6 Thursday <strong>February</strong> <strong>29</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 17 th March <strong>2024</strong> Entries on sale from: or online: www.city2surf.co.nz
Thursday <strong>February</strong> <strong>29</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 7 Gardeners plan pantry after health scare • By Sasha Watson A FOOD pantry will be set up for the Travis Country community in Burwood by keen gardeners, Nick and Megan Hamilton. It comes after they moved from their sheep and beef farm in North Canterbury to Travis Country in April 2022, following a Nick Hamilton Megan Hamilton health scare. “My father had a brain bleed and died suddenly in 2020. Shortly after, I began to get intense headaches. I thought it was depression,” said Hamilton. “But, the headaches kept getting worse so I went in for a scan. The doctors found a brain tumour and operated on it. “They are happy with its progress and I’ve begun working again, for a farming bank. With a health scare like this, it makes you think about what is important in life.” HELPING HAND: A food pantry, similar to the Somerfield Community Pantry, is being set up for Travis Country by keen gardeners, Nick and Megan Hamilton. PHOTO: FACEBOOK Hamilton said spending time with his family and “making sure to live every day” was his focus now, as well as spending time in his vegetable garden. “The share pantry idea started with Megan, as we had an overabundance of all sorts of things. In Amberley, there was a similar pantry which was quite successful,” said Hamilton. Hamilton went to the Waitai- Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board last year with his proposal. He has been working on a design, with help from builders in the area. Said Hamilton: “I can swing a hammer, but I’m no builder. I would like the pantry to be built well and serve the community for many years to come as excess produce would be put into a green bin otherwise.” He said there was a need for it with the cost of living. Community board member Greg Mitchell was supportive of the idea. He said St Paul’s Lutheran Church has offered to host the pantry in the church car park. The local primary school and kindergarten have also expressed interest in helping with the project, Mitchell said. “There are so many bad things going on – it is nice to see good things, like this initiative, happening.” Hamilton hopes the pantry will be up and running by spring. • To help with the Travis Country share pantry project, get in touch with Nick Hamilton at omihiham@gmail.com LONG DISTANCE: Four teenagers and four adults made up the Saturday ride group with half opting to finish the ride at 50km, and the rest continuing on to Akaroa. Riders improve lives • From page 1 “I feel like the east gets the raw deal in terms of infrastructure and places to ride along,” said Muir. “The area holds many families with low incomes and they can’t afford to buy a bike from a shop. “A lot of the kids from the area have never been to the Port Hills, so we take them out to see different places and get into nature. We also help reduce the chance of antisocial behaviours later in life.” CJ is one of just over 920 people who have received a donated bike since the group began three years ago. He volunteers on Thursdays to help other kids repair their bikes. In about eight weeks the group will donate their 1000th bike to someone in need. As someone who has always “loved and appreciated” bike riding, Muir found a big need for both getting people on bikes and taking people out for rides, especially after the <strong>February</strong> 22, 2011 earthquake. He started the initiative as it sits well with his “values of creating a clean environment” and reducing carbon emissions. The group is funded by the city council and organisations from around the area and operates from the Breezes Rd Baptist Church every Thursday from 3-6pm. “The feedback we get is that we’re making a big difference. We have also had comments about this initiative being life-changing for some,” Muir said.
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