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Ashburton Courier: April 15, 2021

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www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />

Current Allenton principal Bruce Tilby (far left) with students who graduated from the school in 1966, (back row, from<br />

second left) John Taylor, Peter Huntley, Robin Marshall, John Maynard, John Paterson, Sue Baker and (front, from left)<br />

Jocelyn Petrie (Sarney), Jacky Challis, Denise Bond (Clement), teacher Marjorie Hoar, Joy Marshall (Gliddon), Jan<br />

Clucas (Boothroyd), Kris Corbett (Rowell).<br />

PHOTO LINDA CLARKE<br />

Allenton schooldays relived<br />

NEWS<br />

<strong>Ashburton</strong> <strong>Courier</strong>, <strong>April</strong> <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2021</strong><br />

Ploughers win<br />

at nationals<br />

9<br />

Ploughman MattRidge of Methven, wasnamed<br />

the winner of theFairhall Trophy at the New<br />

Zealand Ploughing championshipsat<br />

Riversdale in Southland lastweekend. Title<br />

winnerswereBob Mehrtens, Ian Woolley,<br />

Alister Rutherford, and John andSharon<br />

Chynowethwho allreceived Royal<br />

Agricultural Society Framed Medals.<br />

The ploughers, all from the South Island,<br />

won their respective events in the<br />

competition. Ian won the silver plough<br />

conventional plough, Bob the reversible<br />

plough, Alistair thevintage plough and John<br />

and Sharon thehorse plough. Andrew<br />

Urquhart won the contemporary plough.<br />

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@ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />

There was plenty of reminiscing and<br />

at leastone confessionwhen former<br />

Allenton School students, wholeft<br />

the school in 1966,gathered for a<br />

reunionatthe weekend.<br />

PeterHuntley, from Hamilton, said<br />

it was time for him to revealthat he<br />

and amate had brokenawindow with<br />

awayward football back in the day.<br />

‘‘We wereneversprung.Itwas after<br />

school and we just scarpered.’’ He<br />

was still remorseful.<br />

The deed many years ago was<br />

forgiven50yearsonbycurrent<br />

Allenton School principal Bruce<br />

Tilby, who was impressed that the<br />

formerstudentswere stillinterested<br />

in their old school.<br />

He gave the 17 who cameto the<br />

reunionaguided tour of the <strong>2021</strong><br />

school,which is alot bigger than in<br />

1966. Among the absentees was<br />

BelindaBreeze, who helped organise<br />

the reunion from Australia but could<br />

not attendbecause of covid.<br />

The school is abouttobegin a<br />

building project which will mean the<br />

current staff room will become a<br />

teaching space and the library anew<br />

entrants’ room. The administration<br />

area is also no longer big enough to<br />

caterfor 48 staff.<br />

‘‘A lot is happening in the next 12<br />

months. There will be anew<br />

building.’’<br />

As well as students, formerteacher<br />

Marjorie Hoar attendedthe reunion.<br />

Peter remembered her taking the<br />

seniorclass on atrip to Wellington,<br />

whichinvolved aboat trip from<br />

Left: Allenton students (fromleft)<br />

Jocelyn Sarney, Pauline Grey, Belinda<br />

Breeze and Julie Hunt, packed for a<br />

school trip to Wellington in 1966.<br />

Lyttelton to Wellington aboard the<br />

Wahine. It was arough passagebut<br />

the students remembered the visit to<br />

the capital city.<br />

He said Mrs Hoar, now in her 90s,<br />

was an inspirational teacher who<br />

encouraged them to grow their<br />

general knowledgewith homework<br />

research.<br />

‘‘She sparked real interest in the<br />

world aroundusand in current<br />

events.’’<br />

He could rememberlistening to<br />

educational broadcasts via aspeaker<br />

in the classroom; the same speaker<br />

was used by the principal to deliver<br />

news.<br />

He went on to become ateacher<br />

himself.<br />

The reunion group had several<br />

social eventsover the weekend,<br />

includingpartners, to catchupwith<br />

their former school­mates.<br />

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Changes support Kiwi families<br />

Autumn has well and truly arrived<br />

and temperatures are starting to cool.<br />

But, if the Easter break wasn’t<br />

enough, Ihave good news to cheer up<br />

anyone feeling down about the<br />

summer’s end.<br />

Afew weeks ago the Government<br />

delivered on arange of policies<br />

designed to support the Kiwis who<br />

need it most. Iknow this will make a<br />

big difference for hard­working<br />

families here in Mid Canterbury.<br />

First, the minimum wage increased<br />

to $20 an hour, fulfilling an important<br />

election promise for Labour. Since<br />

2017, we’ve steadily lifted the<br />

minimum wage by $4.25 an hour in<br />

total –particularly significant<br />

compared to the $3.75 increase the<br />

previous National Government<br />

managed in all its nine years.<br />

Around 175,000 New Zealanders<br />

and their families will benefit from<br />

this increase, which equates to<br />

around $44 aweek more before tax<br />

for afull­time worker. In total, our<br />

minimum wage increases over the<br />

past three years mean the lowest paid<br />

New Zealanders working full­time<br />

now earn $170 aweek more before<br />

tax.<br />

This support for Kiwis on the<br />

lowest incomes has also been<br />

extended to people unable to work or<br />

struggling to find ajob. On <strong>April</strong> 1,<br />

main benefit levels and<br />

superannuation rates increased by<br />

3.1 per cent for over one million New<br />

Zealanders.<br />

This was the second increase to<br />

main benefit levels as aresult of our<br />

policy indexing main benefits to<br />

average wage growth, and it’ll see<br />

rates increase by up to $16.16 aweek.<br />

Around 390,000 people and their<br />

families will be better off with the<br />

annual increase to benefit rates –<br />

more than double what it would’ve<br />

been using the old inflation<br />

adjustment.<br />

The Children’s Commissioner said<br />

the single best thing government<br />

could do for children in poverty was<br />

“to see child benefits linked to<br />

wages”. That’s what we’ve done here,<br />

and it’ll be achange that sticks;<br />

supporting this generation of young<br />

people and the next.<br />

Cumulatively, our Families<br />

Package and main benefit changes to<br />

date mean that around 111,000<br />

families with children are now on<br />

average $118 aweek better off. In<br />

fact, that figure rises to $<strong>15</strong>0 aweek<br />

during the winter period, thanks to<br />

the Winter Energy Payment.<br />

There is still much more to do, like<br />

building more homes, improving our<br />

health system, and investing in<br />

education, training and job<br />

opportunities. But, as we emerge<br />

from the Easter break, Ithink the raft<br />

of changes that have just come into<br />

force will make abig difference.<br />

These policies represent longoverdue<br />

improvements to how we<br />

support the Kiwis who need it most.<br />

They represent real delivery, and I’m<br />

proud to be part of agovernment<br />

focused on that.<br />

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