The competitition report and results appeared in the April edition of MFW whose production was too far advanced to include pictures. We rectify that situation in this edition and add some further notes about the venue and next year’ s event.
Many will be familiar with Raynors Farm at Carterton because of their attendance at nationals. They will know all about the mature crops and lush grass pastures which swallow aeroplanes at that time of year. Now, fast forward a couple of months to early March and the barley, oats, and seed crops are harvested and the sheep have nibbled the stubble down to lawn length. This, plus the big paddocks and lack of drains, makes retrieving a breeze and Raynors Farm a favourite with freeflighters.
Carterton too has its attractions. There is an excellent train service to Masterton and Wellington. Te Papa is an invigorating walk along the waterfront from the Wellington terminal and a“ day in the capital” well worth the effort. A harvest festival runs concurrently with our event and plenty of people make a week of it to enjoy the country pubs, winery cafes, and outdoor pursuits, the region has to offer. Golden Shears 2014 will run from Friday 28th Feb to Sunday 2nd March. The NIFFC will follow a week later starting Friday7th and finishing S u n d a y 9 t h M a r c h. T h e programme will be essentially the same as this year with the possible addition of an experimental electric event and some changes to the prizegiving format.