A beautiful record of a community day and night 20 June at St Peters Hall Paekākāriki by photographer Bob Zuur with an array of musical talent and words from Gilbert Haisman. This night saw the hall’s new floorboards given a thorough test. Here, we take the chance to remember a few of our people in words and images.
“Everybody in Paekakariki seems to be getting an award,” said Kapiti Mayor K (Guru) Gurunathan, in his remarks that closed the brief presentation of Community Service Awards, held as part of the Bubble Breakout Community Celebration in a jam-packed St Peters Hall on Saturday 20 June.
Guru’s impression, as he well knew, reflected the spirit of the occasion rather than the numbers involved. Still, the number of awardees was impressive, given that those who nominated people for awards―there was an open invitation to all residents to do so―were asked to restrict nominations to essential workers as designated by the government, and otherwise only to organisations and individuals (mostly volunteers) whose work during the Lockdown was substantial, onerous, and benefitted large numbers of people in the village.
The applause for awardees was, of course, tremendous throughout, and especially for the final awards, presented to Bhavesh Morar, Horace Morar, and the staff of the Paekakariki Village Grocery Store. The extraordinary gesture of the Morar family who prepared and distributed over 40 survival boxes for elderly and other residents in need―boxes that contained fruit, vegetables, bread, milk, meat, noodles and other groceries―had triggered dozens of nominations. It was fitting, therefore, that the presentation ended with an instant standing ovation as Bhavesh came forward to receive, in addition to the certificates, an impressive patu intricately carved by Lenny Boonen.
