Before Centre:
Autumn 1989 Inaugural Meeting of Riverton Organic Group attended by 57 people
25 families joined the group for an active monthly programme on how to grow your own healthy organic vegetables.
February 1990 Riverton Organic Food Co-op est. to bulk-buy citrus and grains etc that couldn’t be purchased anywhere in Southland built up to 60 families from all over Southland, based in a garage.
Christmas 1994 began having floats in local street parade - a big move to publicly present ourselves as organic in a very conservative community!
1995
Estuary Care Inc (Land Care group) was formed at a public meeting called by Riverton Organic Group as a project to benefit our wider community.
1st project Drains are for Rain (and the giant fish in the Christmas parade!) yellow fish painted beside all storm water drains and information leaflet dropped throughout the town.
1996
Wetland Reserve project underway - fundraising to purchase and restore the last 16ha of undeveloped wetland that borders the estuary - the rest has been converted to farm land!
Tim Shadbolt (Invercargill Mayor) came for our first estuary beach clean up
David Bellamy accepted Patron Role of Estuary Care Group.
Riverton’s old library building empty and being vandalised - no one tendered to rent it.
We offered all we could afford, Rent $1000 a year- accepted! Out of the garage and onto the main street!
April South Coast Environment Society Inc. Established
June 8th South Coast Environment Centre opening by Southland District Council mayor Frana Cardno cutting a green ribbon - 70 people attended, reps from D.O.C. F.&B Southland Regional Council. Roger Sutton - Patron.
Open 2-4pm daily. (14 hours a week by volunteers)
December Kiwi Conservation Club started once a month---giant white bait in Christmas parade. Conservation Corps helped us make giant sea-life masks for Christmas parade
1997
Feb Earth Craft Day - workshops on: weaving cheese making, wine making, beekeeping, small farming, chemical free house and garden.
Aparima Runaka gifted name to the Wetland Reserve, Te Wai Korari, which means flax flower nectar.
Calmalco gifted $3000 to reserve
Janet de Wagt workshop on eco banner-making
1000 trees planted around reserve
All groups mentioned above meet and continue to hold active programmes and projects in Centre!
1998
Centre hours extended with an all day Friday as more volunteers (18 hours a week)
Jan programme on Southland TV- tour of the enviro centre
Organic group Large info stalls around Southland at Alternative energy event and Festival of Natural health
Deborah Morris Ass. Minister for the Environment visited centre and shared her enthusiasm for it on Southland TV later that day.
Regional Council Environmental award: S.C.E.S highly commended
Reserve ponds scooped out.
Riverton primary school arbour day planting at reserve.
Working towards QE11 covenant
Centre hours extended to 45 hours a week thanks to WINZ community work scheme.
Coastal threatened plants garden developed around centre.
Spring K.C.C. now fortnightly as so popular
Bought community garden $1,000 – ¼ acre section behind the centre.
$1000 from SDC to develop Community Garden
Bridges are built on reserve and 30 minutes of walkways developed.
4th and final year fundraising at Riverton music festival - Organic Food plus children’s workshops, making instruments out of recycled items.
1999
Aug Telephone connected! $58 week finally affordable!
Southland Heritage Seed Savers established – Centre as base (after we followed up on Henry Harrington’s ‘letter to the editor’).
Sept. End of Millenium beach clean up
Fence up in community garden.
Otatara Land Care Group formed
Bellbird Group formed- planting trees & shrubs to attract bird in Riverton gardens.
Oct Provincial Landcare day at our wetland reserve.
2000
Centre opening hours reduced - 25 hour a week - too much supervision and training hours by volunteers to keep WINZ workers - volunteers in danger of burn out.
Frequent fundraisers needed, raffles, car boot sales, barn dances - each year thinking it may be our last for the Centre. No-one will fund for running costs - only projects.
Phone/fax installed SDC funding.
March Celtic Festival in Invercargill - 250 children attended our recycled instrument workshop! Good fundraiser for us.
YMCA and prison team lay chips on estuary paths.
Community garden lack of water service to section hinders vegetable project. ($3000 connection fee out of reach).
CEGS funding for Educator/Coordinator - Young Dunedin Man employed nearly full time for 9 months. Working towards: a composting enterprise, recycling initiatives, market garden in community garden, green bikes (which got on to TV One News!) Estuary Festival, eco tourism.
Centre open 40 hours a week with Educator based there 15 hours week
2001
Feb Estuary Festival/Mud Man Race/Estuary Ball – a huge success with people from all over Southland taking part which we ran and funded ourselves!
March First 14 & 15 year olds ‘make your own cosmetics course’
Nov Rod Donald visited for the first time and was wowed by what we had achieved!
Shade house & tool shed community garden
Co-hosted Royal Society of NZ Teacher Fellow: Using Seed Balls for native forest restoration (SCES & Estuary Care)
Saturday 9th June. 5th birthday Enviro Centre funding: $45,000 from MfE! A miracle and a relief! Display boards and materials, a computer, office staff and small paid co-ordinators roles, but most of all recognition, security and improved status of our important role in our region.
Centre open 45 hours a week
Bought 8 worm farms for community garden
June Recycling Expo - 30 stalls in College hall. (450 attended)
WWF funds for forest area of reserve.
Spring Huge A & P show displays to tell all of Southland about the Centre, the groups within it and our aims.
2002
Feb mini Estuary Festival & Mudman Race
Longwood Restoration Line neighbourhood re-vegetation project of old railway reserve (later attracted BOC gases funding)
May Appropriate Technology weekend – boat building, composting toilets, cob ovens, solar power etc. Excellent workshops – attendees from far and wide!
Had to find new building to rent - if it wasn’t for the Government Funding we had received, we would have had to close down!
At new centre 154 Palmerston St - Mainstream of foot traffic
Lots of working bees, fun building & creating.
November opening of new Centre attended by 80 people
$500 fundraising plus $1,000 Community Trust to get Centre up to standard.
Spring Tautuku weekend Otago and Riverton KCC joint camp
Suported wider community projects: ‘Mainland Island’ idea for Mores reserve + Taramea Bay plantings.
Main street ‘wet-land park’ land bought by Estuary Care.
Focus on with recycling and waste busting. Many educational workshops and projects.
2003
March Joe Polaisher ‘Permaculture Weekend’
Birth of Aparima Pest Busters - team of retired men keen to get Riverton area rid of magpies, possums, rats and stoats (under Estuary Care umbrella).
Bellbird group still planting out trees but need more than volunteers so can grow.
Aparima Nursery Enterprise established (replacing Bellbird group) CEGS funding support. Aiming to raise 3-5,000 native trees sold cheap for local projects.
'Granmas Growers an organic market gardener is one of the many people who shift to Riverton because of its environmental reputation.
Riverton Community Market days est. Once a month - focus on localisation of products.
Woodburner installed in Centre - Community Trust/SDC support
2004
More and more school groups visit for our educational programmes now that our Centre is large enough to host them.
Land Care field day held in Riverton.
Men of trees nut trees donation to Community Garden (had donated fruit trees earlier)
GE March down Riverton’s Main Street
Set of Educational videos made for Southland TV & SIT (Southern Institute of Technology) Seed Balls, Composting and Bio-intensive gardening, Seed Saving, Soil sterilization and liquid manures, Pruning Fruit Trees, Grafting Fruit Trees & Permacuture.
ECO ACTION group for young teens, ECO ZONE dedicated area of the Centre for children set up with thematic activities.
Aparima Nursery Enterprise thriving
Pest busters now busting pest plants and planting natives.- ‘return of the birds project’ in our local community ‘Mores Reserve’.
NZERN Field trip held in Riverton.
R.A.T.S. (Rivertonians for Alternatives to Toxic Substances) Formed to provide education and information so people can make informed choices regarding chemical use and have knowledge of other safe options.
Cob oven workshop April by popular demand.
Queen’s Birthday Weekend ‘Recreate in Riverton’ joint project with Arts Centre environmental themed workshops for adults and children.
Aparima Pest Busters win big Regional Council Environmental award
SIT videos screened several times a week on SKY TV nationally, fielding calls from all over NZ as a result!
2005
Pest Busting Workshop in Riverton.
Recreate in Riverton Queens birthday weekend enviro-art work shops
Fundraising and grants made to upgrade our toilet to a wheelchair friendly one.
FROG WEEK – window display and educational talks at schools
KCC weekly, bug study 2 terms finished with UGLY BUG BALL!
Clean up NZ Week beach clean up.
Aparima Nursery has good supply of trees now available and starts making donations of these to various agencies and schools.
Big Estuary care planting day at Reserve filmed by travelling WWF team.
Web Site revamped to be a wiki active one that Robyn can update daily.
2006
January ‘Organic only’ Farmers Market began and successfully continues weekly from the Centre verandah .
Received grant for Toilet upgrade from CTS toilet – working bees to complete the upgrade - looks fantastic.
Community Orchard upgrade of Community Garden 60 new plants and trees in.
50 people attended Permaculture talk and tour from University of the Third Age.
June 10 years celebration of our centre
Aparima College became an enviro school - Robert attended Cambridge hui.
Pest busters group won award for their work.
Bird table making workshop.
Remco Baars - Royal Society of NZ - came down from CHCH for talk on alternative pollinators with imminent bee threat.
Yellow fish project repeated after 8 years previously as fish had worn off.
2007
Big last seed savers workshop with Henry Harrington
Strategic Planning meeting - reviewing last 5 year plan - writing up new one.
Climate Change Symposium in Invercargill – involved as co-host
Open Orchard project - returning Heritage fruit trees back into Southland Landscape.
Attended Enviro Centre Hui , June in Napier.
Govt. Funding reduction to the point we were no longer able to continue 2008 as Environment Centre unless we change the whole way we operate - huge stress on our committee and volunteers as our rent and other costs have gone up. More paper work and fundraising needed at expense of education work!
August:Robert Guyton won NZ Gardener 'Southland Gardener of the Year'
September: Guytons in North Otago speaking to Relocalisation groups- building provincial supportive links
October: 80 people attended grafting days in Open orchard project 200 grafted apple trees for Southland.
Cob oven Workshop
Centre hours extended: late night to 7.30 Fridays for 'Pot luck soup nights' and open from 10am on Saurday morning
November: Made large Victory Garden model and display for Donovan park 'Rural Heritage day."
S.I.T. Film crew at Guytons 12 x 3 minute items for new SIT2learn distance learning programme on organic horticulture.
'Be the Change' climate change bus in Southland, Robert Guyton on national radio with them for 2 hours.
Otago Tree Crops visit to Southland - more Otago links made seeds & trees
December: An application for funding to the Community Trust of Southland was successful and we have now full operational funding for 3 years of education and action in and from the Centre. We were extemely grateful for their ongoing support and intend to use this new energy to make a difference through out Southland.
2008
January: Guytons represented us at the National Environment Centres Hui in Dunedin.
First Southland Environment Centres Hui in Lumsden- 4 towns represented.
Centre committee trained in Pod casting
February: Working towards Southern NZ Seed Enterprise and an 'ECO academy' in partnership with Aparima College.
March: OFNZ (Organic farm NZ) workshop with Otago advisers introducing and supporting this for Southland.
April: First International two week Permaculture Course held in Riverton- a huge success and opens doors for new Southland wide action- just when it is needed with rising food and petrol prices encouraging people to change.
To be continued….
