Te Kai Whakarongo
theinformer.co.nz
Issue 1214 | 16 June 2026 | Proudly locally owned and operated
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Page 13
CONNECTING COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COROMANDEL PENINSULA
BASKER ROAST NIGHT
3A Reweti Drive (opposite Mobil) www.basker.co.nz info@basker.co.nz Phone: 07 866 0645 Hours 8.00am to late
Every Wednesday night from 5pm Pork, lamb, chicken or beef Buffet salad and sauce bar Bookings recommended
THAMES SEAGULL CENTRE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS
Turning a dream into a hugely successful reality and community asset.
I
t takes a certain amount of courage to take the plunge, get started and turn a long-held dream into a reality. It’s a big enough challenge for an individual to take that initial leap of faith, but when there is a reasonably large mindset change required by local council and a wider commu-
nity to convince, then that dream can easily suddenly turn into something of a nightmare. For local Thames man, Ian Coatsworth, one of his long-held dreams was always about doing more for the environment, plus having a vision of creating a community-based organisation built around sustainability, reuse, and opportunity.
“It was way back in 2000 when I witnessed an oak dresser in seemingly perfect condition being dropped into the concrete pit and crushed at the Burke Street Refuse Transfer Station in Thames that really kick-started me into action. I was chair of the Thames Coast Protection Society (TCPS) back in the 90’s and had connected with some very spe-
cial like-minded people including Clive Monds, Shelley Carr and Denise Lyons who quickly came onboard to start the wheels turning in earnest. “There were also a number of other members of the TCPS including Fin and Carol Buchanan who also played a significant role in those early days. Clive had had previous input into the
TCDC waste management plan so that gave us valuable runs on the board initially, and soon after spending a week at the Kaikoura recycling dump shop, I chaired a public meeting to gauge start-up interest which ultimately led to the formation of the first Trust with myself being nominated as the chairperson. Continued on page 3
OFF
BY JACK BIDDLE
ALL KITSET BUILDINGS *Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. See website for details.
Totalspan Coromandel 1/46 Kopu Road, Kopu, Thames