Keen volunteers rock up to Domain for the Big Pick Up

JULIA WADE

22 Jan, 2022

A band of locals had a rocky start to their recent Saturday morning, after answering the call from a community-owned facility in need of many hands.

Armed with rakes, hoes, buckets and even wheelbarrows, over 40 volunteers turned up at Mangawhai Domain on January 22 for the ‘Big Pick Up’, answering a request from the Domain Society (MDS) to help rid the grounds of rocks and debris following the depositing of unscreened donated dirt which was trucked in last year.

As well as families, local individuals and Domain neighbours, several representatives from Mangawhai’s various clubs showed up, including bowls, tennis, football, cricket and golf, creating a social atmosphere, and MDS vice chair Brian Hollis says it was actually a good way for people to meet outside schools and clubs.

“As for the grounds, there’s still a bit of rubbish around, however they’re looking really good, the event went really well,” he says. “We could have done with bigger numbers but everyone who turned up worked their butts off out in the heat for two-and-a-half hours, a big thank you to the locals who came down.”

Volunteers were treated to ice blocks, sweets and treats as well as a number of giveaways, from drink bottles and handballs to boogie boards and flippers, donated generously by local businesses including Mangawhai Pharmacy, Heads Four Square, Carters, Mangawhai Vets and Bammas. Mangawhai Football Club were winners of a sports medical kit for having the most members turn up.

Self-seeded grass is now being allowed to grow over the exposed dirt to prevent dust blowing into the neighbouring homes and then ‘it’s a waiting game’, for funds to finish the project and autumn to fall, the ideal season to regrass the field with the $6000 of seed MDS received last year from pub charity Grassroots.

“We also got $3000 for fertilisers too, very generous of them,” Hollis says. “Once autumn’s here, we’ll kill the grass off, cover it with good dirt and reseed. However, there won’t be an issue this time round as we’ll be down there measuring every square inch of dirt coming in on those trucks and if there’s just one rock in there it will be sent back, ha.”

MDS will also be hunting around for a decent price for clean, screened dirt which can carry a hefty price tag between $40-60,000 including the soil and layering and leveling work, ’it’s a lot of money so we’ll have to see if we get some funds to finish it’.

Until then, Hollis will be seen in coming weeks driving his tractor around the grounds, dragging a heavy, galvanised mesh over the area to try and screed the ground and roll out the ridges, ‘although it won’t pick up everything’ he says.

“There will still be bits and pieces left so I thought I’ll leave some tin buckets around the grounds, and if people are just wandering past and feel like picking up some stones, well that’ll be just fine.”

The Big Pick Up; willing volunteers rocked up to the community-owned Domain on a recent Saturday morning, donating a couple of hours to help clear the back fields of scattered debris. PHOTO/JULIA WADE