Boxing debut
Alex Mukuka
Commonwealth Games rep Alex Mukuka will make his professional boxing debut on Saturday in a super featherweight bout against Ross Malthus in Te Awamutu with his eyes on becoming a world champion. Mukuka is stepping up in the professional division in boxing, which is a different ball game compared to amateur boxing.
Bernard again
Bernard Westerbaan
Retired council facilities officer Bernard Westerbaan is to have another tilt at standing for Waipā District Council. Kihikihi based Westerbaan, a ratepayers group member and regular letter writer to The News, is not* standing for the Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board. He stood unsuccessfully for mayor three years ago. *Our print edition suggested he was but Westerbaan has confirmed he is not.
ITM ownership
Timmo’s ITM in Te Awamutu has not changed ownership, as reported in The News 17 April. Timmo’s ITM is still owned and operated by Clayton and Nicky Timmo and not champion apprentice Jack Mathis’ brother. Timmo’s joined ITM in 2004 and after nearly 40 years of operating from Cambridge Rd, they recently built a new store with a covered drive through in Riverhurst Drive.
Parking an issue
Captions: Ōtorohanga Fire Station’s temporary facilities. Photo: Viv Posselt
Ōtorohanga residents concerned about what is going on at their Ballance St fire station can rest easy. It is quite simply undergoing a refurbishment, one that seems to have people in a pickle about parking.
Brigade chief Neville King said yellow lines have been painted outside while the work goes on, but it means there are fewer spaces for volunteer fire fighters. He is asking the public to keep spaces around the station free while the work – expected to take three to four months – continues.
The parking situation had not slowed down response times so far and neither has the work on the station, he said. Until work has been completed the brigade is using a marquee to store its two appliances, a 13,000 litre tanker and a four-wheel drive ute.
Contractors are pulling down two of the existing engine bays, rebuilding and putting three bays on instead because the brigade needs the tanker and the ute in the one building. Other restructuring work is included in the overhaul.
“They’re doing a lot of revamping in the existing part of the station too, including structural work, so there’s been quite a bit going on,” he said.
Running time
Cambridge Athletics and Harriers Club members before their run around Fishers’ farm in Ōhaupō on Saturday. At front in the middle is Margaret Fisher while behind her to the left is Fred Needham and to the right, president John Charlton. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Cambridge Athletic and Harrier Club is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary with a cross-country relay next week from their grounds in Vogel St followed by a celebration dinner in the Roto-o-Rangi Community Hall. Over the years the club has held pack runs, road races, cross country events and held invitational runs with other Waikato harrier clubs.
Airgun arrest
A female firing an airgun out onto Lake Karāpiro was arrested and will appear in court on related charges. It is an offence to use an airgun in or near a dwelling or public place so as to endanger property or endanger, annoy or frighten any person. A search of her vehicle also located live ammunition rounds.
Pink breakfast
Sabine Lang
Waipā breast cancer survivor and mother of two Sabine Lang is encouraging people to host a Pink Ribbon breakfast this month to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2021 after a routine mammogram found a tumour and has since gone on to open Lang’s, her own gluten-free bakery.
