Ashburton Courier: January 14, 2021

NEWS
4 Ashburton Courier, January 14, 2021
Peter farewelled
Ashburton’s Peter Bain,amanwhose mountain
climbing passion tookhim around theworld,
hasdied, aged 88. His funeral is today.
Mr Bain, also akeen cricketer, grew up on the
family farmatColdstream, with dreams of
being an explorer.He went to AshburtonHigh
School and learnedtoclimb in theSouthern
Alps; he laterclimbed in Pakistanand the
Himalayas and was aradio operator in the
Antarctic.
He methis wife Marie, atrainee nurseat
Ashburton Hospitaland theymarriedin1959.
They raised two sons Alasdairand Robert. Mr
Bain began teachingatAshburtonCollege in
1969, retiring in 1990.
Blithe Spirit
ReviewedbyRowenaHart
In 1941 when Britain was atthe mercy of the Blitz,
the staging of Noël Coward’s classic play Blithe
Spirit,acomedy about death, wasconsidered arisk.
But it turned out to be abig hit, with arecord run
in the West End and Broadway beforebeing turned
into afilm four years laterstarring RexHarrison.
Now the director of a new version of the film
and one of its lead actors, Dame Judi Dench, feel
that the “dark space” we are currently in provides
another fittingly gloomybackdrop forthe release of
aproduction thatthey hope will liftpeople’s spirits.
Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens, is cast as
bestselling crime novelist Charles who suffers from
terrible writer’s block in struggling with his first
screenplay. His stunning new wife Ruth dreams of
leaving London for Hollywood. Seeking inspiration,
he invites Madame Arcati to perform aséance in
his home, only to realise that she has inadvertently
summoned the spirit of his deceased first wife –
the fiery Elvira, who tries to win back his affections,
leading to an increasingly complexlovetriangle.
It is very funnyand will no doubt be enjoyedbyNoel
Coward fans and others wanting to have some time
out.
bookings ph 307 1230
www.regentcinema.co.nz
2345942
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Scouts enjoying aspot of rafting on Lake Camp during the adventure camp from left Andrew Williams (Christchurch),
Liam Sherwin (West Melton), Lulu Webster (Christchurch) and Charlise Franklin (Ashburton).
PHOTO TONI WILLIAMS
Scouts out for adventure
TONI.WILLIAMS
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Lake Camp, in the Ashburton Lakes
area, had scores of recreational
users vying for space over the
holiday period, especially as Lake
Clearwater was closed due to atoxic
algae.
Amongthe swimmers, motorised
boats, water skiers and jet skierson
Lake Camplastweekwere scouts
and their leaders doing day activities
as part of their StaveleyAdventure
Camp. It was achance to try new
experiences and learn newskills.
Up to 30 scouts each day, run over
three days last week, tookpart in
sailing, kayaking,rafting, rowing and
paddleboarding.
The camp, based at Staveley
happenseverythree years, andhad
more than 350scouts andventurers,
from Canterbury­wide. They came
from as far away as Wellington,
Greymouth and Waimate, aged
between 11 and 17 years old, doing a
mix of 40 activities aroundthe
districtand beyond.
Activities includedcanon caving,
fishing,mountain biking, rafting,
bush camping,shooting, craft and
flying.
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SUPPLIERS AND INSTALLERS OF LEADING BRANDS
Clearwater warning stays
Ahealth warning remains on Lake
Clearwater after apotentially toxic bluegreen
algae (planktonic cyanobacteria) was
found in the lake.
The lake is apopular holiday destination
for hutholders and campers but also
recreational users such as day trampers,
mountainbikers and fishers.
Water testing has shown high
concentrations of Synechocystis, which could
cause skin rashes, nausea, stomach cramps,
tingling and numbness around the mouth and
fingertips.
Despite the warning windsurfers and
kayakers were still seen on the water early
last week. However Canterbury District
Health Board has not received any reports of
health issues associated with Lake
Clearwater as of late last week.
An Environment Canterbury spokesperson
said there had been speculation about the
cause but it was not always easy to establish.
‘‘There are likely several sources of
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nutrients to the lake as well as other
contributing factors. What we do know is that
Lake Clearwater is enriched in nutrients; the
Trophic Level Index (TLI) has been either
mesotrophic (above three) or eurotrophic
(above four) every year since 2006.
‘‘Higher than usual levels of algal biomass
were measured last summer, which have
again been exceeded this summer.’’
The regional council was testing the water
weekly for cyanobacteria in addition to their
standard summer programme testing for
E­coli. The warning will remain in place until
two consecutive weekly tests were recorded
at safe levels for contact recreation.
‘‘Heavy rain can remove cyanobacteria
from lakes, but can also contribute new
nutrients for future cyanobacteria growth, so
the recent heavy rain may or may not help
resolve the problem.’’
The issue is also arecurring one at nearby
Lake Emma which degraded and became
turbid and supertrophic in around 2000.
Despite reservation of the lake edge land
after 2000, it has still not reverted back to a
healthy clear water state.
‘‘Lake Emma appears to be trying to ‘flip’
between aturbid, green, phytoplankton­rich
state and aclearer, aquatic plant­dominated
state. Once degraded, lakes can take alot of
time to respond to decreased nutrient
loading and other pressures.’’
The algae had potential to be transferred
between lakes by recreational users but
needed favourable environmental conditions
to grow to nuisance levels. It liked nutrientrich,
warm, calm waters.
ECan has received numerous complaints
about excessive growth of aquatic plants in
Lake Clearwater, which had impacted on
recreational uses like angling and boating
and had become ahealth and safety issue.