A great community asset restored

It is time to acknowledge the efforts of those volunteers who work hard to serve our communities.

The Community Service Awards applications are now open, and the Hurunui District Council is keen to hear about our district’s worthy recipients.

A great example of voluntary service is the efforts from the North Canterbury Dive Club Incorporated (NCDC) to restore the Fishing Jetty on the Motunau River, a much-loved asset to the community.

Distributed throughout the Hurunui and Waimakariri Districts, and Christchurch, NCDC has been running for more than 40 years organising various events for local members.

The jetty in Motunau suffered serious storm and boat damage. This caused the fill underneath the jetty to erode, preventing it from being a safe asset for the village to use.

Nigel Kearns, Vice President of NCDC, said that due to having a base in Motunau for more than 30 years, the necessity for wharf improvements and general maintenance proved to be an important task for the Dive Club to tackle.

After instigating the repairs and securing funding from the Motunau Residents and Ratepayers Association (MRRA) two years ago, the Dive Club members were stoked to finally be underway after multiple delays caused by COVID-19.

Nigel added that these much needed improvements would not have been possible without the volunteers.

“The labour was all voluntary effort by the Dive Club, who were all on board and willing to put in the time.”

Terry Donaldson, Glenmark Community Committee Representative and member of the MRRA detailed the labour behind the new and improved jetty.

“They reclad the outer piles of the jetty with heavy timber and then filled the gap with concrete. By cutting holes in the deck, they filled the eroded gap underneath, so it is now a solid concrete structure.”

Terry explained the struggle for community development of small villages, and how important volunteers are in making this possible.

“Small communities like Motunau Beach village struggle to improve and develop facilities because of the small population. Motunau has proved that when all the villagers put their shoulder to the voluntary wheel, anything is possible.”

Steve Ryder, Life Member of the NCDC and coordinator of labour said the benefits of having people to call on who share the same community spirit is huge.

“We feel like we are very much a part of the community and we try to help them whenever we can. It is great to have members within the Dive Club to call on…. if we can do something for nothing to benefit the community then we are happy to do that.”

After putting in the hard yards, the NCDC is thrilled with the outcome and everyone is looking forward to making use of the refurbished jetty.

“It is a great resource for the community, one that will survive,” said Steve.

For more information on the Community Service Awards visit https://www.hurunui.govt.nz/community/awards-and-funding/community-services-awards, or drop into our Office in Amberley or our Service Centres/Libraries in Amberley, Culverden, Cheviot, Hawarden and Hanmer Springs.

To contact via phone call 03 3148 816.

Applications close at 5pm on Monday the 3rd of May.

A few historical gems about Motunau from Terry Donaldson...

In 1960, locals voluntarily worked once a month to construct the tennis courts and bowling green – largely without machinery!

Another major voluntary effort was the building of the fire station around 30 years ago to house the second hand fire appliance provided by HDC, followed by the building of the Village Hall/combined fire training hall.