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The first day of the rest of our lives
New Year's Eve Party 2020
What a great night we enjoyed together as we welcomed in the New Year. Once again we were led by Jim Joll who has a wonderful ability to get us oldies out of our seats and onto the dance floor getting those old bones and muscles into action. A huge thank you to our social committee for all the hard work they put in to making this night the great success that it was. Special thanks to Bob Campbell for leading us in Old Lang Syne and piping in the New Year. Of course we are all hoping that this year will be a lot better than last and Covid 19 can ultimately be brought under control!
Pinesong's Rainbow Rockers Christmas Production
Another beautiful lead up to Christmas was provided by Pinesong's Rainbow Rockers ukulele group. Thank you Judy and all of your group who have put so much work into this performance. We loved it and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Christmas Carol Service with the Auckland Salvation Army Band
The Auckland Band of the Salvation Army have led our Christmas Carol service every year for the past thirteen years! It has always been a highlight event and this was no exception. Once again our Seabreeze Lounge was full and we all enjoyed listening to and singing with the band as they played those never old Christmas Carols. This was followed by a wonderful afternoon tea. A huge thank you to the band and the team who helped in so many ways. We are overwhelmed with the donations given from this event to the work of the Social Services of the Salvation Army at this very needy time. The total given was $1985.00 which we have forwarded to the Salvation Army. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Laingholm Kindy Christmas Concert 2020
It was great to have the Laingholm Kindy return to Pinesong this year. Any performance involving children is delightful, especially when they come from a Kindy. These children were beautiful and certainly created the Christmas spirit. Thank you to their teachers and helpers. It was a very special time.
Birthday Afternoon Tea with St John Ambulance
The final Birthday afternoon tea for the year was another great occasion. Guest speakers were from St John Ambulance service. The NU2U team led by Jean Piper have had a wonderful year with great support from our residents. During the 2019-2020 year they made a total of $9035!!!! Out of this, on this special occasion it was great to see them being able to donate $7635 to St. John.
Memories of Nostalgia film screening
What a special evening we enjoyed as the film “Memories of Nostalgia” was screened in our Seabreeze Lounge. We were able to look back to scenes from our shows starting in 2012 to 2019. Unfortunately due to Covid 19 we had to cancel the live show for this year, but instead we were able to look back to our past productions. A huge thanks to Bob Helleur who started and has produced our shows for us. For Angela and staff cast members and other resident members of our casts who came in costume, popcorn, ice cream and all! - just wonderful.
Deryck Hunt
Melbourne Cup Day 2020
Well, we’re still in Level one and staying safe. It was another great occasion that didn’t need to be cancelled - Melbourne Cup Day at Pinesong. A huge thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this occasion another great success. Special thanks to Margaret Kemp, Leonie Ray, Geoff Long and their committee.
Deryck Hunt
Carl Doy Live at Pinesong
How privileged we were to have one of New Zealand’s most successful musicians perform a concert for us at Pinesong where our lounge was filled to capacity. A day and performance that I’m sure will remain in all our memories for the rest of our lives, His gift, his musicianship - just outstanding. We could have listened for hours as each song brought so many memories to us and I think more than a few tears were shed. Thank you so much Carl for coming to us, I can’t really find the right words to express our gratitude!
Deryck Hunt
Celebration
What a wonderful occasion it was to be able to celebrate the enjoyment of the freedom of coming back into Level 1. Seated at tables of four our cafe staff and residents committee members served us beautiful savouries and cakes. Oh my! We enjoyed the live music of Silver Strings who encouraged many to work off some of the extra calories of the afternoon tea. Many thanks to the Residents’ Committee, Nu2U and Orit and her cafe’ staff for making this such a special occasion.
Deryck Hunt
Table Tennis Singles Competition
This annual event took some weeks to complete this year because of lockdown restrictions but we persevered and all enjoyed some very close games. Twelve members took part and the final was a great battle between Ken and Jennifer. Only a few points in it! Ken won out, rather nice as he and his wife donated this trophy some years ago.
Pam Choat
West Auckland Homeschool Group presented
'On the Road to Bethlehem'
We were fortunate to have a visit from the West Auckland Homeschool group of children who entertained us with a number of items and then performed the nativity play 'On the Road to Bethlehem'.A very lovely time, thank you all for coming.
Grandparents Day at Pinesong
What a great occasion it was to celebrate 'Grandparents Day' at Pinesong this weekend. It was lovely to have our children, grandchildren & great grandchildren to celebrate this occasion. Thank you to the staff and all who helped make this possible. We had live music, a sausage sizzle, craft corner, games, High Tea & Mr Whippy. Wow!
Wearable Arts Fashion Parade
What an amazing afternoon we enjoyed this week. The Wearable Arts Fashion Show was a huge success. The creativity that has gone into so many costumes was awe inspiring. Thank you so much Delwyn for your organisation. Thank you for all those who participated and all the helpers, this is what makes Pinesong so special. The photos below are just a small look at the over 300 photographs taken. These will be made available in the next few days. Finally, thank you to all who came - Seabreeze Lounge was full once again. Well done everyone.
Nostalgia Show 2019
What a wonderful weekend we have enjoyed at Pinesong with two performances of the Nostalgia show on Saturday and Sunday nights. Our lounge was packed with capacity crowds and were thrilled with the performance of the 6o member cast - the largest in our show history. Once again the cast was made up of a mix of our staff and residents. The staff helped to keep us young!! Costumes, music, dance, skits and solo performances were great.
Special acknowledgments go to our Director Bob Helleur, Producer Diana Smith, Sound & Lighting Deryck Hunt, Videography Vicky Wu, Props & Sound Geoff Long, MC John Addis, Bar Volunteers, Ticket Ladies, Stage Assemblers and Pinesong Staff.
The video trailer above is of the film I am producing at the moment which will, in a few weeks time be screened in the Seabreeze lounge on the big screen and following that videos will be available. Notification of the date will be made in the village Press and on this website. To view more photographs go to the page 'NOSTALGIA SHOW 2019'.
Deryck Hunt ph 021 289 1875
Photos of this year's Nostalgia show may be viewed on the page 'NOSTALGIA SHOW 2019'
Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra Young Achievers
We were treated to a very special performance by three of the young Achievers of the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra. A delightful presentation and oh so talented. Many thanks.
Nu2U
I would like to take this opportunity to thank some people who have helped us to get started on this project. Jacqui, Heather Kearn’s daughter who designed and printed our price cards. Roger Pagani of Pagani Clothing, who gave us our clothing racks and hangers. Katie for her encouragement and support. Mark for supplying us with storage and working hard to tidy it up. Robin for our fliers and advertising. Judy for creating an atmosphere with her piano playing. The team of ladies who appear every Wednesday morning with a fresh supply of clothes etc. Last but not least all the ladies who keep donating their goods - keep it up! I love seeing the bags of goodies at my door when I come home. At the end of our first month I shall let you know how much money we have collected, thanks to your support. Regards,
Jean Piper & the Nu2u team. 8179054 pipers@xtra.co.nz
An audience with
Shaun Wallace
"WOW what a buzz Shaun Wallace has created around the village! I was confident we made the right decision when we said ‘yes’ to the opportunity to host Shaun, but I certainly didn’t anticipate the positive impact his visit would have on our village community.
Shaun Wallace Book Orders: Should you wish to order one of his books through us, please register your full name via Reception and payment of $40.00 no later than Wednesday 27th February 2019. We will then place this order for you. Please note these will not be autographed. "
Katie Worthy
Village Manager
RECENT QUIZ PICTURES
Thursday Walkers
The Thursday walkers on a foggy morning. Under the Harbour Bridge, along the boardwalk, over the motorway footbridge and back to Point Erin.
Croquet Singles Finals
Here are some photos of the croquet singles finals.
The largest ‘gallery’ for croquet for a long time - like the Centre Court at Wimbledon - watched the match last sunny Sunday afternoon. Terry Adolph won with Judy Horder being runner-up.
Croquet Triples Finals
The croquet Triples final match was won by Rex Phillips on a second game. The first try at playing it was a washout a few days earlier at hoop 8 where Ken Jarvis was in the lead
On the Buses September trip
A better day for meeting up for another great day out on the Auckland buses and trains. The “bus stop" Pinesong residents went to St Heliers and Orakei for lunch. Drivers used to nearly empty buses got a shock when 25 passengers boarded for a local wandering route from St Heliers to Keep Road.
Janet
THURSDAY WALKERS
December 17th brings our Thursday walks to a close for this year. Ken Jarvis will take us to Cornwall Park a firm favourite of the group. We can admire the old trees, enjoy the flower gardens, see how much the Spring lambs have grown and gaze at the cattle. Some will climb to the summit while others will just walk around the now silent roadways as vehicles may not drive through the park.
December 3rd we drove to Cornwallis where we walked along the beach to the Wharf. We were expecting to enjoy our annual picnic there but inclement weather meant we drove back to Pinesong and shared our food in the swimming pool complex.
December 10th we drove to Pt Erin Park in Herne Bay and walked the walkway beside the motorway across the fancy foot bridge and around the marina admiring the boats, of different shapes and
sizes. Walking under the Harbour Bridge on ramp and then back up to Point Erin again. We will have 3 th Thursdays off and will resume again on Thursday 14 January. The Tuesday Ladies only group will resume on Tuesday 12th January. My thanks go to Geoff Long and the other drivers and Janet Trainer. Also thank you to our Management for allowing us to use the BUS on our many outings. I must also thank the people who say ”Yes“ when I ask them to bring their car each week as we are only able to take 12 in our BUS. I WISH YOU ALL AN ACTIVE AND HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON and a BETTER LUCK YEAR in
JOCELYN CARTWRIGHT 816 8312
SATURDAY WALKING GROUP
November 19th. We drove to Glenfield and followed the Kaipatiki Stream down to the Eskdale Bush Reserve for our morning tea break - a new area for most of us.
December 3. We drove to the highest pointing in the Waitakere Ranges, Pukematekeo Trig with its 360 degree view before walking down to the Waitakere Dam, along the Tram Line Track with glimpses of the Waitakere Falls (which gave their name to the whole of our area) to have morning tea at the ‘station’. We then climbed a challenging section of the Anderson Track, looked at the cool store with its cave wetas and followed the Scenic Drive to transport. Anyone know who the Andersons were?
December 14th. An old favourite - the Slip Track from Arataki down to the Pipeline Track, Exhibition Drive and back past Mackies Rest on the Beveridge Track.
December 31st was the cool, fresh bush of the Rangemore Track to the Kauri knoll.
January 14th. A hot sunny day following the Mercer Bay Loop with its magnificent sea views right down the West Coast to Whatipu, white breakers showing up the Manukau Bar clearly against the blue of the sea.
JOHN WHITE 817 8382
OUTDOOR BOWLS
Summary of meeting held on Monday 21st January 2018
Attended by 30 members, apologies from Ron & Jocelyn Cartwright.
Dave Annan welcomed all and invited John Crow, retiring convenor to report on 2018 finances and briefly on activities. He has a balance of $164.00 in hand, this will be returned to Residents Committee. Any funds needed during 2019 will be requested or raised from members.
A vote of thanks was passed to John for his 4 years of outstanding service.
Nomination was called for Convenor, none forthcoming.
Monday, Wednesday and Saturday Roll up’s organisation, draws to be done by Dave Annan, John Horder, and other to be co-opted.
Grading and Notice Board, no volunteers so Dave Annan was confirmed to continue this responsibility. The current grading’s will be reviewed and members no longer playing will be removed.
The board currently contains 52 names, 34 are regular players, (attend at least one roll up a week.) 5 casual and 13 haven’t played for some time.
Trophy Competitions: - volunteer was called for to run the 5 competitions, no volunteer.
Query, what’s involved: produce entry form, complete draw, and conduct competition. Show of hands those wishing to participate, result, 9 members.
John Crow volunteered to convene the competitions with fellow villages, accerpted with acclamation.
Moved to put competitions into abeyance, trophies to be collected, look at locating a trophy cabinet for safe keeping.
Social Committee: - Ann Stankovich, Daphne Freeman and Iona Manaton volunteered, confirmed and thanked, to appoint their convenor.
Shed management, Rob Carr offered and appointed.
General Business: - Umbrella raising and lowering – teams on rinks closest to drop them on completion of session. John Horder suggested session be held to address Bowls etiquette, John Crow drew attention to rules on notice board
Some general discussion followed, then meeting closed at 9.55am
David Annan Phone 8179154, Email – davidann86@gmail.com
PETANQUE SINGLES COMPETITION
The competition's final matches were held on Monday and a large group were together and enjoyed the fun atmosphere and to cheer on the players. The winner after some very close games was Terry Batt who beat Lil Gosling in a very close encounter. An afternoon tea was held at the finish of play to wish Keith and Esme Burge a happy retirement from running Pétanque after so many years. The new organiser will be Jacqui Batt who takes over the reins from Monday. Our heartfelt thanks to Keith and Esme for all the hard work they have put into making this such a happy group of residents who enjoy each other's company. The time has come for Keith and Esme to relinquish the helm; eight years they have held the Pétanque realm.
Each Monday at Three come rain or shine,
Down in the Oval it was always fine.
So the time has come for us to farewell our two leaders. We all hope you enjoy new found hours of leisure with no worry about the weather.
Lil Gosling
What a lovely surprise it was to be treated to afternoon nibbles and drinks on Monday by our fellow pétanque players. We had announced that after eight years of organising the group it was time to have a rest and allow new people with enthusiasm and new ideas to have a go.
Thank you for the function and the most generous gift we really did appreciate your efforts. The time we have spent with the group has been a absolute pleasure and we hope who ever takes over will have as much fun as we did.
Esme and Keith Burge
CROQUET@PINESONG
The Eileen Malim Drawn Pairs trophy was won by Val Eade and John Crow.
Runners-up were Maryann Spackman and Althea Morley. The next competition is the Lorna Stewart Triples that will start in late January at which time we will have a Season Opening afternoon tea and a discussion about a have-a-go day for residents interested in playing golf croquet.
In the meantime, present players are only too willing to introduce new players to the game. It is a good idea to come down to watch general play on Monday and Friday afternoons at 1pm as a start
The croquet green is available to all residents and their visitors at any other time and we have a shortened mallet for children to use. Balls and mallets are in the croquet shed so please use them and have fun!
Janet Cross. M4 817 6066