It’s been a great Toa summer!
Welcome to the summer edition of Toaline. The weather has been fantastic so far and it is great to see everyone at the club and attending the junior surf program.
There are over 20 trainee lifeguards this year which is very heartening for the club and will mean there will be continued good numbers for patrols over the coming summer seasons.
Your committee is keen to continue the great atmosphere at the club and encourage you to invite friends, family and neighbors to participate in the various summer activities on offer and come down for a drink or two in the evening.
As always if you have any ideas to improve the club please call or chat to myself or any of the committee, we would welcome your feedback.
Significant financial investment has been made in kiting out the club ready for the 14/15 summer season.
Health and Safety laws have changed which has lead to a review on how we do things in the day to day running’s of the club. Findings of the review (which is ongoing) include how we store fuel, the state of the first aid room, a register to log H&S incidents, Club maintenance etc.
A new fuel bladder store has been purchased and installed. Government Health and Safety Specs include Steel construction with appropriate signage and slow vapor release ventilation plus a secure locking system and these are all features of the new store.
The first aid room has had a complete makeover by Tara George And her partner Ryan (who happens to be a paramedic) the first aid cupboard is fully stocked, the defib unit is now up to spec and the whole room cleaned and tidied from top to bottom. It looks and smells like a hospital! Great Job Tara and co.
New beach signage has been purchased to be placed out along the beach. These include “swim between the flags” signs and ‘Danger Rip Current” to be placed out where Rips are present. The signage is galvanized for the harsh conditions and are of solid steel construction to stand up to winds and transport tests.
Please adhere to the signage, it’s there for your own safety.
As you all know we have been working toward replacing the Polaris ATV we use for patrolling the beach and getting our IRB rescue boats to and from the beach. The Polaris has been a great machine however the harsh conditions of the beach caused by salt and sand have taken their toll on the Polaris and it was well and truly time for an upgrade. At a significantly reduce cost of $18.000, the committee has been working through fund raising options over the past few months. A combination of donations, the sale of the Polaris and funding applications has been the plan. Two weeks ago we received news that a funding application put in by the club with the????? Trust has been approved which has given us the green light to purchase the new machine, allowing us to take delivery for the start of the summer season.
Along with new health and safety laws, operator training has now been completed with the life guards along with a strict servicing and maintenance program.
A big mention must go to Mark Poliglaise for getting this project over the line. Mark manages our funding applications which involves a great deal of paper work which must be carefully worked through. Marks work combined with a very generous donation by the Poliglaise Family is the reason we have a shiny new ATV in the gear shed.
Even with the fund raising to date the club has still had to bank roll this project to the tune of $7000.00 out of club funds. The committee is keen to recoup these funds.
Happy New Year all Toa Beach lovers.
I hope you all enjoyed the beach activities over the peak holiday season. Although numbers of participants vary from year to year. It is all about having fun and bringing the community together. Proceeds from events go towards the work of our Lifeguard service and the wonderful work that the lifeguards do.
We had near record numbers-242, for the King of the Mountain which is impressive and unfortunately we had to turn away people for the Quiz night as the hall was chocka.
Geoff Lawrence guided an enthusiastic group on a 5 hour tramp along the bridle path from Golden Cross mine to Parakowai and is keen to make this a regular event.
All round there was a great vibe and from feedback, holiday makers got into the spirit of things and enjoyed the events.
Special thanks go to all those helpers who volunteer to organise and run events for the benefit of the beach goers and the Surf Club- Bill and Barb Doyle, Rob and Jacqui from the shop for the icecream eating competition, the Jacobson and Russell families for the tennis, the other Russell family for the Tug of War, Greig Cowan for providing musical entertainment, Brigitte Oberndorfner for her crafts session with the kids, Scott Verran and Yolande Vander Wetering for compering and scoring the quiz night, Ian and Kerryn Gage-Brown for the King of the Mountain and all the helpers who marshalled and registered the runners, Ruth Hanner and her team for Miss Whiritoa and Lyn Clifton and Sunny Paul for the dog show and all the other helpers who contribute to making these events such a Whiritoa tradition.
Special thanks must also go to our sponsors especially Whangamata First National, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Paul Greaney, Beverage Boutique, Jack Links, Raw Essentials, Whiritoa Tennis Club, Whiritoa Beach Store and all the Whangamata businesses who contributed prizes. I apologize if I have missed anyone.
Some volunteers have been organising events for some time and we would really appreciate it if others stepped up to take their place- it could be a family or group of friends. It does not necessarily involve a lot of time or organising as much of the ground work has been laid. We are always looking for new ideas and people to implement them. Think about it- beach volley ball, duathlon, orienteering, kite flying, petanque competition, traditional beach races?- the list of possibilities is endless.
In addition we are always looking for sponsors and donations of prizes as this is the more difficult part. If you would like to contribute to the holiday programme in any way, please contact Wendy on wendy.ptw@gmail.com or phone 09 2321 773.
See you at the beach with sand between your toes.
← 2014 / 2015 Events Online Now !