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www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
NEWS<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> <strong>Courier</strong>, <strong>July</strong> <strong>11</strong>, <strong>2024</strong><br />
3<br />
Molly sets off for Tamworth<br />
DELLWYN.MOYLAN<br />
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
Ticking off country music goals<br />
brings asmile to the face of<br />
Molly Harrison.<br />
Next week, the 15yearold<br />
and her mother Jo are heading<br />
to Tamworth, the home of<br />
country music in Australia, for<br />
aoneweek course hosted by<br />
the Country Music Association<br />
Australia.<br />
‘‘I couldn't quite believe it<br />
when Igot the message that I<br />
had got into the course,’’ Molly<br />
said.<br />
‘‘It was early in the morning<br />
when Ilearnt of my acceptance,<br />
and Iran to wake dad up to tell<br />
him.’’<br />
The Mid Canterbury Country<br />
Music Club member will be<br />
attending the coursefor 10 to<br />
18yearolds, called Find Your<br />
Tribe, alongside 26 other<br />
students, all from throughout<br />
Australia.<br />
‘‘I am looking forward to<br />
making music, learning more<br />
about song writing, and the next<br />
steps in furthering myself.’’<br />
The <strong>Ashburton</strong> College<br />
student has acareer goal of one<br />
day being acountry music<br />
artist.<br />
Going to Tamworth is just the<br />
latest in what has been ayear of<br />
successes.She won big at the<br />
Aotearoa Country Music<br />
Awards late last year, recently<br />
made the finals at the Gold<br />
Guitar Awards, and is this year<br />
attending the SOLE Music<br />
Academy in Christchurch after<br />
winning an Advance <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
Community Foundation Colin<br />
and Alison Crampton Music and<br />
Arts Scholarship.<br />
She said the process to be<br />
accepted into the prestigious<br />
course at Tamworth involved<br />
submitting material and<br />
answering lots of questions. She<br />
had to tell the story of her<br />
journey in music and have a<br />
letter of support from her music<br />
teacher.<br />
The mentor taking an<br />
instrumental section of the<br />
workshop would be course<br />
alumni and country music<br />
performer Liam Kennedy<br />
Clark, who grew up in<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong>.<br />
‘‘It will be great to gain skills<br />
in song writing’’ Molly said. She<br />
released asong in 2022, called<br />
Always,inmemory of both her<br />
grandfathers.<br />
‘‘I have other songs under<br />
way that the course will help<br />
me with.’’<br />
She had raised funds for the<br />
Molly Harrison practices in preparation for the country music<br />
course in Tamworth next week. Inset Molly performs last year<br />
at the Aotearoa Country Music Awards in Palmerston North.<br />
❛Iamlooking<br />
forward to making<br />
music, learning more<br />
about song writing,<br />
and the next steps in<br />
furthering myself.❜<br />
—Molly Harrison<br />
trip by busking, and was<br />
grateful for financial support,<br />
including a$3000 grant from<br />
Creative New Zealand.<br />
‘‘I have been fortunate to<br />
perform for Hinds, <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
and Geraldine Lions Clubs who<br />
have made grants for my trip.<br />
One of the Lions Club also gave<br />
me abeautiful pounamu<br />
necklace that is very special,’’<br />
she said.<br />
Arequirement of her<br />
attendance at Tamworth was a<br />
parent had to join her.<br />
It won’t be aholiday for her<br />
mum Jo as she will spend the<br />
days with other parents<br />
learning about topics such as<br />
how to write amedia release,<br />
managing achild in the music<br />
industry, knowing when your<br />
child is ready to record, and<br />
expectations of avenue.<br />
Once she ticks off attending<br />
Find Your Tribe, there will be<br />
more goals to conquer on<br />
Molly’s list as she works her<br />
way towards her career goal.<br />
They include returning to<br />
Tamworth to perform, and<br />
playing at American country<br />
music destination of Nashville.<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
PM VISIT<br />
Prime Minister Chris Luxon<br />
reiterated his party’s promise to<br />
build <strong>Ashburton</strong>’s second bridge on<br />
avisit last week.<br />
He told media during his visit to<br />
the town on Friday, the government<br />
would keep the pre-election<br />
promise of starting construction in<br />
its first term.<br />
The coalition government was<br />
elected in October last year, so has<br />
alittle over two years to go before<br />
finishing its first term.<br />
The bridge is expected to be<br />
listed among projects to be funded<br />
over the next three years in the NZ<br />
Transport Agency’s Waka Kotahi<br />
National Land Transport<br />
Programme to be released in<br />
September.<br />
See pages 13 and 20 for more<br />
coverage of the PM’s visit.<br />
LUCKY TICKET<br />
ALotto second division Lotto ticket<br />
sold at Woolworths <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
brought its owner awin of$28,822 in<br />
last week’s mid-week draw. The<br />
winner was one of eight from around<br />
New Zealand.<br />
FETE FUNDRAISER<br />
Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue<br />
Trust is calling on Mid Canterbury<br />
artisans, passionate gardeners, or a<br />
small business owner with unique<br />
products to book astall for the<br />
Rakaia Garden Fete. To be held at<br />
282 Awaroa School Rd, Dorie, the<br />
fete is on November 21. Contact<br />
airrescue.co.nz/rakaia-garden-fete/<br />
PAWTRAITS WANTED<br />
Make your pawsome pal an SPCA<br />
calendar star. Created by SPCA<br />
New Zealand, Pets of the Year is an<br />
annual fundraising campaign<br />
celebrating New Zealand pet cats<br />
and dogs. Aside from showing off<br />
your furry friends to the world, your<br />
entries raise vital funds to help the<br />
charity rescue, rehabilitate and rehome<br />
thousands of animals each<br />
year. Entries that raise $150 or<br />
more are guaranteed aspot in the<br />
calendar. Entries close <strong>July</strong> 28. To<br />
enter go to https://petsoftheyear.<br />
spca.nz/<br />
FUNDING GRANTS<br />
Groups, organisations or schools<br />
making adifference in communities,<br />
cultural and societal causes may be<br />
eligible for entry in the <strong>2024</strong> Canon<br />
Oceania Grants programme.<br />
It is open to support groups,<br />
schools, clubs across education,<br />
community, environment and<br />
cultural categories.<br />
More information visit canon.co.<br />
nz/about-canon/community/grants<br />
More volunteers<br />
needed for group<br />
An <strong>Ashburton</strong> voluntary group<br />
helping people who have poor<br />
eye sight is calling for more<br />
volunteers.<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> Community<br />
Committee for Blind Low<br />
Vision New Zealand provides<br />
social activities for the more<br />
than 100 members based in Mid<br />
Canterbury, suchasamonthly<br />
get together at The Plains<br />
Vintage Railway &Historical<br />
Museum, aChristmas lunch<br />
and January barbecue.<br />
Committee members are<br />
inviting people to come along<br />
to their annual general<br />
meeting on <strong>July</strong> 24, at <strong>11</strong>.30am,<br />
in the Lake Room of the<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> library Te Kete<br />
Tuhinga, or contact the<br />
committee.<br />
They are seeking people who<br />
can either join the committee<br />
or become avolunteer helper<br />
at meetings, held on the fourth<br />
Thursday of each month.<br />
The committee helps people<br />
who are either blind or have<br />
low vision in Mid Canterbury.<br />
They range in age from 10 to<br />
over 100.<br />
Committee members’ contact<br />
details are chair Alan Hall, 021<br />
131 4984, and secretary Jenny<br />
Phillips, 021 234 6755.<br />
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