TE AWAMUTU NEWS | 1
THURSDAY JULY 11, 2024
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JULY 11, 2024
Health: time to talk By Chris Gardner
Former All Black Steve Gordon will encourage men to talk to each other about their health at Te Awamutu Community Menz Shed’s inaugural men’s heath expo. Gordon, a former Te Awamutu College pupil who was an All Black from 1989 to 1993, will give a half hour talk at the free event at the end of the month the Baptist Church in Teasdale St. Gordon’s July 27 talk will follow time to chat with representatives of health groups, experts in
Alzheimer’s, dementia, and mental health as well as Diabetes New Zealand, Prostate New Zealand, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation representatives. Te Awamutu Menz Shed chair Richard Cato said although the concept of a Menz Shed health expo was new to the town, men’s health and Menz Shed went together. “Men’s health is the gist of the organisation,” he said. Menz Shed members from Cambridge, Hamilton, Ōtorohanga Te Kūiti have been invited as well
‘The greatest supporters of Menz Shed are the women who encourage their husbands to come to the shed,’ – Richard Cato as members of service organisations such as Jaycees, Lions and Rotary. Cato said everyone was welcome to the expo, especially men aged 50 plus, and wives. “The greatest supporters of Menz Shed are the women who encourage their husbands to come to the shed,” Cato said. “Nine times out of 10 they
are lonely and loneliness and mental health go hand in hand. Men are terrible at talking about their health.” Te Awamutu Community Menz Shed has been serving the community since 2010, a sort of Kiwi Repair Shop fixing much-loved family treasures, as well as taking commissions from the likes of Te Awamutu Scout Group for whom it is building
wheel carts. The group started meeting in 2010 and more than 50 members now meet Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings in Raeburne St. Cato said Te Awamutu businesses were great supporters of the Menz Shed. “This expo is our way of giving something back.” Entry is free, although gold coin donations will be asked for cups of tea throughout the morning. “Men talk shoulder to shoulder, while they are having a cup of tea.” They will have more
Richard Cato
opportunities to chat when the expo ends with a sausage sizzle at noon.
Time to “zhuzh up” the main street By Chris Gardner
Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board chair Ange Holt wants to get plans to “zhuzh up” Alexandra Street in Waipā District Council’s long term plan. The board heard at its June meeting that work was underway on the council’s 2024-2035 long term plan from strategy manager Melissa Russo. Holt said she was thrilled to see Te Awamutu Market in Holmes Garage on the list of key projects and asked Russo how to get other community-led ideas on the list. “We’ve been having these discussions and asking for feedback and then it stops,” Holt said. “The retailers, as a group, feel very unheard. It would be great to be able to say we’ve got this into our long term plan. The
main street is the bit that attracts people, it needs to look good, and we need to allow some funding to be there at intervals to, make it look good or give it a freshen up.” “We are in a really financially constrained environment,” Russo said, before asking Holt to email her and other council officers with their ideas. “I would encourage you to use that to demonstrate that it’s not just an idea that you’ve come up with, that this is something that has been in train for a while.” Staff will provide regular progress on the project at each community board meeting, Russo said in her report. The chairs and deputy chairs of both community boards could attend plan workshops and consider and provide input on plan related matters including major projects.
Could do better: the community board wants to give Alexandra Street some more appeal.
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