Record
February 18 2015
Your Local Dealership
The
NZCNA WINNER
2014
Further AvonGo City Ford
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Kiwi tradition under threat by Kent Caddick
A Kiwi country tradition may be dying out around Selwyn following a spate of roadside stall thefts across the district this summer. Roadside stallholders are facing either closing down or equipping their simple stalls with expensive security monitoring systems in an attempt to deter the thieves, some of whom appear to be repeat offenders. Darfield’s Toni and Rodney Bellamy have sold fresh potatoes from their roadside Canterbury Premium Potato stall on Old West Coast Road for the past seven years. “We were hit twice last week on successive days and we lost around $130 worth of spuds and cash from the honesty box in the two thefts,” Toni said. “This is the worst summer we have had and we are seriously considering closing it all down.” She believed some of the thieves may be repeat offenders due to the way the stall has been left after the thefts. The Bellamy’s honesty box is now bolted to the stall after the whole box was taken in a previous theft. Toni Bellamy said they had looked at setting up some kind of surveillance system to deter the thieves but the cost looked to be prohibitive and she believed many other roadside stallholders will also be looking at shutting down if the trend continues. “It really is a Kiwi tradition to be able to take a drive into the country and buy fresh produce from the farm gate using the honesty box system. However, honesty is the operative word and it only takes a few dishonest people to stuff it up for all the rest.
Youngsters growing with libraries Many Selwyn youngsters are feeling more comfortable in their local libraries …
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District wide water rate proposed
A standardised district wide rate for water and wastewater services is in the pipeline for Selwyn …
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Antarctica visit invitation
Selwyn artists wanting to following in the footsteps of one of the district’s greatest painters …
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Toni Bellamy of Darfield is considering shutting down her roadside potato stall due to the number of thefts this summer
“It has got to the point for us now that we are considering shutting it all down as it is costing us money to have the stall.” She said they may look for another site for their stall but doubts that would deter the thieves. Lyn and Dave Robinson, who sell potatoes from their Davlyn Produce stall just outside West Melton, have also noticed an increase in thefts this summer. “I would say it probably has been our worst summer for thefts,” Lyn said “With us it is mainly the potatoes and not the cashbox as we have moved the actual stall away from the roadside and down our driveway, so it may deter some.”
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Signs like this one near West Melton may become a thing of the past as roadside stalls are being increasingly targeted by opportunistic thieves
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