Julie Asher

Being frightened of foreign paramilitary forces seems laughable, sitting in the Maniototo sunshine, yet the fear is real enough for my companion to refuse to show her face in a photograph.

Duck-shooting begins in earnest this weekend and while what happens in the mai mai stays in the mai mai, preparation was key for a good weekend, Otago Fish and Game officer Bruce Quirey says.

Food prices continue to soar and Alexandra Parents’ Centre gave two people the chance to slash their costs while raising funds.

The Maniototo community has never held back on creative thinking and looking after its people.

Memory loss can be irritating if we lose car keys, expensive if we forget to pay the credit card on time or embarrassing if we forget a birthday.

Giving out grants of money not yet confirmed was a challenge for the Vincent Community Board yesterday.

A small glimpse into the vast array of garments making up the Eden Hore collection is on offer at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery, in Alexandra, this month.

Point, click and pray was the way to capture bird images, according to a winning photographer.

Half a century is a long time to do any job, never mind one you do not get paid for.

It has been a cracker of a summer fruit season in Central Otago.

Fun and games were the key to the success of Ranfurly 125 celebrations in December and the fun is not over yet with organisers distributing thousand of dollars in the community.

Finishing a cycle ride the length of the South Island on a sweeping ride down from the Homer Tunnel, at Milford, on an empty road was a wonderful moment for an Alexandra couple.

Wanting to help their communities while minimising rates rises had community board members caught between a rock and a hard place last week.

Police had a busy weekend in Central Otago with allegations of vigilante activity and drug dealing as well as road spikes being used to stop a vehicle at Raes Junction on Sunday afternoon.

Cutting costs to suit their cloth was leaving councils down to their "skimpies", Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said last week as savings were sought in every nook and cranny.

The prospect of a warm, insulated building with a bigger smoko room has become more likely for the Cromwell MenzShed thanks to a grant from Otago Community Trust.