First of all please note that we have had a date change.  Initially we had advised the fair date to be Sunday 21^st March.  Unfortunately in the New Year we discovered this clashed with the Fishing Club’s Event so we have moved the fair to be a week later on Sunday 28^th March.

This is the first Fair for two years so we are very excited to be able to involve the whole community and school as this is our MAJOR FUNDRAISING event for the year. Monies raised will be supportive in providing resources such as sporting, theatrical and academic equipment for the ongoing learning experiences and environment for your children to benefit from.

We have booked the rides and food caravans and are planning what stalls and games we need to organise. There will be various food stalls, activities, demonstrations, silent and live auctions, plants, white elephant and loads more.

We are actively seeking any sponsorship and will be sending out letters in later this month to apply to businesses big and small. As you know anything that you could do to help would be greatly appreciated. Products, services or a cash donation would be appreciated. A receipt for tax purposes can be issued.  Our email address is greenhithefair@xtra.co.nz and we would love to forward on a sponsorship request letter if you know someone who knows someone, or if you would like your business to be involved.

Thank you to those sponsors who have already put an early commitment in to assist on the day. We have listed them below and will add to this list as we get further sponsorship. Business names will be listed for all our lovely families to see on each of the next 7 Newsletters, the Greenhithe School Website, the Greenhithe.org website and businesses will be listed on the big day. If you are new to Greenhithe, or perhaps have a business you would like to highlight, it is a great way to meet a lot of the parents, teachers and community, and of course assist our lovely school.

We have found it successful to ask the school and community for specific items on a weekly basis that assists with storage etc. If you are interested in participating, we will have the school sign clearly marked each week with what we are collecting that week. To give you an idea, this is what we will be asking for. Some of our most successful stalls were our white elephant, plants and books so if you have anything extra you would like to donate, every little bit is greatly appreciated.

What to bring each week leading up to the big day:

The other way you can assist us, is to come along on the big day.

You may or may not have children, grandchildren or loved ones at the school, but we are a community school, and would love you to come along with your family and friends.

If you can help in any way shape or form please flick us an email, or give us a call Sarah 094136305 or Carrie 094138414 or 021540703

greenhithefair@xtra.co.nz

Kind Regards

Carrie G and Sarah B

Did you know…unattended frying pans have been the largest cause of house fires over the last ten years, causing 25 per cent of all fires in New Zealand homes.  Of the 954 house fires in Auckland last year, unattended cooking caused 262 of them.  The most vulnerable are the young, the elderly, and the disabled.

The NZ Fire Service is launching a hard-hitting TV campaign to shock people into realising the deadly consequences of leaving cooking unattended.  It’s moving away from the traditional friendly firefighters giving safety advice to try and stamp out peoples ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude to fire safety.

What to do if a pan catches fire:

-      Never throw water on it

-      Never try to carry it outside

-      Turn off power/gas at stove/mains

-      Wet a tea towel and place it over the pan, or use a large flat object to starve the fire of oxygen

-      If the fire looks fierce, just get out and call 111 immediately

If you are interested in finding out more about the current TV campaign, or anything else relating to the NZ Fire Service or fire safety in general, the New Zealand Fire Service runs a great website that is crammed full of interesting and very useful information…www.fire.org.nz

In Brigade news this month, the Brigade competed in the NZ Fire Service National 7-a-side Football Tournament in Palmerston North and came a very credible 11^th.  For a bunch of ‘hacks’ that haven’t played much football, this was a great result...“at least we didn’t come last” the team were quoted as saying!!

All Brigade members recently completed a First Aid refresher course.  This course is undertaken bi-annually to maintain a high level of knowledge and experience with the equipment we carry on the appliance for medical calls.

And congratulations to Scott Rees who passed his Pump Operator course and is now fully qualified to take charge of pump operations at calls.  On a job, pump operators are key to the getting the right amount of water, at the right pressure, at the right time so that at the end of the branch, firefighters are safe to work and extinguish fires.

Concluding word…one man's beard is on fire, and another man warms his hands on it. (Kashmiri culture proverb).

Firefighter Isabelle LARDEUX-GILLOUX

As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, the Greenhithe Fire Brigade is a volunteer brigade i.e. there are no full-time paid staff.  The Brigade currently has an establishment of 19 members; a chief fire officer, a deputy chief fire officer, two station officers, two senior firefighters and 13 firefighters.  Together, we have clocked up over 160 years of free community service to the Greenhithe community and the New Zealand Fire Service!  From when the siren is activated, any time of the day or night, we have our appliance rolling within five minutes as required by volunteer brigades throughout the country.

Monday is our training night.  Training is vitally important to a brigade of our size because of the relatively small number of calls we attend.  Our 2010 training programme will cover the usual topics (hazardous substances, motor vehicle accidents, hose and ladder drills, first aid, rural firefighting etc.) but we’ll also focus on getting four members through the thorough qualified firefighter course, and another four through the demanding senior firefighter course.  Good luck to all members attending New Zealand Fire Service training courses during 2010!!

At this time of the year, caravans and sleep outs are often used as extra sleeping and living areas.  Please remember that the fire danger in both these environments is much, much higher than in a typical home.  Some useful tips:

• Fit a smoke alarm and test it once a week (use a photoelectric alarm) – velcro the alarm to the ceiling so it can be removed when cooking
• NEVER leave children alone in your caravan, keep matches and lighters out of their reach and remember – Matches, candles & lighters are tools not toys!
• For lighting, use proper lighting units or torches – DO NOT USE CANDLES, THEY ARE TOO DANGEROUS
• Practice your escape plan – keep a clear path to the door and escape windows

Most Greenhithe residents are now on town water supply but there are still a few areas that are not. If you are in one of these areas, in summer you need to be especially careful around your homes.  If you have a water tank or swimming pool, keep it as full as possible as this could help in the unfortunate event of a large fire.

In brigade news this month, the Brigade will be playing its annual cricket match against the Dairy in February...we have high hopes for a win this year!!  We’ll also be flying the Greenhithe flag at the National Fire Service 7-a-side Football Tournament in late January, and the National Fire Service Touch Tournament in February.  Good luck to all members playing in both those events!

And big congratulations to Steve Hey who has passed his senior firefighter course at the end of last year with flying colours.

We look forward to a challenging year and continuing to serve our community to the best of our ability. This column provides us with the opportunity to keep you informed about the activities we undertake on behalf of and for the benefit of the Greenhithe community.  We hope you take the time to read the column and stay up to date on what is happening within the brigade and the projects that we are planning to undertake.

Concluding word…life is like a lamp flame; it needs a little oil now and then.

Firefighter Isabelle LARDEUX-GILLOUX

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