Hamish Pritchard, 11, of Sydney, takes a tumble on the cliff run during the Aramoana Sports Day yesterday. Hamish finished third, and said he would be gunning for top spot at next year's race. PHOTOS: GERARD O'BRIEN
The village held its annual sports day, organised by the Aramoana League, in the village domain yesterday.
League vice-president Paul "Wig" Munro said the sports day had run for decades.
"It's a fundraiser for the hall, to keep this place going and just to bring the community together, really."
When a divisive aluminium smelter was proposed for the village in the late 1970s, the village fought hard against it and, in protest of the smelter, announced its secession from New Zealand, he said.
At yesterday's event, the flag of that informal microstate was raised over the domain, and decorated the T-shirts of some people.
Wade McClelland, of Dunedin, heads for the finish line during the cliff race. He was the first adult to finish.
"So this could continue for eternity," he said.
The popular cliff-run was held early in the day. Competitive runners slogged up the Heyward Point Track and back to the domain.
Murmurs of "no pushing, no tackling" were heard at the starting line, and runners collected a slip of card at the top of the run, to prevent any "skullduggery", Mr Munro said.
"You need to get your name on the cup."
Kate Medder of Dunedin gets a push from her partner Joe Bywater up the Heyward Point track above Aramoana yesterday.
He hoped it would continue to bring the community together, "onwards and upwards".
League committee member and former secretary John Davis said the event helped cover expenses for the year.
Last year, the kitchen sold 150 plates of food, raising about $1500 for the hall's ongoing costs.
It was an event people continued to looked forward to, he said.
