Ashburton Courier: July 11, 2024

WHĀRANGI 2|NGĀ PŪKŌRERO OTEWIKI KI RAUKĀPUKA |TAITE, 11 HŌNGONGOI 2024
EDITORIAL
The can-canisahigh-energy,physically
demanding dancethat becameapopular
music-hall danceinthe 1840s. ...The dance
was considered scandalous, andfor awhile
therewereattemptstosuppress it. Wikipedia
Fihas asked me to writethe editorial this
week.AsIwrite (Tuesday), Iamcelebrating
the achievement of75successful sun
orbits. It isn’t really that great an
achievement; youjust sit on thisrockwe
call planet Earth for long enough, and
there you are.
It has been an interesting 75 years.The
1940s and 50s were the last Victorian era.
Unless youwerebornaCatholic, as Iwas,
in which case it felt like the end ofthe
Middle Ages as our services were still
conducted in Latin. 1950sBritain wasstill
living in the aftermath of World War IIas
children, we playedonbombsiteswith
most of our games involving the killing
of imaginary Germans. Coal and milk
were still delivered off horse-drawn carts.
Petrolrationingdidn’t end until May1950,
food rationing continued until July 1954,
and coal continued to be rationed until
1958. How far we have come.
On Friday, 19July, there isabsolutely
no excusefor staying at home watching
Netflix. In addition tothe offering atthe
Geraldine Cinema, there isthe choice of
live drama with Martine Baanvinger’s
RedHeavens or the band Skin and Bone,
which includes veterans of the music
scene,MikeMaroney, who waspresident
of the NewEdinburgh Folk Club foryears,
and John Dodd, who once taught my
daughter howtoplay guitar.Itisadifficult
choice tomake.
This Sunday at 3pm, Imyself will be
enjoying MarkWalton’sfun interpretations
of everything from Mozart to jazz, followed
by some French flair from asectionofthe
Timaru Brass Band -itisBastille Day,
after all. They will play the famous cancan,
knowntoposh people as Offenbach’s
“Galop Infernal” from his operetta Orphée
aux Enfers.
Iamenjoying the bright skies of this
South CanterburyJuly -makes up forthe
cold starts. Blessings, HUGH
Live notone’s life
as though onehad
athousand years,
butliveeachday
as thelast.
MARCUSAURELIUS(121-180AD),ROMAN EMPEROR
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DOC’s Tim Exton. Free copies of the 2023 third edition of Practical Guide to Trapping will beavailable for workshop participants. PHOTO: Jan Finlayson
Trapping workshop: learn to “place them right”
People keen to learn the basics of pest animal
trapping areinvited to afree17Julyworkshop.
Theevent will includeanupdatefromEnvironment
Canterburyonwallaby control, says organiser
and Te Moana catchment care group member
Tracey McKay.
Department of Conservation easternSouth
Island Predator Free ranger TimExton says the
event, at Pleasant Valley Hall, is “for budding
trappers and existing trappers.” He says pest
control is importantincatchment care,linked
with vegetation restorationthathelps regulate
waterand supportsnativeanimals.
Timsays, “The plants arenot just forbirds,
IN BRIEF
bats, lizards, invertebrates, and native fish;
they’re also habitat for invasive predators.”
Tracey says controlling pest animals is “partof
aholisticapproach.”
Trapping hastricks, Timsays.“It’s ascience
…We’ll talk abouttypes of traps, forpossums,
mustelids, and rodents; lures; trap placement
(ifyou don’tplace them right, they don’twork);
and feral cats and their impact. Ifpeople are
taught correctly, they’llbesuccessful,and we’ll
avoidmakinganimals trap-shy.”
He explains, “For example, arat ishighly
intelligent,witharetentivememory. Rats learn
things, and then they teach their young. If we
Making little changes really can help save the planet
Timaru andWaimatecouncils have produced
a“collaborative resource to help people in
South Canterbury navigate living during
climatechange.” Council News,21June, 2024.
The document entitled Personal Responses
to aWarming Planet acknowledges, “It’seasy
to see climate change as an issue that’s too
big for one person to make adifference.”
However, it also says, “Many people making
little changes in their everyday livescan make
abig, combined contribution to asolution.”
Written by Geraldine residentRhysTaylor
for Timaru, and Andrew Oliver for Waimate,
with input from Stephen Doran (Timaru District
Council Group Manager Corporate and
Communications), the document covers issues
suchashow weeat,travel, andmanageour
gettrapping wrong, they’llteach theiryoung to
avoidcertain traps.”Among trapsdemonstrated
will be thelatestAT220 multi-speciesautomatic
resetting trap.
The pest trapping workshop is 1.30-4pm
Wednesday, 17 July,indoorsatPleasantValley
Hall, no registration needed. Schoolchildren
welcome. Afternoon tea included. Sponsored
by Geraldine ITM. Alimited number oftraps
will be availablefor purchase.Tolearn more
email: moanadowns@farmside.co.nz.
JAN FINLAYSON
homes and offers ways to adapt to the new
reality and mitigate climate change. The
adviceinthe document is practical and can
be easily incorporated into daily routines.
AGoogle search Personal Responses to a
Warming Planet will findthe document.For
those who prefer ahard copy, it is available
at our LibraryService Centrefor $5.00,which
covers the cost of production.
HUGH MCCAFFERTY
Personal Responses toaWarming Planet,
co-authored bylocal resident Rhys Taylor.
IMAGE: timaru.govt.nz