Our Annual General Meeting will be held in the town hall on 15 October at 8:00 pm.

There will be no guest speaker this year so it should be a short meeting.  Local residents are most welcome to join the committee.

The inorganic collection went very smoothly and was finished by midday.  We had the help of of five Council trucks and their drivers - who always make a big contribution.

Residents put out less junk for collection this year and we didn’t hold a second-hand stall because of the complications and delays it causes.  Ten truckloads of rubbish went to the landfill -  not quite as much as last year. However, we were assured that the junk is sorted through at the landfill, with the useable goods going to the Second Treasure shop.

This year’s Junk Drive raised over $1320.  Ngaio  Scouts provided many volunteers and they will receive half of the proceeds - a thank you for their  help in ensuring the success of this eagerly-awaited local event.

The Junk Drive is the Progressive Association’s only fund raising activity so we are dependent on its success to be able to continue our work. It is quite a task because it involves considerable organisation and the recruitment of enough volunteers to do the job. We understand some other community groups have abandoned junk drives because they have not had enough volunteers.

We hope to repeat the exercise in a year’s time.

Ngaio has its 2009 inorganic rubbish collection on 19 September.  So its a good time to have a clean out around your property.

Ngaio Junk Drive, October 2006

Put your junk outside your house (where you usually leave your rubbish) by 8:00 am and leave a $10 donation in your letter box.  If you prefer, you can leave your donation at the Ngaio pharmacy.

Attach the voucher to your junk.  You will find it in the bright yellow Ngaio 2009  newsletter we delivered this week.

No fridges or hazardous waste such as garden chemicals, paint or oil.  You can take them to the Southern Landfill.

There will not be a stall at the junk drive this year. The distance from the tip and the use of covered trucks are the main reasons for this decision - there is too much time lost when “good junk” has to be off-loaded.

16 August 2009 - 4:00 - 5:30 pm

The film matinee was a fantastic success with about 130 movie goers - young and older.  Thank you to all those who braved the elements and were rewarded with a bag and jaffas and an entertaining trip down memory lane.

The Film Archive of New Zealand compiled a fascinating 65 minute programme of film clips of Ngaio and the greater Wellington area.

For full film programme click here.

The Ngaio community now has an even greater chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, thanks to the generosity of the Freemason’s Charity and  Homewood Lodge 447.  They have donated a defibrillator to the  Cummings Park library.

This is Ngaio’s second defibrillator.  Earlier in the year, Wellington North Rotary donated one to the Ngaio Medical Centre.

There are over 8,000 registered dogs in Wellington, according to the Wellington City Council.  And they need places to run around off the leash.

The Council is reviewing its  Dog Control Policy.   One proposal is for five new dog exercise areas - including one in Chelmsford Reserve, Ngaio.  A draft Dog Policy went out  for public consultation in June. Submissions to the Council are due in by 7 August.

Read more: Wellington City Council news, 1 May 2009

Read more: Draft Dog Policy, Wellington City Council website

We braved the rain and wind on Saturday 20 June to plant native trees and shrubs behind the Playcentre on Silverstream Road .

We still have more plants to get in.

We are planting native trees and shrubs behind the Playcentre on Silverstream Road on Saturday 20 June at 10:00am.

You are most welcome to join us.  Please bring gloves, spades and any other useful equipment.

The Bell’s Track Working Group needs volunteers to help plant native trees up Bell’s Track during the winter.

Can you can spare a morning or afternoon on a Saturday, or possibly a weekday?  If so, come and help beautify the area.

Since 2001, volunteers and Wellington City Council have been planting trees, weeding and upgrading Bell’s Track, which is a short track to the Skyline Walkway.

If you would like to be involved, the group would love to hear from you.

Please phone Margaret Foden: 479 2487

People who have just had a heart attack in Ngaio Village are now a lot safer,  thanks to a defibrillator kindly donated to the Medical Centre by Wellington North Rotary.

A defibrillator greatly increases the chances of survival if used within the first few minutes of a heart attack - and is much more effective than CPR alone. It is easy and fast to operate and can be used while waiting for the ambulance to come.

Wellington North Rotary Club President Jeremy presents a defibrillator to Ngaio Medical Centre. President Jeremy and Dr Joelon Hayes are holding the defibrillator. Jeremy is standing between Richard Allan of Ngaio Pharmacy and Dr Denis Delaney.

The defibrillator will be housed and maintained by the Ngaio Medical Centre.

Doctors at the medical centre have sent notices to local businesses asking if their staff would like training on how to use the defibrillator. St. John’s Ambulance trainers will conduct these free sessions.

For further information and/or donations please contact:

Ngaio Medical Centre, telephone: 939 9393

dd@ngaiomed.co.nz