
had devicesand some of the new
ones would be shared by studentsin
the same bubble.
He had six children at the school
on Wednesday and learning was
being managed in two school
bubbles to begin work.
Now’s the time to shop local
It’s hard to thinkofmany clear
silverliningsfrom the cloud of
Covid­19. For some of us it might
be spending extra time with family.
Time to read, to garden, to take up
anew hobby.
But any positives palein
comparison to the disastrous
impacts of the virus.
New Zealanders have losttheir
lives.Many others have had their
healthaffected, not just in other
parts of the country, but herein
Ashburton.
Longerterm, the economic
impactwill be unprecedented.
Since the lockdown was
announced,I’ve spokento
countlesslocals who’ve lost their
jobs through no fault of their own.
The Government’swage subsidy
package, similar to the scheme I
helpedput in place after the
Kaikoura earthquakes when
working in government,has paid
out well in excess of $10 billionto
support the wages of 1.6 million
New Zealanders.
Apart fromafew issues like
some employers not applying for
their employees, the schemehas
workedwell. The challenge is what
happens next, whenthat subsidy
for most employees runs out in
seven weeks.
When businesses,although
open, don’thave the revenue
He and his staff were running a
roster to look after children at
school and all would continue to
support distance learning.
Mr Ellis said he had been
impressed by the way his teachers
had adapted to the current
situation. He was also very grateful
for the support of theschool
families, the board of trustees and
the wider Rakaia community.
All school families had been
spoken to during lockdown and
communication continued to be
Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon
neededtopay their staff, let alone
themselves.
Much of that we herein
Ashburtoncannot control. Billions
are being borrowed,and billions
more will be needed for
government to continue to help
keep people in work.
What we can controliswhere we
shop. For along timeour local
retailershave beencompetingwith
an ever­growing surfeit of online
sellers. If anything, Covid­19has
the potential to grow that
challenge,asmore people have
good.
‘‘The two words I’ve been using a
lot lately are connectiveness and
engagement.
‘‘Theysum up how we have all
adapted and managed during these
tough times of isolation.’’
Mr Ellis said some opportunities
had presentedthemselves to
educationalists and society during
the lockdown and online learning
could be taken back toschools and
further developed when normal
schooling resumed.
becomeused to shopping online.
As the name would suggest,
disruptivetechnologies,both good
and bad, thrive on rapid changes in
behaviour.
Under Covid­19 Alert Level3
many of our local cafes and
restaurantsare once again able to
open, albeit only for contactless
delivery or pick­up fromphone or
onlineorders. Hospitality is likely
to be one of the hardest hit
industries,and they too will need
our support.
This is not some plea to return
to aFortress New Zealand.We
must continue to trade with the
world,and once again it will be
farmers and the ruraleconomy
helping to pull New Zealand
through.
But we can choose to support
the local bookstore. Clothingand
footwear retailers. IT, design,and
other professional services.
Butchers, bakers, and, if we have
any, candlestick makers.
The Ashburton District Council
has launched agreat website
(https://midcanopenforbiz.nz),
enabling businessestoregister,
and locals to see what’s on offer.
Let’s makeShop Localasmall
positive we can take out of all of
this.