Sawdust
"I’m known all over New Zealand as Sawdust."
"When we left the mill we were all covered in sawdust. We used to go to the pub - four guys and me, had our little corner. By the time we left there was about half a metre of sawdust on the floor. I was called Chuck for a start, and it evolved to Sawdust.
I was not a particularly bright child at school; I was good at woodwork, geography, and things like that. I came here to Akaroa High School. When I was 18, I went into my compulsory military training. That was very successful. I stayed a wee bit long which took us on big trips to Fiji and whatever areas needed peacekeeping overseas.
I did firewood from the age of 15. I built my own saw bench in those days. I bought an Austin Seven, I jacked this Austin Seven up in the air, put the belt on the back wheel and built a sawbench.
My father saw an opening after all the sawmills in Banks Peninsula closed down after 1890. They planted macrocarpa and pine trees to get shelter, and because the trees were big enough to mill he started milling over there in 1945 then we shifted from Okains Bay to Duvauchelle Bay.
I got pretty well involved with it, you know. Dealing with builders all the time and cutting timber for their houses or whatever they were doing. Timber was cut at the sawmill at Duvauchelle - some of it went to the Chatham Islands. The first chainsaws arrived in about 1950 - sometimes it took longer to get the chainsaw going and than if you cut it with a hand saw!
It took me four years to build my house, all made of macrocarpa. I had to keep my business going as well. That's a real thing of self-satisfaction. Going to the bays, cutting down the tree, carting it, sawing it up, bringing it here and building a house out of that - not many people get that opportunity."
- Don (Sawdust)
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org...
‘Healthy’ response to Waimakariri’s Long Term Plan
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Waimakariri residents have had their say on the long-term plan (LTP) and given councillors plenty to consider.
A council spokesperson said ‘‘a healthy’’ 336 submissions have been received to the 2024-34 LTP, making 1670 submission points.
The council is due to hold hearings on the submissions on May 8, from 9.30am, in the Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre and then in the Oxford Town Hall from 3pm.
A second day of hearings will be held in the council chambers in Rangiora the following day from 1pm.
The council has signalled a rates hike of 8.94% this year, which is thought to be the lowest proposed rates rise in Canterbury.
Mayor Dan Gordon said the council was feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis, while continuing to pay off its earthquake recovery and Mainpower Stadium loans.
The district’s population is projected to grow from about 70,000 to 82,075 by 2034, based on Stats NZ’s high growth scenario.
To support that growth, the council is proposing to spend around $693 million over the next 10 years.
Managing the natural environment, flood resilience, community facilities and transport infrastructure were being consulted on.
Key projects include the proposed Rangiora eastern link road, a draft natural environment strategy, the Rangiora Library extension and expansion plans for Mainpower Oval.
Once the hearings have concluded, the council will resume its LLT deliberations on May 21 and 22, before the final adoption in June.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Poll: Would you want an unconventional funeral?
Funerals can cost as much as $22,000 and the planning can be stressful especially at a time when loved ones are grieving. Some New Zealanders are re-imagining funerals by making their own coffin or having a relaxed ceremony at home. Would you want a less traditional funeral? Share your thoughts below.
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.
-
83.6% Yes
-
14.1% No
-
2.2% Other - I'll share below!
Gas Supply
Is there a good gas supplier in the Ohoka region? I have been with Rockgas for 7 years now but ordering or even talking to them has become impossible.
Loading…
