Book of the week: "Island of the Lost" by Joan Druett

"Island of the lost : shipwrecked at the edge of the world" by Joan Druett has been picked up by South Pacific Pictures. Published in 2007 the book is about two crews shipwrecked on opposite ends of an island at around about the same time. Unfortunately a great big mountain range is in between them, leading each group to think they are the only ones on the island. What happens next sounds like a horrible social experiment gone wrong - here's the blurb...



"In early 1864, heading back to Australia after a failed mining expedition, the crew of the Grafton encountered a violent storm and found themselves shipwrecked in the Auckland Islands, off the coast of New Zealand. Druett, a maritime historian (In the Wake of Madness), draws upon the journals of the ship's captain, Thomas Musgrave and prospector Francois Raynal to reveal how the crew pulled together and made the best of their circumstances for nearly two years. By contrast, when the Invercauld ran aground on the other side of the island months later-beyond an impassable mountain range, and hence unaware they were not alone-the surviving sailors quickly began eating their dead crewmates out of desperation. Soon, only three remained, the ineffectual captain and another officer being kept alive by a resourceful seaman."

What's on this weekend?

Official opening of Atiu Creek Regional Park
Saturday 5th April 2008, 11am - 3pm.
Atiu Creek Farm, near Wellsford, was gifted to the people of New Zealand by Pierre and Jackie Chatelanat in October 2005. On opening day visitors will be able to explore the park and ranger-guided and self-guided walks will be on offer. A shuttle bus loop will allow people to ‘hop on and hop off' and take in lookout points, farm machinery displays and a little of the history of the property. Gates open at 9.30am and entry to the park is free.The Albertland Museum has kindly prepared a display, showcasing local history with a particular emphasis on Atiu Creek Regional Park.The official opening ceremony will take place at 12.00pm with speeches by special guests and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. This will be followed by lunch. For further information go to www.arc.govt.nz.

Puhoi Art Exhibition

Puhoi Hall, Puhoi 5-13 April 2008. Artists and sculptors from Rodney District and surrounding areas are invited to exhibit.

The Leisure Centre Fun Walk
The Leisure Centre Stanmore Bay Sunday 6th April 2008 - 10.30 to 12.30. Register by 5.00pm, 4 April 2008 and go in the draw to win a family trip for four to Cape Brett Hole in the Rock plus many more awesome prizes. (Late registrations will be accepted until moments before the walk starts, but will not be eligible for the major prize draw.) All registered participants eligible for spot prizes. Profits go to Hibiscus Coast Hospice Charitable Trust

Rodney Dog Friends Fundraising Family Fun Dog Walk
OREWA BEACH by Surf club Sunday 6 April 2008 - noon to 14.30 Fundraising, fun, dog walk event in aid of 'Riding for the Disabled Association'. Goodie bags, sausage sizzle, spot prizes, raffle including a grand prize of a trip for 2 to Wellington No dog, you can still come along and join in the fun! Fundraising via donation.

Remember Daylight Savings ends on Sunday 6 April 2008 (when clocks are put back one hour).

Calling all Rodney Businesses

Get a headstart on your business competitors by being a member of Rodney Libraries and using our electronic resources. We have two sites that you can access using your library card and PIN number which provide you with up to date business and management information from around the world.

Business & Management Practices focuses on practical approaches to management processes and methods. It provides real-world know-how about business planning, decision making, how businesses adopt and implement new technologies and techniques, and plan for change or expansion. BaMP focuses on real-life applications, case studies, and explicit "how-to" guidelines. BaMP offers highly-focused coverage from more than 1,000 core professional and trade journals containing information relevant to the fields of management, planning, production, finance, marketing, information technology and human resources.

Business & Industry is a broad-based business information database that focuses on facts, figures, events and market information about companies, industries, products and markets. It covers all industries and is international in scope. B&I draws content from more than 1,700 of the world’s most authoritative business publications, including premier trade and business journals, leading industry newsletters, plus a broad collection of regional, national and international newspapers.

Both these databases are updated daily so just hit the e-resources button on the Rodney Libraries catalogue page and see if you can find the information that will help you turn a profit.

Today it's about Children's Books

Today is International Children's Book Day. This year the theme is "books Enlighten; Knowledge delights"

Each year a member country of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) sponsors an annual celebration of children's books on 2 April, which is Hans Christian Andersen's birthday. In 2008 Thailand has the honour of being the sponsoring country and their message to the children of the world can be found on the Storylines website.

The Storylines organisation marked the occasion with some awards of their own over the weekend, including the 2008 release of their annual list of notable books. Lots of familiar names in here including Lynley Dodd with the latest Hairy McLary tale, Melanie Drewery, Gavin Bishop and Lorraine Orman. For the full list checkout the Storylines awards page .

"The judging panel would like to make special mention of Illustrated Myths & Legends of the Pacific by AW Reed, illustrated by Jenny Cooper. Reed (now Raupo Publishing). The stories were first published in 1969 as Fairy Tales from the Pacific Islands. The panel considers this edition, with new illustrations, to be a treasure for New Zealand children." I can certainly second this. It is a lovely book.

In Rodney several of our libraries are having special storytimes reading stories from around the world. Come along and enjoy the fun at:

Kumeu and Orewa at 3.30pm
Helensville at 4.00 pm

There's also the normal storytime for pre-schoolers at Wellsford this morning at 10.30am so poke your head in the door there too.

April Fool's

Everything you read, hear or see today will be taken with a grain of salt. Yes - it's the the 1st of April when pranksters big and small, at home and internationally, feel it is their duty to fool those gullible members of the populace.

The history of April Fool's day is a little murky but one of the more generally accepted theories is that it came about when the calendar was changed back in the mid 16th century. The old calendar had 1st April as New year's Day. There are some great websites which talk about the origins of the day (try The Fools Day), and more to the point, detail some of the best hoaxes played out. One of my favourites is the Italian spaghetti crop hoax that BBC programme Panorama reported in 1957. It's always the people you least expect that get you the best. The Museum of Hoaxes is a site full of pranks played around the world and lots more information as well.

In Rodney, some of the libraries are running a special promotion to celebrate the 1st of April. Rent a music CD for 2 weeks for just $2 and we will let you take a book as well, for FREE.

Meanwhile, as a past victim of April Fool's jokes, I am battening down the hatches today and hoping that noone I know is in the mood to play a prank. A faint hope probably knowing some of my friends, but I can dream.

Ka kite apopo