Loss of an Identity

Rodney Libraries would like to pay tribute to a character and a gentleman. Sir Gordon Mason, OBE, JP and one of the District's longest serving leaders passed away this morning after a long illness.

Gordon Charles Mason was elected to the then Rodney County Council in 1960. He was deputy chairman from 1963 to 1973 and chairman from 1973 to 1989. In 1989 he was elected as the new Rodney District’s first mayor after local government reorganisation and served in this capacity until his retirement from local politics in 1992. He was a Life Member of the Local Government Association and was recognised as being instrumental in merging the New Zealand Counties Association and the Municipal Association to form that Association in 1988.

This entertaining interview from the pages of the Mahurangi Matters gives more of an insight into the character of the man, whom I knew (as did so many others) as Hookie Mason. He was always ready with a smile and up for a chat.

Sir Gordon is survived by Lady Tui and three children.

Our favourite radio station

and one of our biggest supporters Times FM has changed frequency.

Times FM in Rodney is extremely important to not just Rodney Libraries (promoting our services and programmes) but to the community as a whole. So switch your FM dial from 89.9 FM to 88.9 FM and keep in the know about what is happening in the district.

Second Tsunami Alert!!

Breaking news is that two strong earthquakes just off Vanuatu around 11 o'clock this morning has put New Zealand back on tsunami alert. The most important message is to stay off the beaches and not to go out in boats today.

An up to the minute report from the Stuff.co.nz website can be linked through to by clicking here.

Going to the Dogs

In celebration of the new animal shelter that was opened this week at Silverdale, the subject of today's blog is DOGS.

As you can see if you click on the link above, if you do a subject search in the Rodney Libraries catalogue, you get three pages of subject headings on dogs - from dog behaviour and dog training, through to dogs use in war and dog anecdotes.

There are plenty of dogs in fiction, both children's and adults. Think Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy, Spot, Walter the Farting Dog and Clifford the Big Red Dog for the children. Marley has taken all age groups by storm and is among the dogs that win in the cute stakes. However at the other extreme are dogs like Cujo and the were-wolves. Of course - one of the all time favourites for a lot of us is LASSIE. We have a couple of Lassie books and movies, but for the real fan you need to head somewhere like http://www.lassieweb.org/.

The Northern Animal Shelter is a joint project between Rodney District Council and North Shore City Council. The shelter was officially opened yesterday by Rodney Mayor Penny Webster and North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams. It provides state of the art accommodation for up to 40 dogs. The partnership with North Shore City Council reduces the constructing and operating costs of providing the shelter through cost sharing.

photo credit - Rodney District Council - one of the cuter current members of the shelter

Jane Gifford is Returning Home

Come along to Warkworth on Saturday 16 May and watch the Jane Gifford and a flotilla of classic and historic craft travel the Mahurangi River to her new berth at Warkworth Wharf.

The Jane Gifford, a 101 year-old sailing scow, has been meticulously and magically restored. She is one of the few remaining seaworthy scows in New Zealand waters. Built in Whangateau in the early 1900s she spent most of her working life moving building materials from Thames up to Mahurangi. Part of her story is told in "Logan Campbell's Auckland : tales from the early years" by R. C. J. Stone.

Lovingly restored, her future purpose will be "... as a passenger-carrying sailing vessel for tourism, youth training, weddings, special events, a flag ship for future Mahurangi Regattas, trips down the Mahurangi River and on the Hauraki Gulf. " The Jane Gifford Society has a nice website with information about her story and the restoration project.

There will be music, entertainment, wine and food, children’s activities, a Warkworth Business Association Nautical Market Day and lots more. It will be quite a sight and an enduring gift for Rodney. This is an incredible project - congratulations to all the people who've supported it.

Details:
Saturday 16 May 2009 from 10.45 a.m at the Warkworth Town Wharf
For more information contact Dave Parker, 0-9 452 5006 or eventswarkworth@xtra.co.nz

Have your say about Rodney

Rodney District Council invites you to have your say on a number of consultations. Included in these is the Diamond survey which is also running in the Rodney Times. The survey is intended to help RDC understand Rodney's communities. It takes around 5-10 minutes to do and gives people the opportunity to talk about the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of an area as well as to rate it according to its liveability, visitability, workability and investability. There's only one week left before this survey closes so get in and have your say.

Free internet access at your library

You may have noticed some changes happening at your library this week. The Aotearoa People’s Network is being installed in all seven of the Rodney Libraries. The Aotearoa People’s Network is a collaborative programme between public libraries and the National Library of New Zealand to provide free internet access to improve New Zealanders’ access to the internet and the digital world. This means that Rodney Libraries will soon be offering free internet access to all library users.

Along with computers and free internet access the Aotearoa People’s Network provide hardware such as microphones, headphones and webcams. You’ll also be able to bring in your laptop and use wireless internet – all for free.

The 2006 census showed that 34% of Rodney residents do not have access to the internet. “While many people in our community have access to the internet, we can sometimes forget that there are a large number of residents living in Rodney who don’t have access yet.” says Vicki Clarke, Rodney Libraries Acting Manager.

“Free broadband access will particularly benefit those on limited incomes who don’t have the internet at home, people who may not feel comfortable using computers without support and residents in rural areas where high speed broadband is not accessible,” Ms Clarke adds.

RDC is one of 30 local authorities to date who have successfully applied to have computers gifted as part of the Aotearoa People’s Network initiative. Rodney District Council will continue to provide internet and computer access from computers operating in the libraries which will be available for paid usage.

Development Contributions Public Workshops

Rodney District Council is working towards introducing a development contributions policy as part of the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) 2009-19. The purpose of these workshops is to provide you with more detail of the Council’s proposal and to gain feedback around any major concerns and to answer your questions.

The details of these workshops are as follows:
- Warkworth Masonic Hall, Thursday 29th January 2009 5pm to 7pm
- Helensville Service Centre, Monday 2nd February 2009 5pm to 7pm
- Orewa Office - Council Chambers, Tuesday 3rd February 2009 5pm to 7pm

Breaking Rodney News...

The battle for Penlink took a huge leap forward this morning with the Government announcement that they would support it and that it would be "toll-free" to users.

"Penlink has been given the green light by the Government, who will fund the major share of the project and deliver it to Rodney as a toll-free road in a funding partnership with Rodney District Council." reads the beginning of the news release. For more on this story, head to the new Rodney District Council website

Meanwhile, if you were still thinking of whether or not to buy a ticket to "Dinner in the Tunnel" - Bad News. Tickets sold out within 24 hours of the website going live which is fantastic for the organisers and the charities that the dinner is supporting, but disappointing for the rest of us (and no, I didn't get my act together quickly enough either). Still if you keep an eye on their website www.tunnelcharitydinner.co.nz there is a small chance of cancellations.

And if you are in Wellsford tomorrow, look out for the Antique Riders who are raising money for St Johns. They are referred to as "enthusiastic mature athletes" and will be greeted by Mayor Penny Webster with a lunch at the Wellsford Ambulance station between noon and 1pm. Full details are once again on the Rodney District Council website. Bookmark it to keep up to date with Council and District news.
The Antique Riders, a group of enthusiastic mature athletes raising funds for St John, will be cycling through Wellsford on Wednesday October 8

Kumeu and Helensville Libraries extend their opening hours

Kumeu and Helensville Libraries will extend their opening hours for a trial period of six months starting from August 4 2008.

Here's a quick look at the changes....

Kumeu Library week day opening moved from 9.30 to 9am.
Kumeu Library late night moved from Friday to Thursday, and extended from 6pm to 8pm.

Helensville Library late night Friday extended from 6.30pm to 8pm.
Helensville Library Saturday open hours extended from noon to 1pm.

The Western Libraries have late nights on two different nights -Thursday at Kumeu and Friday at Helensville.

Starting Monday 4th August the new hours are...
Kumeu Library
Monday 9.00 – 5.00
Tuesday 9.00 – 5.00
Wednesday 9.00 – 5.00
Thursday 9.00 – 8.00
Friday 9.00 – 5.00
Saturday 9.00 – 1.00

Helensville Library
Monday 9.30 – 5.00
Tuesday 9.30 – 5.00
Wednesday 9.30 – 5.00
Thursday 9.30 – 5.00
Friday 9.30 – 8.00
Saturday 9.00 – 1.00
Please note: the Helensville Service Centre opening hours will stay the same - Monday to Friday 8:00am - 4:00pm. Closed each day between 12:30 - 1:00pm.

Allow extra time on the roads on Friday

In response to the Government’s increase in road user charges announced this week, truckies have bandied together to organise a protest in Auckland on Friday 4th July beginning around 7.30am.

Protest spokesman Chris Carr, of the Auckland Road Transport Association, says truck drivers are being asked to join motorway motorcades leading to the city at7.30am and go to Queen St from the Symonds St, Nelson St or Fanshawe St off-ramps.Trucks from the Southern Motorway would drive down Queen St, to meet those from the Northwestern and Northern Motorways, which would travel up the street from Victoria St. Motorists and commuters in the greater Auckland region are urged to either get to work very early tomorrow morning - before 7.30am - or to avoid travelling on the region's motorways and streets altogether, so as not to get caught up in what will likely be hours of gridlock. Police have been advised that up to 2,000 heavy trucks will converge on the city's CBD. Even if the truck numbers are significantly less, there will likely be heavy congestion at best in and around the CBD, at least until midday, if not beyond that.

While Police will be out in force to try and ensure public safety on the roads and to facilitate the free movement of emergency response vehicles, substantial delays for travellers are inevitable.
In essence, people should:
* expect long delays on the roading network from around the region
* get to work early or not at all
* know that bus travel will be affected by the truckies' protest
* remain tolerant and act with restraint
* anyone who needed to get to the airport for early morning flights, to get there well in advance or to consider and staying overnight tonight in a hotel, or similar accommodation, near the airport.

Acting Inspector Ross Endicott-Davies of the Auckland City Police District says Police will be doing their best to manage the event and work with the trucking industry. "Traffic movements within the city will be controlled by SCATS (Sydney Controlled Automated Traffic System) but traffic flows are not expected to get back to normal for several hours after the protest has finished."

So be warned! If you’re travelling to the city for an appointment between 7.30 and 9am or travelling from anywhere around the CBD on the motorways your journey may take a little longer than normal.

Congratulations Rodney Live

A huge pat on the back to everyone involved in Rodney Live over the last several weeks in Rodney (and for the months before that for the behind the scenes team). And CONGRATULATIONS to Lou Collier who was the winner on the night.

It takes a huge effort to put on not just an event like this, but an event on any scale. And much of the work is done by volunteers. So while Volunteers Awareness week has come and gone, another thank you goes out to all the volunteers who help keep sports, events, culture and community groups running around Rodney. We couldn't do it without you.

Any event also relies on the enthusiasm of the people that take part. Heaps of people got involved in Rodney Live (I heard on Times FM this morning that the female singer songwriters were to the fore). There are plenty of groups around Rodney that have passionate supporters and participants getting involved and who put lots of work in as well.

And on that note, I would just like to mention the person or persons at the Waikato Netball Representative tournament on Sunday who pretended to be representatives from the winning teams in two of the grades and absconded with the prizes intended for the girls. SHAME ON YOU! Those girls (and their support teams) put in hours of preparation, got up early and travelled long distances to play their hearts out on a cold (but thankfully dry) winter's day. I know because I was there too. Good on you Waikato for finding something to reward the girls anyway.

Rodney Writes - Kiwi Culture

Congratulations to the winners of the Rodney Writes competition. The awards ceremony was held last night at Whangaparaoa Library and Service Centre.

The Premier Award was won by Camille Butler with 'Born in a tent' and Elizabeth Farris was the runner up with 'Happy as Larry'.
The winner of the Novice Award was Jo Wood with 'Good on ya mate' and the runner up was Linda Marincas with 'Finding love in an old dunger'.
The Young Writers Award was won by Amy Jackson with 'The Jandal' and Michael Curreen was the runner up with 'Tomato sauce'.

More details including the winning stories can be found on the Rodney District Council Community webpage Rodney Writes Winners 2008.

Winners and stories from "Rodney Writes 2007 - That was then, this is now" can also be found on the Rodney District Council Community webpage Rodney Writes Winners 2007.

Photos from the event will be up on the Rodney Libraries Flickr page in a couple of days.

Libraries more accessible for North Shore and Rodney residents

North Shore City and Rodney residents and ratepayers will now be able to borrow books from each others’ libraries free of charge.

As from Monday April 14, residents and ratepayers from both areas will be able to join libraries in their neighbouring city without having to pay a subscription.

North Shore City’s library services manager, Geoff Chamberlain, says the new borrowing system will make access to libraries much easier.

“People who regularly pop across to Rodney from North Shore City or vice versa will now be able to join a local library without having to pay for it,” he says.

“As our closest neighbour, we already have a large number of subscribers from Rodney. Many people travel from one city to the other for shopping, social activities or work, and it’s often easier to visit a nearby library than travel further afield,” says Geoff.
Prior to this new borrowing system being introduced people who lived outside council boundaries were charged an annual membership fee of $120 in North Shore City and $50 in Rodney to join each others’ libraries.

Rodney’s acting libraries manager, Vicki Clarke welcomes this new co-operative approach.

“We are continuously looking at ways to improve our library services. Now residents from North Shore and Rodney will have access to a wider range of books and library resources,” she says.

“Our shared catalogue enables library users to search for items held at other libraries, and now they will be able to borrow them without having to pay a fee.”

North Shore or Rodney residents wishing to benefit from this new arrangement will need to join a library in the neighbouring council area and will then be given their own library card for use within that area.

The reciprocal borrowing arrangement between North Shore and Rodney is an eLGAR initiative. eLGAR is made up of Auckland, Manukau, North Shore, Rodney and Waitakere libraries. Its members share a library management system and are working together to provide better library services across the region. It is likely that eLGAR will seek to have reciprocal borrowing rights for all citizens across the region but it will be a while before any Auckland-wide agreement is reached.

Anyone wanting more information about reciprocal borrowing between North Shore and Rodney should visit their local library or contact North Shore Libraries on 09 486 8600 or Rodney Libraries on 0800 426 5169.

Warning - Unwelcome Visitor washed up

Please steer clear of the Bluebottle jellyfish if you happen across one. They have been found washed up on Orewa Beach this week and have a very nasty sting.

Did you know that Bluebottle jellyfish are not a true jellyfish at all? Another name for them is the Portuguese Man-O'-War and their Maori name is Ihu Moana. If you want to find out more about jellyfish and other sea creatures check out the Rodney Libraries catalogue in the 570's and 590's on the shelves or do a subject search for beaches or fish.

In the meantime, if you do see a Bluebottle jellyfish, you should not touch them or attempt to pick them up as they sting even when they have been dead for some time.