Down To Earth Effort Wins Tararua Trustpower Award
Wednesday 21 May 2008, 3:10PM
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A worm farm, paper bricks and veggies were the catalyst for a small primary ‘Enviro’ School to scoop the pool in this year’s Tararua Trustpower Community Awards.
With a role of just 30 pupils, Ballance School tucked at the back of Manawatu Gorge won the Heritage and Environment section before finally taking the Supreme Award.
The school will represent the district at the national finals in March 2009 to be jointly hosted between Palmerston North and Tararua local authorities.
Principal Vicki Maugham said the school was very proud of its achievement.
In addition to its zero waste philosophy the school also undertakes other conservation and environmental projects within the community, she said.
The Dannevirke Gallery of History was runner up in the heritage award.
Other winners and runners up were: Health and Wellbeing: Pahiatua Help n’ Hand, Rotary Club of Pahiatua, Time To Ride; Arts and Culture: Dannevirke Arts Society and Tararua Television; Sport and Leisure: Puketoi Radical Scout Group, Woodville Lions; Education and Child/Youth Development: Friends of St Anthony’s and Tararua Community Youth Services.
About 80 people attended the presentation of the awards.
Last year’s Supreme winner from Tararua, the Eketahuna Our Town committee gave a presentation on the information centre.
Although unsuccessful at the nation finals at Wanaka chairperson Katrina Dimock’s memorable statement that volunteers were unpaid – “not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless” has been used since by principal sponsor Trustpower in publicity material featuring the awards.