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Gordon Llewellyn is a name you have probably never heard off but he played a pivotal role in the birth of the Special Olympics movement in New Zealand.
In 1983, he and three other Hutt athletes – Colin Bailey, Peter Spijkerman and Brent Busby – made history when they attended the Summer Special… View moreGordon Llewellyn is a name you have probably never heard off but he played a pivotal role in the birth of the Special Olympics movement in New Zealand.
In 1983, he and three other Hutt athletes – Colin Bailey, Peter Spijkerman and Brent Busby – made history when they attended the Summer Special Olympics in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The trip was organised by Grant Quinn, who later said Gordon Llewellyn proved the perfect poster boy for the Special Olympics movement in New Zealand.
Llewellyn was a larger than life character with a bold personality and a fascination with the TV character Magnum PI.
Years later Quinn recalled the flight over and an announcement that came over the intercom.
"This is your captain speaking … I have a very special passenger with me in the cockpit. His name is Gordon Llewellyn from New Zealand."
Llewellyn quickly took over the microphone and proceeded to entertain the whole plane.
"Next minute Gordon was asking, or should I say demanding, that everybody on board give the team a rousing three cheers to wish the team a successful time in Baton Rouge," recalled Quinn.
The team performed well at the Olympics and athletes returned home heroes, proudly wearing their medals for weeks to make sure nobody missed their success.
Llewellyn died in August 2014 and Quinn gave the eulogy. He told mourners that Llewellyn and the other three Hutt swimmers had changed the public's perception of the intellectually disabled.
They had helped win mainstream acceptance and played a key role in promoting an organisation that now had more than 7000 active members.
Choosing curtains and/or blinds for a child’s bedroom is much more complicated than you might think, with several factors to take into consideration when making the right choice. Let’s go over what you need to think about.
Blocking out light
Any parent will tell you kids need darkness to go… View moreChoosing curtains and/or blinds for a child’s bedroom is much more complicated than you might think, with several factors to take into consideration when making the right choice. Let’s go over what you need to think about.
Blocking out light
Any parent will tell you kids need darkness to go to bed. They don’t necessarily need darkness to sleep, but to convince them it’s bedtime it needs to be dark. Post daylight savings, heading into spring and summer, this can be a challenge. Curtains and blinds can help.
First of all, opt for block-out lining. Block-out lined curtains reduce natural light and UV rays, providing an ideal solution for darkening a bedroom. They also offer thermal and sound insulation properties, which come in handy too and we’ll discuss more shortly.
The best solution to block out light is curtains made of medium to heavy fabric, hanging wide and high over the window and down to the floor. But don’t make a decision yet, there are things to consider that might make you shy away from this option.
Slatted blinds are the least ideal solution as they allow small amounts of light to peep through even when fully closed and lowered. An inside mounted roller blind also allows a small amount of light to enter. For extra light blockage consider a curtain over a blind.
Reducing noise
Blocking out noise completely using only curtains or blinds is not possible, but it can be reduced. The best options are:
• Curtains – reducing noise all comes down to absorbing the vibrations so opt for the thickest, heaviest fabric you can (e.g. velvet or wool). The more layers the better so ensure you get them lined and you could also opt for a blind underneath as well.
• Roman shades – as with curtains, the thicker the fabric and more layers the better.
• Honeycomb blinds - the unique cellular design is great for cutting out noise. Just as the cells trap air to reduce heat transfer, they can also help keep out noise.
How they look
Consider the age and gender your child is now but also consider how long you want the curtains to last and how old your child will be then. What is right for a child aged 2 will be totally wrong come age 6.
Kids tend to enjoy bright colours and bold patterns, or they might want a fabric featuring a favourite character from a book, TV show or movie. Be aware the latter option is likely to date quickly and the above point applies here too; while they may love superheroes right now, will they still be as cool in 12 months’ time?
If kids are sharing a room maybe consider something a bit more neutral that will appeal to both.
And as they get older, into their teens for example, they will become even more opinionated about their “style” and what they like will have evolved and expanded a lot since they were young kids.
Privacy
If your child’s room is exposed and can be seen by neighbours or from the street, consider hanging sheers to ensure their privacy is maintained.
Health & safety
Beware of blind cords ad these are a strangulation hazard. Either make sure they are tightly wound around a cleat and out of reach, choose electronically operated blinds or spring-loaded roller blinds, or get blinds with a tension cord and pulley so there is no loose cord dangling.
Blinds or lightweight curtains are better for kids who suffer allergies. Thicker fabrics are better at collecting dust, pollen, and dust mites.
Shorter curtains are recommended over floor length for younger children so they can’t grab hold and pull or wrap themselves up in them.
Don’t use tension rods. These are operated by spring-loaded tension and therefore not screwed into the wall. One good tug and the lot could come tumbling down.
Don’t forget – regular cleaning will keep your childs room healthy. We can help with that!
www.curtainclean.co.nz...
The Gazley Nissan team would like to introduce you to Nissan Future Value. This tailored finance solution lets you keep your options open at the end of your vehicle loan term and guarantees the price that you can sell it for.
You simply pick your vehicle, pick your loan term and put down your … View moreThe Gazley Nissan team would like to introduce you to Nissan Future Value. This tailored finance solution lets you keep your options open at the end of your vehicle loan term and guarantees the price that you can sell it for.
You simply pick your vehicle, pick your loan term and put down your deposit. Then at the end of the term, you can either upgrade, retain or return your vehicle, and rest assured that your future is sorted. And with payments from as little as $99 per week, there has never been a better time to upgrade your vehicle. (finance terms and conditions apply).
King of the paddock and river bank, pukeko (Porphyrio melanotus) remind me that the blood of dinosaurs flows through their veins. They have strutted over the Earth’s surface as velociraptors before hominids were even a blip on the evolutionary radar. Even their yips and crowing are like the sound… View moreKing of the paddock and river bank, pukeko (Porphyrio melanotus) remind me that the blood of dinosaurs flows through their veins. They have strutted over the Earth’s surface as velociraptors before hominids were even a blip on the evolutionary radar. Even their yips and crowing are like the sound effects from Jurassic Park (they probably are the sounds effects from Jurassic Park). They are beautiful with their regal blue and black plumage, but their eyes have that glint of intelligent thuggery and hard casual menace, like if you fell asleep on the wrong part of the river bank a gang of them would pounce and eat your face off. This severity is tempered by their fluffy white bottoms. People get down on them because they eat the odd bird – typically fledglings or ducklings – but give them a break; they are mostly vegetarian and have come a long way since they were apex predators only 70 million years ago. On the plus side, they will happily have a go at a cat or stoat roaming into their territory, which probably saves more ducklings than they kill. Look at it like having an almost benign overlord that you have to make the occasional sacrifice to for the good of the village.
Jute is a natural fibre with golden & silky shine, and hence nicknamed as The Golden Fibre.
Jute is one of the most versatile natural fibres that has been used in raw materials for packaging, textiles, non-textile, and agricultural sectors.
Jute is a vegetable plant whose fibres are dried… View moreJute is a natural fibre with golden & silky shine, and hence nicknamed as The Golden Fibre.
Jute is one of the most versatile natural fibres that has been used in raw materials for packaging, textiles, non-textile, and agricultural sectors.
Jute is a vegetable plant whose fibres are dried in long strips, and it’s one of the cheapest natural materials available; together with cotton, it is one of the most frequently used.
The plants from which jute is obtained grow mainly in warm and humid regions, such as Bangladesh, China, and India.
Jute can be grown year-round and is harvested every six months. It can take decades to produce the same volume of wood fiber and it requires much larger tracts of land to cultivate.
The woody core of the jute plant, called hurd, has thousands of potential industrial and commercial uses. As an alternative to wood, hurd is capable of meeting most of the world’s demand for wood and wood products. Using hurd and jute fibres means that the level of deforestation to meet the current demand for paper and wood could be significantly decreased if they were used as an alternative.
Jute is 100% biodegradable (it degrades biologically in 1 to 2 years), low-energy recyclable, and can even be used as compost for the garden. It is clear in terms of reusability and recyclability that jute bags are one of the best options available nowadays.
Jute fibres are tougher and more resilient than paper made from wood pulp and can withstand prolonged exposure to water and weather. They can be reused many times and are thus very environmentally friendly.
The application of jute is a significant step in combating the use of different materials containing toxic wastes. Jute bags cut down the employment of plastic bags, which have now been effectively banned in many countries due to their harmful components. Jute seems to be one of the best alternatives to it.
We hope you enjoyed learning about Jute as much as we did, we would love to hear your comments!
Flood risk map meetings start tomorrow 🌊
A reminder that we'd like to hear your experiences, and observations of flooding in your area.
If you can't make this meeting, we have three more sessions being held shortly as detailed in the image below.
Tomorrow's meeting details are … View moreFlood risk map meetings start tomorrow 🌊
A reminder that we'd like to hear your experiences, and observations of flooding in your area.
If you can't make this meeting, we have three more sessions being held shortly as detailed in the image below.
Tomorrow's meeting details are 👇
🗓 Wednesday 28 October
⏰ 6pm - 8pm
📍 Massey University, Entry A
Fun-n-gala time! Are you keen to do your bit to improve the health of the Pauatahanui inlet?
Visit our stall at the Pauatahanui School Lamb & Calf Day on Saturday 7 November. Find out how you can improve the health of our waterways in the Pauatahanui area and inlet. Your efforts can boost … View moreFun-n-gala time! Are you keen to do your bit to improve the health of the Pauatahanui inlet?
Visit our stall at the Pauatahanui School Lamb & Calf Day on Saturday 7 November. Find out how you can improve the health of our waterways in the Pauatahanui area and inlet. Your efforts can boost biodiversity and reduce sediment levels in our streams through erosion control and planting. Staff will be available to offer advice and help find out if your property could get funding assistance.
Bring along a weed from your garden and swap it for a free native plant. And loads of fun for the kids! We will have a catchment model at our stall for kids to experiment and learn about sediment, streams, gullies and wetlands. See you soon.
The Pet of the Day this week is a British shorthair, Zsa Zsa.
Owner Dawn Kelly says Zsa Zsa has not been well and she would love her to have her 15 minutes of fame.
The Pet of the Day will no longer be appearing in the Dominion Post and instead you will find it on Neighbourly every Saturday.
If … View moreThe Pet of the Day this week is a British shorthair, Zsa Zsa.
Owner Dawn Kelly says Zsa Zsa has not been well and she would love her to have her 15 minutes of fame.
The Pet of the Day will no longer be appearing in the Dominion Post and instead you will find it on Neighbourly every Saturday.
If you want your pet featured, email us on yourpet@dompost.co.nz
Goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis) are one of my favourite garden birds. I can’t quite give a rational reason, but there is something appealing about the way they fly in urgent parabolic arcs and stuff their faces with thistledown. The colouring too seems exotic, like I can feel warm spice-laden … View moreGoldfinches (Carduelis carduelis) are one of my favourite garden birds. I can’t quite give a rational reason, but there is something appealing about the way they fly in urgent parabolic arcs and stuff their faces with thistledown. The colouring too seems exotic, like I can feel warm spice-laden winds and hear the clink of tea glasses at the bazaar. Christians believed their red faces were from the blood of Christ as the ‘saviour’ bird sought to pull the thorns from his head. It’s a beautiful and tragic legend about a bird that has obviously endeared itself into human history. What's your favourite wild bird (it can be endemic, native, or introduced)?
I have just four of my large A3-sized 2021 Wild birds of New Zealand calendars left for sale if anyone would like to buy one ($27 picked up from Woburn, Lower Hutt, or plus $9.60 courier), email me on louise@louisethomas.co.nz or message me if you would like one.
This week we feature Thomas the tūī and a lovely picture and words from by Simon Woolf.
"This is our spring friend, Thomas the tūī , enjoying nectar from a kowhai tree my sister gave us as a present over 20 years ago! The kowhai is such a feature in our garden, having been replanted as … View moreThis week we feature Thomas the tūī and a lovely picture and words from by Simon Woolf.
"This is our spring friend, Thomas the tūī , enjoying nectar from a kowhai tree my sister gave us as a present over 20 years ago! The kowhai is such a feature in our garden, having been replanted as a small tree, which hadn't as yet flowered, from our first home in Standen St. Thanks heaps Deb."
Prime ministers, foreign diplomats and a love story. And it all happened in Lower Hutt.
Find out more at our heritage webinar. Go to the link for more information.
Who recognises this famous photo from the Stuff archives?
Hint: It has come to represent a pivotal moment in New Zealand history.
This is your final chance to grab our FREE 3-month Premium Business Listing!
Usually $150, your 3-month Premium Business Listing enables you to reach thousands of people who live around your business! Find friendly locals who want your services, introduce your team and share what makes you … View moreThis is your final chance to grab our FREE 3-month Premium Business Listing!
Usually $150, your 3-month Premium Business Listing enables you to reach thousands of people who live around your business! Find friendly locals who want your services, introduce your team and share what makes you stand out from the rest.
There's no catches and no hidden fees. It's just our small way of saying thank you for playing such an essential part in our communities.
Grab your FREE 3 Month Premium Business Listing now!
*offer ends 31 October
Hi I have been saving for a second hand Nintendo switch. If you have one hanging around gathering dust I would be excited to take it off your hands for a good price!
Do you have a slope in your garden that keeps slipping, but don’t want trees on your bank?
Retaining walls help to prevent soil erosion, while also offering you a level ground to plant on. If this sounds like a bit of you, look no further than Price Smart Gardening and Landscaping!
For a … View moreDo you have a slope in your garden that keeps slipping, but don’t want trees on your bank?
Retaining walls help to prevent soil erosion, while also offering you a level ground to plant on. If this sounds like a bit of you, look no further than Price Smart Gardening and Landscaping!
For a reasonable estimate, Give us a call at 027 548 9818 or visit www.pricesmart.co.nz...
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