This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 93, no 11, December 2021
Working bee at Waerenga Hut
19-21 November 2021
The working bee at Waerenga Hut turned out to be a major success.
Firstly a big shout out to our sponsor, Bunnings, who provided a wheelbarrow-load of supplies. This included various paints, and cleaning products as well as utensils which would have cost the club several hundreds of dollars. Also, Hire Pool who provided a generator at a reduced rate. (The generator was a lovely, small, quiet unit.)
A hearty and sincere thank you to all the volunteers who helped to give the hut a sparkling new outlook on life. Chris Paice, Carol Andrews and Phil Coe worked like robots. Hats off to Sarah White who had a five-hour walk in from Eastbourne to come and help. Great contributions by Amie Claridge, Elizabeth Claridge, Colin Hoare, Bharat Pancha, Julie Hardy, Alan Knowles and Muriel Christiansen and their guest Sharnee Escott. It was an eager team of motivated self-starters.
We thoroughly cleaned the interior and exterior of the hut and the toilet. The back deck got cleaned and treated with decking stain and the window sashes were sanded and painted. The kitchen seats were also painted and rust treatment was applied to the toilet outside walls and roof. Other outside activities included gardening, with the removal of invasive weeds. Amie skilfully crafted a rock stairway up from Browns stream. Waerenga hut now has a more inviting smile and better protection against the elements.
Being a vehicle-access weekend we did not have to worry about carrying in the heavy supplies.
What strikes me most about the weekend is how enjoyable it was. The company was great and the spirits high. We had a good amount of banter going on and munched on gourmet sausages, croissants and ciabatta rolls. Carol was not only a hard worker but also made sure we were hydrated and regular tea breaks saw us go through half a pack of tea bags in two days.
Democracy was tested in a debate about which colour paint to use for the windows. An amicable solution was quickly reached when I decided exterior design is a long-term project, not something to rush in one weekend LOL. And I guess it’s true that white is practical.
I'm actually already looking forward to the next working bee. Bees are social beings.
- Party members
- Kobus Boshoff (scribe)