Ashburton Courier: March 11, 2021

www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Bloom win for young Will
NEWS
Ashburton Courier, March 11, 2021
27
Youngster Will Rollinson was
an emerging star at the
combined show of the
Ashburton and Christchurch
dahlia groups.
Will won the novice section,
with amedium cactus bloom
called Highwarden Cliff.
Adisplay of dahlias in 280
vases filled the Tinwald Hall
with colour last weekend.
Growers were looking for prizes
in various grades and
classifications.
The top Champion of
Champions was won by Alistair
Davey of Seadown, who shows
under the Ashburton umbrella,
with amagnificent giant bloom
called Aggie White. He also won
the open section best bloom.
Best vase in the open was won
by Jeannette Cuthbertson, with
three blooms of small cactus
Embrace.
Intermediate section best
bloom went to J&PWilliams of
Christchurch with Hillcrest
Candy and also the best vase of
three Kaiwera Gold.
The official opening of the
show was carried out by
Ashburton District Councillor
Carolyn Cameron and the
blooms were open to the public
to view.
Spokesperson Joyce Read
said the Ashburton group had a
growing membership of
enthusiasts and welcomed
everyone who loved the healthy
rivalry.
The next local club meeting
and last dahlia table show is in
the Tinwald Hall on March 16.
Photo: Will Rollinson was a
winner in the novice section at
the combined show of the
Ashburton and Christchurch
dahlia groups.
CLUB NEWS
Ashburton U3A
Dr PaulScofield,
palaeontologist, senior curator
of natural history at the
Canterbury Museum spoke to us
recentlyonthe subject
Squawkzilla and The Giants:
Glimpsesintothe Prehistory of
New Zealand.
Overthe last 150 yearswe
have begun to understand more
fully ourfossil past. Famed
anatomist Richard Owen
(1804­1892), acontemporary of
Charles Darwin,witha
remarkable giftfor identifying
and interpreting fossils such as
our moa,also acknowledgedthe
fact of faunal extinction,but was
acritic of Darwin.
Theconcept of plate tectonics
was first developed in the 50’s
and 60’s, and counteracts the
earlier conceptsof landbridges.
In the last twenty yearswe have
understood moreabout our
continentofZealandia,
especially its formation,
geological historyand biota.
About66millionyears ago an
asteroid roared into Chixilub on
the YucatanPeninsula in
northernSouth America: the
resulting toxic atmosphere,
alongwith the volcanic Deccan
Trapsvolcanism, led to the
extinction of the dinosaur.
Without this asteroidimpact,
evolutionoflife would have
takenaverydifferentpath, and
we wouldn’t be heretoday.
Somewhat contentious is how
muchofNew Zealand was
under water 23 million years
ago. NewZealand wasavery
different shape. 25 million years
ago there was little land.Mostof
North/South Canterbury was
under water, andwas alot
warmer.
Fossil hunters in theWaipara
Valley andriver in the1960’s/
70’sdiscoveredfragmental
specimensofreptiles, suchas
fossilsofflamingo­like ducks,
two land­based crocodiles;
more are found constantly.
Waipaiaconus, once thought to
be aprimitive stalked barnacle
butnow identifiedasacoral,
wasfound. Sharks had a
remarkable diversity, but few
remains arepreserved.
Fragmentsof3­metre turtles
have also been found.
Fossil fragments of the giant
penguin, waimamanu, 100kg
and1.5 metrestall, werefound
near Oamaru in Duntroon along
with the oldest pelican found
with false teeth, or serrations.
With CT scans, these can be
identifiedfor world­record
comparisons. These scans
enable palaeontologists to
extract, virtually, individual
bonesto make 3D prints,
precluding hundreds of hours
physicallypicking awaythe
bonesfrom the matrix.
Zealandia also has somethe
earliest flyingseabirds in the
world helping to confirm the
evolution of birdsasdinosaurs.
We learnt that around 18
million years agoand in a
tropical climate,from the
Waitaki to the Nevis, (near
Cromwell), LakeManuherikia
wasformed, nine the times size
of Lake Taupo. We now know
thatatStBathans, digging
through the alluvial sediment to
the blue clay floor of the lake, a
remarkable bone bed yields
many fossil plants and animals.
Some terrestrial crocodiles,
bats, ducks, pigeon (related to
the dodo), eaglesand shore
birds are found, but also many
fish fossils.
Then thereis “Heracles”, the
55kg, one­metre­tall parrot, of
the kaka and keafamily, also
foundnear St Bathans. It was
twicethe size of the kakapo.
Known worldwide as
Squawkzilla, this hasexcited
the imaginationofthe world,
and has become part of the
Guinness BookofRecords. A
fascinating insight into the everevolvingbiogeographyofour
world on the continent of
Zealandia.
AshburtonBridge Club
Monday Evening –March 1st,
B&CLadder
N/S 1st Bruce Leighton &Paul
Leadley,2nd Ruth Logan&
AnneGilbert, 3rd Bronwyn
Oakley&CathKing
E/W 1st Pat Wise &Joyce
Johnson, 2nd David Fisher &
George Brown, 3rd John F
Rickard &Derek Prebble
TuesdayEvening –March 2nd,
ALadder
N/S 1st KayRobb &Rosemary
McLaughlin,2nd Trish &Peter
Downward, 3rd Mary Buckland
&SoniaGill
E/W 1st Annette Blain&
Carolyn King, 2nd Trish &
MauriceSmall, 3rdJason
Vannini &Maree Moore
Wednesday Afternoon­March
3rd, Valetta Trophy
N/S 1st RosemaryMcLaughlin
&Judith Edmond, 2nd Bev
Turton &Peter Downward, 3rd
Mary Buckland &TrishSmall
E/W 1st Rewa Kyle &Trish
Downward,2nd John Shearer &
John Fechney, 3rd Debbie
Seddon–Sewell &DavidSewell
ThursdayEvening–March
4th, MaryMulligan Trophy
N/S 1st Judith Edmond and
MareeMoore, 2ndMike
Holdaway &John Fechney, 3rd
Sue Rosevear &Maryke
Blignault
E/W 1st Jim Rooney &Jill
Browne, 2nd Val Palmer &Pat
Jordan, 3rd PeterDownward&
Carolyn King.
Ashburton County Lions
Followingaveryenjoyable
Januarybarbecue at the home
of presidentLynette Lovett, the
Ashburton County Lions Club
held their Februarytea meeting
at the Ashburton Hotel on
Wednesday 24th February.
Thespeaker forthe night was
Emma Taylor fromArgyle
Welsh &Finnigan.She shared
theimportance of making wills
andappointingpowers of
attorneytomakesure that the
right outcomesoccuratatime
when families can be under
stress. She also provided
information on the different
ways in which homeownership,
investments and bankaccounts
can be set up andthe
implicationsofthis
organisation when adeath
occurs. Emma also reminded us
of theneedtoreviewthese
documents from timetotimeto
make sure that they still match
your current needsand
changingfamily situations.
Followingthe speakerthe
reports fromthe various
committees wereshared
outliningplans for thecoming
year. Volunteers were asked for
to help with HeartFoundation
and Red Puppy appeals.The
club is also looking for a
suitable candidate (over the age
of 18)tosponsor in attending the
Berwick Outdoor Experiencein
May.
In the coming month members
haveseveral social events to
look forward to amovie night, a
lunch at TasteCafeand a
mystery bus trip.
The meeting concluded with
the drawing of the raffle and
someamusingtail twisting.
Mid Canterbury Provincial
Rural Women NZ
We are againofferinga
scholarship to both female and
male applicants whohave a
homebase in Mid Canterbury.
The 2021 scholarship will be of a
$1000 grant and aresource grant
of $500. Applications close on
April 1.
Please contactPauline
Hewson for applicationforms or
for furtherdetails.Pauline, the
scholarship co­ordinator, can be
reached on 303 6397 or email to
hopelands407@gmail.com.
Winners will be announced in
April.
Mid CanterburyRWmembers
willalso assist Region2RWNZ
committee with attendingthe
South Island Field Daysat
Kirwee, promotingthe ongoing
awareness campaign, Either
way it’s20k, whenpassing a
stationary school bus.
The ever popular Cook and
Eat programme,teaching
childrentocook,will runagain
in April. If anymemberscan
help out, yourassistance would
be welcomed.
At present we alsohave a
fundraiser, selling Fairliepies.
If you would like to support us
pleasecontact us.
Our next meeting will be on
March 12 at the Sinclair Centre
at 9.30am.
More club newspage 35.
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