Ashburton Courier: December 07, 2023

4 Ashburton
NEWS
Courier, December 7, 2023
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Levon’s green fingers help
DELLWYN.MOYLAN
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Trolls Band
Together
Reviewed by DavidFavel
This is the best Trolls movie, thereIsaid it.
Basic plot, anexmember ofaboy band
has been kidnapped, cue the attempted
rescue.
Now… We have to talk music. Thenewest
album Ihaveis19years old(1freemovie
to whoever guesses it), except for 9to 5
(thanks Dolly), Irecognised almost none
of the soundtrack. Sure the singers were
very talented butIwaslost.
Really sweet andendearing without being
allsugar,funny at the kids leveland at the
expenseofboy bands. Actually Isuppose
the target audience could be Back Street
Boys fans…
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Passionate gardener Levon Wilson of
Ashburton has partnered with Pātaka
Kai food pantry on the corner of South
St and Chalmers Ave to provide
vegetable plants grown from seeds.
Pātaka Kai organiserTKReuben­
Paul is thrilled the 29­year­old has
come on board to help locals in need.
Wilson attends the Chris Ruth
Centre just along the road from the
pantry. Previously he has been
involved in community volunteering
through Kai for Kids and He Waka
Tapu.
His advocateSapphire Stanley said
nowWilson wasn’tdoing this, he was
happy he was still able to fulfil his
desire for volunteer work through the
new role.
‘‘His love of gardening drew him to
want to do this for the community,’’
Stanley said.
‘‘Levon has found being able to
reach out to his community and giving
through doing this has been manaenhancing.’’
The first of the plants arrived last
week at the stand, all grown by Wilson
from seeds. They included climbing
beans, corn, Chinese cabbage and
tomatoes.
The project has been supported by
Mitre 10 Mega and Lushingtons, as
Bird’s stardom welcomed
DELLWYN.MOYLAN
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Ashburton conservationist and
photographerDon Geddes welcomed
the internationalvoting that saw the
pūteketeke/Australasian crested
grebe crowned New Zealand’s Bird of
the Century recently.
The South Island bird with an
orange mullet is aregular on the
Ashburton Lakes, and one Geddes
likes to photograph.
‘‘It was cool to see the grebe win,
and the publicitythis has generated
for the birds. The freepublicityhas
been awesome,and it’s all been fun,’’
Geddes said.
The pūteketeke shot to
international stardom thanks to
British comedian John Oliver
encouraginghis television
audiences to vote for it in the Forest
and Bird competition.
Subsequently, the competition
generated $600,000 in donations for
the conservation group, more than
six times what the 2022 competition
raised.
‘‘You are adeeply weird bird and
Ithink at the end of the day that’s
PARTNERSHIP: Levon Wilson (fourth from left) is helping users of Pātaka Kai
to grow vegetables. Others pictured (from left) are Pātaka Kai organisers Karla
and TK and TePuia Reuben­Paul, with staff member Kylie Moore, Jasmine
Currie, Aidan Christie (standing), Hayden Miller and staff member Lisa Payne,
from Chris Ruth Centre.
well as Heritage Corp who has given
heirloom seeds. Wilson has been
supportedbyothers who attend the
Chris Ruth Centre. They include
Jasmine Currie,Aidan Christie and
HaydenMiller, who have been helping
make the packets the plants sit in.
The pūteketekeatAshburton Lakes.
PHOTO DON GEDDES
The Chris Ruth Centre looks for
volunteer opportunities which suit
each of their members and their
interests.
If people have small single pot or
six­tray plant pots they no longer
require, they can be left at the pantry.
what people responded to,’’ Oliver
said in atribute to the pūteketeke
after it won, referring to its ‘‘Sid
Vicious­esque hairstyle’’ and other
attributes.
Now the hype of the competition
is over, the birds aren’t to be
forgotten.Locals can get involved in
helping native birds generally by
taking part in predator trappings,
and making donationstoForest and
Bird.
They can also help out for the tenyear
national pūteketeke survey
planned for January 27, 2024. The
count is being organised by
Canterbury volunteers Rosalie
Snoyink and Leslie Jensen.
Due to low numbers, pūteketeke
are classed as nationally
vulnerable. But numbers appear to
be increasing.
After reaching 200 in the 1980s the
population increased to about 400 in
2004, and 700 in 2014.
It is expected bird numbers may
exceed 1000 this survey. Plans are
under way to find observers to count
about 100 lakes in the South Island,
on the same day.
Geddes is co­ordinating people to
count at the Ashburton Lakes. The
new data will be valuable in
determining trends in survival and
distribution of this elegant, and now
internationally famous, diving
water bird.
The pūteketeke survey is on
January 27. For more information
about participating, contact Don
Geddes via don.
geddes@fireandemergency.nz or
0272247913.
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