Ambury Farm Barn Dance August 2016

A stomping good time was had by all at the inaugural Ambury Farm Barn Dance on the weekend.  Forty locals gathered on a wintry night and soon warmed up as we do-cee-doed and promenaded around the space, with Celtic-flavoured musical accompaniment by members of the Auckland Scottish Fiddle Club.  Local resident Noel Armstrong was our fantastic caller, who gave us clear instructions on what to do, which feet to use and which direction to twirl in.    
 

Laughter swept the room when our orderly dancing patterns turned to chaos, but we figured it out in the end!  “My jaw is aching from smiling so much,” one participant said at the end of the night and another commented, “What a fabulous way to spend the evening.”  Our inaugural barn dance certainly was a fun way to get to know some neighbours and get fit at the same time! 

Many thanks to Noel for kindly donating his time for the evening.  Thanks also to Angela King, who passed on her Barn Dance- organising tips to Friends of the Farm’s Meredith and Caroline.  And thanks so much to all the locals - young, old and in-between- who came along and got into the spirit of it all- “a good local night out”.  See you there next year!

  

Mid-Winter Christmas Dinner at Bridge Court

From the moment the invites were delivered, to the moment the last resident left the hall, we were overwhelmed with the response and warmth. When we arrived on Saturday afternoon (having set-up the hall the evening before), there were already eager faces nearly an hour early. Assuring people they wouldn’t miss out, we sent them home again while we finished our preparations.

At the 2:30pm start time, we opened the door and it was all on. We welcomed the guests with a karakia and waiata led by Natasha.  Refreshments were served as people chatted and made their way to the tables, set with Christmas crackers, fancy serviettes, board games and packs of cards. The laughter and conversations were soon flowing.

As meal-time drew closer, the games wound up and the anticipation built. The kai was blessed by Hauraki, then the wonderful FoF (Friends of the Farm) girls served the meal to the less-mobile, while the able-bodied served themselves from the buffet table. Christmas carols played in the background as we tucked into the delicious ham, turkey and chicken, with all the traditional trimmings of stuffing and gravy, peas and corn, washed down with a non-alcoholic punch. It all quickly disappeared!  The incredibly efficient kitchen team ensured that the food was hot and plentiful, whilst still others delivered platters to residents that were unable to join us in the hall, making a total of 29 meals.

After a brief respite, dessert was served; wonderful Christmas cake, banana cake, apple pie, fruit salad, custard; so much food! And yet, so little left over! The original idea that we could send people home with food was quickly forgotten as it became clear that everyone had enjoyed their dinner. Early this week a resident rang one of our team members to thank us for our ‘excellent food’.

After a generous round of applause from the residents, we re-affirmed our plan to organize another springtime visit to the Farm, which was received enthusiastically.  People drifted away to their homes, many of them thanking the Friends of the Farm crew and promising to see them at the next event. It’s been the talk of their village all week.

Personally, I was overwhelmed by the response and I know this meal will be a huge turning-point in the connection between the Friends of the Farm and the Bridge Court Residents. The enthusiasm with which our team was received has ensured that Friends of the Farm will be more than willing to host another Bridge Court Mid-Winter Christmas Dinner.

SO MANY THANKS TO: The Mad Butcher for the turkey, Brandys' Roasts for roast potatoes, Paul at Bridge Fruit n Veg and Sweet Things Bakery for a large apple pie. Special thanks to Sharryn for the Christmas Cake, and so grateful to all the team; Carol-Anne, Dawn, Meredith, Natasha, Nicollette, Ellery and to anyone we might have missed.

Denise Balmain

(Big thanks also to Denise, who devoted lots of time and energy to making this event happen and who makes everyone feel so welcome!- Justine)

Community orchard working bee

Around 16 Mangere Bridge locals gathered at the “Feijoa Patch” off Wallace Rd on the weekend, armed with gardening gloves, spades and lots of community spirit!  Our mission; to add 13 new fruit trees to the existing patch of established feijoas, creating a community orchard for us all to enjoy for years to come.  The fruit trees, purchased by Friends of the Farm, included four varieties of mandarin and two each of limes and oranges.  Our plan is for the trees to fruit at different times, so there will be a constant supply of fruit and enough to share with the wider community.

The group spent a happy and productive couple of hours digging holes (and pulling out some very large rocks!), adding sheep manure and compost and then mulching around the planted trees.  Both young and old, human and canine got stuck in, making it possible to get a lot done in a short space of time.  At the end of our labours, the workers were treated to a cold drink and delicious home baking, thanks to Ella Walmsley.  

Special thanks to orchard neighbours Rose, Richard and Joseph for their vision for the orchard and huge contribution to making it happen.  They are our kaitiaki for this patch, supported by Friends of the Farm and Auckland Council.  Thanks also to Auckland Council for supplying the compost for the trees.  The compost was created from the food waste collected in the trials of a new food bin collection system.  And of course we couldn’t have achieved much without the ever-efficient co-ordination of our Park Ranger Janine Nillesen, who organised the resources and gave us all jobs to do.

Friends of the Farm will co-ordinate ongoing working bees in the orchard, with a view to extending the patch to other areas in and around Ambury Farm as well.  There’ll be opportunities to help with pruning, mulching and manuring the trees as Spring approaches, so look out for invitations to join in on our Facebook page or Friends Updates.   The orchard will take a while to get established, so there’s no fruit to pick at this stage.  Once it’s in production, we’ll let the community know.  Thanks so much to everyone who came down to help on the weekend- your efforts have created a community treasure!

    

   

Sweet Talks 2016

 May was Sweet Talks time again for Friends of the Farm- our annual catch up with our community to provide an update on our work and seek feedback for the coming year.  In addition to eight Friends, this year 31 local residents participated 18 of whom had been to previous Sweet Talks and 13 newbies. We also received a number of apologies. Those arriving early had an opportunity to hear more about our Household Waste Pilot, thanks to our wonderful new recruit Jane Gravestock, who delivered a fantastic presentation, drawing a crowd and signing people up on the spot!  

 

To kick off the formal part of the evening, Janine Nillesen gave a run-down on Friends’ activities over the past year, which have included some of our now signature events (Goodbye Godwits, the Easter Scavenger Hunt, farm and foreshore working bees and support with waste reduction at community events), as well as some new initiatives (Mangere Bridge Household Waste Pilot, Mangere Bridge community picnic, activities at Bridge Court, Mangere Bridge annual calendar of events, and Kids’ Sweet Talks).  Many of these new initiatives have sprung from ideas generated at previous Sweet Talks.

Janine then painted a picture of what’s on the horizon for us, including a Barn Dance, community orchard planting, preserving workshops, a new website and storytelling project, a Mangere Bridge calendar of weekly/monthly events, a Mangere Bridge community group directory and an everyday soft plastics collection point.

Next came the “sweet” part of the evening, where the barn was transformed into a café, complete with table decorations, waitresses taking drink orders and platters of goodies to nibble on while we discussed these questions; What can Friends of the Farm do over the next year to encourage a more caring community? How can Friends of the Farm make our events and activities more attractive to a wider range of people/ families/ groups in the community? What’s one thing you can do over the next year to make Mangere Bridge a more caring, connected and wastewise community?

As with previous Sweet Talks, there were plenty of great ideas for Friends of the Farm to chew over.  Our task now is to prioritise these and see what’s achievable, making sure we stick to our motto of “Keep it Simple”.  It was fantastic to see, once again, the community spirit and enthusiasm amongst the group, and the willingness of everyone to contribute to making Mangere Bridge a more caring, connected and wastewise community.  Thanks to all those who attended and to everyone who contributed to the smooth running of the evening.   We also thanked Council for its ongoing support of our Wastewise initiatives in the community. 

May Mangroves

 Written by Frances Hancock

Two community working bees were held in Mangere Bridge during the month of May, focusing on an annual weeding of mangrove seedlings along Kiwi Esplanade. This is done to maintain our views of and access to the harbor.

Friends of the Farm co-ordinated the working bees, in partnership with Mangere Bridge Residents and Ratepayers and with support from Auckland Council, who supplied bags and gloves and arranged pick up of the mangroves.

We were lucky enough to have fine, mild weather on both days - perfect for the task at hand.  Set up was at 9.30 am and we were finished by 1pm.  We established a base at the Mangere Boat Club and most people came and registered here first and received instructions on health and safety, before being directed to a patch.  We encouraged people to work in small groups for comradery and to maintain safety, as well as to make it easier to see the difference we were making with our efforts. Friends of the Farm organisers went along the esplanade to check progress, ensure health and safety, offer assistance and answer questions. The boat club provided a wash down area for people to use at the end.

39 people gathered for the first working bee, working for a combined total of 90 hours and collecting around about 68 bags of mangroves.  The second working bee also attracted 39 volunteers, who gathered 45 bags in a total of 88 hours - a huge amount of volunteer time!  All in all, we fairly well cleared most of the seedlings along the waterfront from the old bridge to the farm, with only a few spots remaining.

Many of the volunteers have done working bees before, but it was also great to see new residents in the area wanting to get connected and make a difference.  Chris and Suzie Lockett from A1Cuts used their van and trailer to collect the bags of mangrove seedlings along the esplanade, which they delivered to the boat club for collection by Council contractors.  Janine and long-time volunteer Darren, from the Farm, were responsible for set up and clean up and as usual did a stellar job.  Jon Baulcomb from the boat club opened up bollards on the esplanade to enable easy access to the foreshore where people were working. Thanks also to Kara at Council for supporting our efforts.

There were some tired bodies at the end of the day, as it was sometimes difficult trawling through the thick heavy mud.  As a group, we’ve developed a good system of organisation and were better at focusing on defined patches so we could really see a difference at the end of our efforts.  Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers for your work!

Easter Scavenger Hunt 2016

Friends of the Farm are all about creating wonderful childhood memories for kids. Last month we hosted a fabulous free family fun event at the Farm - an Easter Scavenger Hunt.  Around 80 people, including many family groups from our Mangere Bridge community, joined in for two hours of fun activities and Easter treats. 

The Scavenger Hunt led people on a treasure trail around the Farm, with activities to complete, like the infamous Whose Poos? game, ‘rock put’, an ‘unnatural’ trail, and egg hunt around the hen paddock.  Crafty types could decorate their eggs, paint river stones or contribute to an artwork made from rubbish collected up from around the Farm.

An abundance of chocolate eggs and hot cross buns served as Easter treats for young and old.  Children were encouraged to smooth out the egg wrappers the way their parents and grandparents did as children.  And the hot cross buns were smothered with homemade butter, which we’d all had a go at making during the afternoon.

Gathering around Easter has long been a tradition at Ambury Farm for local families and each year we hope to see more come and enjoy this fun event. This year it was lovely to see so many families connecting amongst themselves and with each other during the afternoon and everyone enjoying the beautiful regional park on our doorstep.  Some family groups included members from three generations!

Thanks to the Friends of the Farm members and their families who assisted on the day, to the Park Rangers who supported the event and to our fantastic locals Gemma and Aaron who lent a hand as well. 

Mangere Bridge Food and Wine Festival 2016

Friends of the Farm lent waste reduction expertise to the Mangere Bridge Food and Wine Festival this month, for the third year running.  Our seasoned environmental educator Meredith co-ordinated support, with assistance from Sharryn and one of our newer members Jane Gravestock. Local boys Mathew and Asher helped out with the set up of bin stations, earning community hours for St Peters School.

The Vipers Netball team and whanau were our wonderful bin monitors, helping festival-goers put their waste in the right bin.  They remained enthusiastic and dedicated, despite the inclement weather.  “We have some tremendous people in our community and it’s great to meet people who want to make a difference”, said Meredith.

Kate Adams from the Business Association had primed vendors on our mission to reduce waste, and lots of compostable packaging was used during the event. Better packaging made it much easier to sort and separate waste, and contributed to the fantastic waste reduction stats for the day. 

In total, a whopping 91% of waste from the event was diverted from landfill, including 71kg of compostable waste.  “I’m delighted because the percentage of compostables was up dramatically from last year which bodes well for future events. Landfill figures were down once again with only 9kg going to landfill”, reported Meredith. Most of the landfill waste was plastic bags and non-compostable cups and plates, which were mainly being generated by our local cafes and take away stores.  Lucky dip packaging and waste from outside the event also made it into the landfill bins.

Once again, this event has shown us how much support there is in our community for reducing waste, from the positive response of festival-goers to the feedback from volunteers manning the bins. “I learned so much today and have come home with a renewed passion for recycling, sitting my family down straight away and getting them involved.  We made up some charts and we're going to set up some bins to help us sort.  I loved meeting different people and educating them as well.  Everyone was so cool about it.  Keen to get involved again!” said Lisa Tuara, secretary for the Vipers Netball Club.

Huge thanks again to Steve Rickerby at We Compost, who provided the bin stations and took away all the rubbish at the end.  Well done to the Business Association for showing leadership and to the Mangere Bridge community for supporting us all to reduce our waste!