Hawked and Hurled October 2015

Grabbing a bargain

Strong winds, torrential rain and the All Blacks playing France in the Rugby World Cup did not bode well for Hawk & Hurl on Sunday October 18th. However, the weather quickly improved and the All Blacks won handsomely, so the Hawk & Hurl brightened considerably. There was a brisk trade in donated and reused items, and a few people managed some real bargains. Once again the Portobello Community Incorporated team put in the effort helping people unload and salvaging scrap and other items from refuse.

It was great to have Michelle Ritchie in Portobello giving people on composting, bokashi and worm farms as a way to reduce material going to landfill. Another new group at the Hawk & Hurl was the Otago Peninsula Food Network who were running a seed swap event and giving people information about the group.

This was the first DCC Rural Skip Day that had a designated vegetation rubbish skip. There are substantial savings to locals in refuse fees in using this service, but we still need to get some information out there about how we can keep this material compostable and un-contaminated. Overall, we had a pretty successful day, look forward to seeing people at the next one in February.

Portobello School Beach Clean Up

Scouting for trash

It was a beautiful day in Portobello on the 25th of September and this was Portobello School’s chance to do their bit for Clean Up NZ week. Although just out of the official week our local weather has meant the school have been delayed in getting started. The Year Six children from room five with teacher Sarah Luke did a great job cleaning up the beach area around Latham Bay in Portobello. They also went and fossicked out that hard to get rubbish in the bush behind the local playground. Well done Portobello School, and many thanks for your hard work in keeping our area tidy.

Good job guys

Hawked & Hurled 2015

Bangers & BaconOnce again the Hawk & Hurl went without a hitch on Sunday with the local community cleaning up their yards and taking the time to find a bargain or two. The scrap collection went well and a truck load of scrap kept out of the landfill and sold. Many thanks to John Clearwater for supplying the truck and driver.  With all the proceeds going to the recently relocated Peninsula Toy Library this event has grown steadily as a great chance to recycle, grab a bargain and meet up with your neighbours and friends.

From Trash to Treasure

Portobello Domain

Sunday 19th dawned bright but fresh for the Portobello Hawk & Hurl held at Portobello Domain and once again the event was well attended. There were plenty of bargains, a fair bit of cheek and a significant amount material saved from landfill on the day. Many people have things they no longer want or can use and by bringing them to the Hawk & Hurl they can see those things transferred to a new owner for re-use. It’s a great place to pay $10 for a child’s bike, buy recycled building materials, cheap furniture, tools and every other weird thing you can imagine. The other great initiative of the event is the scrap collection. Portobello Inc. will take any scrap metal off people’s hands and use the proceeds for the community group we’re working for. This year our proceeds from the Hawk & Hurl are going to the Portobello Toy Library as they look to relocate to new premises at the Portobello Domain pavilion. The Otago Peninsula have many generous people who support their community and a special thanks goes to Dave Murphy Fencing who  supplied a truck for all the recycled metal. Thanks Dave, that man deserves a beer! To all the residents who donated goods and scrap as well the team from Portobello Community Incorporated for working on the day many thanks for your efforts and we’ll see you again in February 2015. (Click on the pictures to see full size)

Rowing for Rubbish

Peter with his paddle board and some of the rubbish he collected in Latham BayLiving besides the Otago Harbour is one of the great pleasures of our lifestyle in Portobello. So boats and floating devices play a major role in our local lifestyle. So two intrepid Portobello Community Inc. members decided to enjoy a harbour paddle combined with a beach clean up in Latham Bay recently.

Peter in Latham BayPeter Dulgar and Davinia Thornley took their stand up paddle craft around two of  pocket beaches in the bay. Another yacht owner Paul Jennings whose boat is moored in the Bay also contributed by cleaning up a 3rd.

Its great to see people being innovative in the way in which they care for our harbour and community. Combining something you do for fun makes it even better, and what a great way to spend the day. Because as the Water Rat declared in the Wind in the Willows “there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

The Rubbish Revolution

Join the rubbish revolution and change the place you live in

March 30th 2014 is a watershed day for all residents in the Portobello/Harwood/Otakou area with the beginning of the “Rubbish Revolution.” Give just one hour of your time to pick up the rubbish from around your streets, playgrounds, beaches or public roads and reward yourself with a pat on the back and an hour’s exercise to boot! Do as much as you can in any area that you want to go, provided its safe and not stepping on anyone’s toes!

Portobello Community Incorporated have bags, gloves and hi-viz jackets available to anyone who wants to help make their area a cleaner place to live and play in. Perhaps you’d like to “Adopt a Spot” and care for an area regularly by keeping it clear of rubbish and waste. If you do then contact Darlene from Keep Dunedin Beautiful at the Dunedin City Council offices.

If you feel like a good walk and want to feel good about something you’ve done, meet us at the Portobello Store on Sunday March 3oth at 9:30 am to grab a rubbish bag and become part of the rubbish revolution. Success is always guaranteed.

 

Beautification Projects Recognised

Portobello Community Incorporated won the Taylor Community Pride Shield in first place at the Keep Dunedin Beautiful awards on Monday 3rd March. The award was presented to Paul Pope and Geoff Sheridan representing the group at the awards ceremony yesterday.  Portobello Inc. have put in the hard yards over the last year around Portobello and the recognition by Keep Dunedin Beautiful is well deserved. With recognition for the garden projects beside the hotel and public toilets along with its regular clean ups and the Hawk and Hurl the group can be justifiably proud of its efforts. It also raises the bar for future projects and the community is welcome to provide more ideas and initiatives. Well done Portobello Inc. keep up the good work!

A highlight of some of last years projects below.