Waipu Trip
This one taking them to Australia in the middle of the 1850’s. Attempts were made to integrate with the locals but with the high moral standards set by the Minister they failed to settle in either Melbourne or Adelaide.
They made their way to New Zealand arriving in the south of the North Island and making their way north to the to the Waipu district.
Here they settled in as farmers, timber workers and general commerce workers. Clan members settled to live in groups according to their occupations. Schools were built in Waipu and then later in Bream Bay as the families expanded. Norman McLeod by this time was an old man but still stuck to his old extreme ways, scolding his wife for having a bow on her bonnet. The museum is a testament to the clan’s search for the perfect place in which to form a community for their future. Following the presentation, members had a walk through the museum or went in search of morning tea.
Main Speaker (Kevin Salmon)
Kevin provided us with an entertaining and very useful talk about Alzheimer's. Confusion and memory loss are some of the first signs that all is not right. At present it is estimated that 70,000 people in New Zealand are suffering from this and by 2050 there is expected to be 150,000 who will require help to live at home or be in care. Kevin had another thought that with the baby boomers requiring retirement villages for their living, it could be that in years to come there could be a surplus of them. Maybe it could become a chance for first home buyers!!! It was also interesting to hear that the population of Northland in 1970 was 100,000 people and at that time there were 304 hospital beds available – how times have changed, our population is now 194,000 and we have 284 beds available. It is not surprising to hear that care is not getting better and that, being short of 100 doctors for our area, we are going to have to do our very best to look after ourselves and give a helping hand to others that we see in need. Also mentioned was having a will and Power of Attorney done. I noticed a lot of hands went up for this but to the ones who haven’t done this yet, please put it on your ‘to do’ list. There are two (2) powers of attorney – one is for your financial affairs and the other is for your care and welfare. Kevin, we thank you for your most entertaining and interesting talk to us and wish you all the best.
Ten-Minute Speaker (Jim Beniston)
Jim gave us an insight to what it entails to be a volunteer for CPNZ, which is short for Community Patrols of New Zealand. This position is being the eyes and ears for the police who they work closely with to make New Zealand a safer place for us all to live. Time is spent checking residential, business and industrial areas, also looking out for stolen cars as well as any other suspicious activities. When Jim worked in the Whangārei area the hours were from 9 pm to 2 am and in the early days, volunteers had to use their own vehicles and received a payment of $20. Nowadays a vehicle is provided and they are never sent out on their own. A lot of the time can be quite unexciting as there is nothing out there to see apart from the odd stray cat having a wander but of course there are the other times when other things are happening. I think it is our best interest to take extra care and be aware of things that are happening around us when we are out and about and it’s a big thank you to Jim and all the other people who are working to keep us all safer.
Keep up the good work.
