Wrapping Up the Year
As 2023 comes to a close, our Predator Free Tamahere group got together to celebrate our hard work and the cool things we've achieved. We're on a mission to kick out the pests from Tamahere gullies, and guess what? We hit another big goal—3000 pests trapped! To make this celebration extra sweet, Robyn Richardson, our awesome baker, whipped up another fantastic cake for everyone to dig into.
Our end-of-year party, planned around International Volunteer Day in early December, matched this year's theme perfectly: the power of everyone working together. It's all about what we can get done when everyone chips in, and that's exactly what our group is about—each of us doing our bit, no matter how small, to make a big change.
Mix and mingle - connecting with other gully enthusiasts, photo credit A Ewing
Our get-together wasn't just about giving everyone a pat on the back; it was also a time to shine a spotlight on some local superstars. We handed out special prizes to our hardworking teenage trappers—Ollie, Milly, and Tasman—who check our local gully traplines.
We also tipped our hats to some other folks for their efforts: Barry Winn - Most Possums Caught in a Flipping Timmy; Mark Blackwell - Most Rats/Mustelids Caught in a DOC200; Mark Emms - Kept Checking Traps Despite Infrequent Catches; Jeff - Just a Legend in General; and Stuart Anderson, of Craigs Investment Partners - Sponsored Trap MVP. This category was a very close race between Dallas Fisher and Stuart Anderson, both generously donating NZ autotrap AT220s for the gullies near the Tamahere reserve. Dallas was top of the leader-board for most of the year, but Stuart's trap narrowly won with 139 pests versus 135 on Dallas's trap on the final trap check.
Handing out awards for outstanding contributors, photo credit A Ewing
We had a blast swapping stories, sipping drinks, nibbling on snacks, and of course, enjoying Robyn's delicious cake. It was a great time to connect, look back on the year, and feel proud of what we've done together. Trapping over 3000 pests since we started 18 months ago proves that when we team up, we can make a real difference in our local environment.
We're pumped for what the new year brings and are geared up to keep working together to make Tamahere a predator-free zone. A big thank you to everyone in our group for putting in the effort. Here's to more success ahead!
From Alison, Amanda, Jane, Rachel, Robyn and Rod, Predator Free Tamahere Committee
Rachel, Amanda, Rod, Jane, Robyn and Alison, Predator Free Tamahere Committee, photo credit A Ewing
