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Wairau Valley Rural Hub coordinator Angela Woolf, front, with the valley’s volunteer firefighters, from left, Steve Gibson, Richard Peterson, and Kevin Johnston, preparing for the Rural Readiness Expo next Saturday.
A township that has faced fires, earthquakes and floods in recent years will soon welcome the wider Marlborough community for its first-ever Rural Readiness Expo.
Despite the serious focus of preparing households for future disasters, the free event will also feature live music and food, and self-sufficiency workshops such as butchery, kitchen gardens, and preserving.
The Wairau Valley Community Trust has organised the inaugural event, to be held at the town hall on Saturday, to help people learn about emergency preparedness, rural resilience and sustainable living.
Angela Woolf, co-ordinator at the Wairau Valley Rural Hub, said the event was the idea of a small team from the village hall who wanted to be proactive in uncertain times.
“We just thought it’d be really good for the rural community, in these changing times, and with all the weather events, and we’re overdue for the Alpine Fault to rupture. So we just thought it was a good time to hold it,” she said.
Supplied
An aerial shot shows the severity of the extreme rain and flooding event in the Wairau Valley township in July 2021.
Kate Horrey, vice chair of the Wairau Valley Community Hall, said recent weather events showed nobody was immune to adverse weather events.
“We want to try to encourage rural people throughout Marlborough to think ahead, and be prepared both in terms of everyday living and sustainability, but also in terms of thinking ahead to when the big earthquake hits, or the big storm or the big fire. A little bit of forethought can go a long way to ensuring people’s survival.”
Horrey said rural resilience was an important focus because there were several issues rural communities had to face during and after natural disasters that people in urban centres did not.
Anthony Phelps/STUFF
Woolf says the Rural Readiness Expo will help people prepare for severe weather events and future earthquakes.
“Communication is a lot more difficult. There are people spread throughout Wairau Valley, and throughout rural areas in Marlborough, where it’s not as easy as just walking down to the end of the street and gathering and talking to all of your neighbours – you can be quite a distance away,” she said.
“Obviously, people also often have stock to look after, or a lifestyle block with a mixture of stock and companion animals, that all need to be factored into plans.
“And there is a likelihood that in a big event we could be cut off from Blenheim or Renwick, as we have just the one main road, State Highway 63, so people need to be prepared to look after themselves and their families, and also look after their neighbours and anyone in the community who might need a hand.”
Brya Ingram
Wairau Valley deputy chief fire officer Richard Peterson responds to wild weather in Marlborough.
Members of the police service and fire brigade would also attend the expo, along with representatives from the Marlborough Emergency Management Operations Centre, who would be operating a Shaky House earthquake simulator, to help people practice their “drop, cover, hold” safety techniques.
Horrey said there would also be demonstrations and tips on more day-to-day affairs such as cooking, preserving, and self-sufficiency workshops.
“We’ve got a local butcher doing a workshop in butchery, another local lady is doing another workshop in making the best from your garden and the supplies you have around.
“And we’ve got a workshop for blokes, but women are welcome too, on slow-cooking – when you stock up the crockpot for the day, and you come home, and you’ve got a meal already made. So it’s not just about emergencies.”
Supplied
The Shaky House earthquake simulator will be available to experience at the Rural Readiness Expo in Wairau Valley.
Horrey said there would also be trade sites offering advice and expertise on alternative power generation options, emergency preparedness, and electric transport options.
Food stalls and live music from The Eastern, a Lyttleton-based folk group, would be on hand to keep the crowds entertained.
Horrey said the event would also have plenty on offer for urbanites to have a day out in the country.
“It’s a lovely drive out here, a really pleasant drive and there will be lots out here for everyone to see and do.
“It will be good fun with plenty of fresh air and if it’s raining, just chuck on your gumboots and raincoats,” she said.
The Rural Readiness Expo will be held on Saturday, August 26 at the Wairau Valley Peace Memorial Hall. Entry is free and all are welcome. For more information see the Wairau Valley Peace Memorial Hall Facebook page.
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