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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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LINDA.CLARKE<br />
@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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