Tiny community gets a big helping hand

The tiny community of Gibbston has just received a big helping hand from the Southland Master Plumbers Association.

Gibbston had not had any common land for community use since their old school was closed and the land was sold in the 1980's. The community felt the loss strongly when they organised social events and cricket matches each year.

Enter Council, who two years ago purchased a 1.1ha site along Coal Pit Road and dedicated it as Recreation Reserve vested in the Council.

Gibbston community members met with QLDC staff to decide how they’d like to see the land developed and Council approved the design last October.

Since then, the association has organised donations to form the car park and footpath, fence the boundary, get power to the site, develop and irrigate a cricket ground, and make a start on landscaping.

Stevens said, “Whenever we hold community events at the Reserve, the number one question that community members ask is, ‘When are we going to get toilets?’ Unfortunately, Council could not pay for any until 2012. As you might imagine, that is a very long time to hold it, so our committee decided to have a go at organising them.”

After making a plea for help to the Southland Master Plumbers Association meeting on Monday, Stevens was thrilled that they offered to donate labour and organise materials for the toilet block.

Mark Jesperson, President of the Southland Master Plumbers Association, said, “Master Plumbers are pleased to be supporting a community project such as this.”

The community group has been well supported by local businesses and tradespeople. (See attached list.)

The Gibbston Community Reserve is vested in Council as recreation reserve, so work by the GCA benefits residents of the entire District, as well as, visitors.


ENDS

Summary of donations for Gibbston Community Reserve

as of 16 November 2009 

• Toilets storage building design by Matthew White, Architect
• Landscaping design by Katie Deans sponsored by Mount Edward Wines
• CLEARWATER Z54 DELUXE sewage system by Oasis Clearwater in Christchurch
• Site and soils assessment by Duffill Watts
• Excavation from site and soils assessment by B&A Digging
• Road opening and traffic management fees for power connection by Lakes Environmental
• Topsoil - partial donation by Central Screening
• Road signs for traffic management by Southern Safety
• Shipping sewage system from Christchurch to Gibbston by PBT
• power connection by Delta/Aurora
• temporary power box by Frankton Electrical
• trenching power cables and irrigation/toilets pipes by B&A Digging
• septic system installation by Grant Railton Plumbing
• Irrigation design by Designer Irrigation
• Historic title search of land ownership for interpretive sign at entry from Mac Todd
• gravel for the car park from Fulton Hogan
• hardwood for individual car park bollards and beams for the north and south ends of the car park from Total Construction Management
• installation of the timber bollards for car parks by B&A Digging
• materials and labour to do the boundary fencing from Total Construction Management, Greg Hay, Dave Aitken and Tim Hemmingway
• toilet, 2 basins, and 2 taps by Chesters Plumbing
• disabled toilet partial donation by
• Irrigation and Plumbing supplies by Chesters Plumbing and Edward Gibbon
• Pump for water to irrigation and toilets by Davey Water Products
• Installation of pump for irrigation and for toilets storage building by Emile Bomer
• Potable water treatment system by Water Force
• Hardwood timbers for entry (to protect new grass seed now and children playing on the Reserve soon) by Total Construction Management
• Chain and padlock for temporary entry barrier (to protect new grass on cricket oval) by QLDC
• Grass seed for cricket oval partial donation by PGG Wrightson
• Fertiliser for cricket oval by Ravensdown
• Labour, tractors and equipment to seed and fertilise cricket oval partial donation by Cromwell Polytech Sports turf management students
• Irrigation installation by Greg Hay, Gary Smith (Cromwell Polytech), and Designer Irrigation
• Irrigation supplies by Greg Hay
• 8 mature trees for landscaping by Mark and Rosie Dunphy
• shrubs to landscape (mitigate water tanks) by Wensleys
• labour for landscaping by Forbes Property Maintenance, Nicky Saggers, Community Probation Service, and Susan Stevens
• boxing and excavation for toilets storage building foundations by Total Construction Management, Community Probation Service, Mary Ferguson, and Susan Stevens
• building supplies for toilets storage building partial donation by Placemakers
• plumbing the toilets storage building by the Southland Master Plumbers Association coordinated by Mark Galbraith of Arrowtown Plumbing
• electrical supplies for toilets storage building by Redpaths
• concrete to pour slab for toilets storage building by Allied concrete
• stainless steel bench, splashback, and sink for washing up area in toilets storage building by Coronet Woodware
• 3.6 metre chainlink gate by Cromwell Branch of Gold Pine
• 45 litre Hot Water Cylinder by Rheem