Latest news with #JamieRobertson
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Climbing wall open to the public
Thursday night sessions on the climbing wall at Mount Hutt College are proving popular. PHOTO: SUPPLIED The Methven Community Climbing Wall is now open to the public on Thursday nights. The wall, located in the gymnasium at Mount Hutt College, has a per term subscription cost of $50. Methven climbing wall team member Jamie Robertson said the recent upgrade has allowed for more variety of climbing routes of different ability, safety checks/sign off of the upgrades and some upgrades of equipment, including new belay devices and anchor systems. "We are constantly looking for support for further upgrades to equipment and the wall, allowing for more opportunities for further training to community climbers, including outdoor climbing," Robertson said. Mount Hutt College physical education, health and outdoor education teacher Jarrod Coutts said before opening the climbing sessions to the public, they ran a pilot system earlier this year to test the systems with a small group of climbers. The pilot proved successful and last month they started the first of the sessions open to the public with space for 30, which runs through to June 26. A new block of sessions will run from July 17 to September 18. "There is a mixture of things that happen in a session, depending on the individual climber. Some people will learn how to belay other climbers safely through to attempting speed climbing challenges in groups," Coutts said On hand are volunteer staff there to offer friendly advice. Other climbers share guidance on how to deal with challenges and solving problems associated with climbing. Rock climbing is a recreational activity that individuals, friends, families and clubs enjoy. It is also a competitive sport with world championships and Olympic events. There are a variety of reasons why people attend the climbing sessions at the college. "Some people attend our nights for the physical benefits of strength and stability improvement, the social benefits of meeting new people or spending time with some friends, through to the mental challenge of stepping outside your comfort zone or problem solving," Coutts said. "Some people are coming along because they are just passionate climbers and want to support a really good community initiative." For information or to purchase a pass, go to Methven Community Climbing Wall Facebook page.
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Show aims to raise funds for musical playground
For its 31st year, Wānaka's Stars in Your Eyes show is fundraising to help build the town's first musical playground. The musical show, organised by Wānaka Musicians Incorporated, began three decades ago and took inspiration from the British television series, Stars in Their Eyes. Wānaka's version of the show is not a contest but has consisted of locals dressing up to imitate famous people and later reveal their real identity to the audience. Audition registrations recently opened in preparation for the musical show to be held towards the end of September. The show has been a community favourite and has helped fund youth music programmes across the region, such as the Jamie Robertson scholarship at Mount Aspiring College. This year organisers have decided to aim for something different by planning to create a designated outdoor space into town for people of all ages to enjoy musical instruments. Chairwoman Janet Dolan said they had always given money to local music education but this year they wanted to do something the whole community could enjoy. "We're talking about a full musical playground that adults, children, families, anybody can play," she said. "There'll be percussion instruments, there'll be bells, there'll be keyboard, and it's all outside." The group already had $30,000 put aside for the playground and was working with the council to get an estimate of costs and find the right location. Currently the show is gathering interest from the community and will be holding its auditions on the weekend of June 14. Ms Dolan said as the town's population grew, a more diverse range of people had been auditioning, something she felt gave the show strength. "We're aware that the audience represents the whole of Wānaka so we don't just want the pop music sort of thing, we want something that appeals to the whole audience," she said. The show has been open to a range of abilities and welcomed experienced and first-time performers. The show's team has also experienced a change with local musician and Festival of Colour performer Anna Shaw taking over as the director. The opening night for the musical show is set to be September 24 and will run until September 27 at the Lake Wānaka Centre.
