Luke Glendining (left), Tony Kelly, Tainui Kuru, Heath Walters, Daniel Wilson and Chris Woods (kneeling) are on stage Friday and Saturday nights for Cabarnet at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre.Plato once said that music is moral law and that it gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind and flight to the imagination.

There’s nothing quite like sitting back and listening to something performed with perfection and skill, whether it be instrumental or through a voice, or indeed multiple voices.

You can’t help but feel good when you hear that perfect harmony, or a song performed so well that it makes the shivers run down the back of your spine and leave you wanting more.

And Cabarnet, which opens tonight to an almost full house at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre, offers up plenty of those moments thanks to the effort to an incredibly talented group of lads who are no strangers to the Mid Canterbury stage.

The boys asked me to come along earlier this week to pen my thoughts on how they were tracking ahead of the new-look show and while knowing each of their individual talents, I was keen to see what they would be like collectively.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The group, consisting of Daniel Wilson, Luke Glendining, Tony Kelly, Chris Woods, Tainui Kuru and Heath Walters have constructed two hours of musical heaven and will have everyone tapping their toes and wanting to stand up and sing along to some of the best individual and collective vocal performances I’ve heard on the Mid Canterbury stage.

With a blank piece of paper, an idea and a few lofty dreams, Woods and Walters, who were the masterminds behind the show, have come up with a masterpiece.

It’s not what you’d expect in a showcase type show where so much focus is on the singing.

They’ve added a bit of a storyline, some good old fashioned banter between a group of six incredibly talented mates and put it all together to come up with a show which will have people talking for a long time to come.

There are no individual highlights here apart from the harmonies which, quite simply put, are out of this world at times and will make you sit up and take notice.

Woods and Walters are two experienced performers and while they take a slightly more back seat role, their input is still notable.

The ability of Woods to harmonise with anyone and produce notes that would make any soprano proud tie together a lot of the show.

Walters’ stage presence and vocal ability shines through and his typical humour adds an extra flavour to the entertainment value.

The elder statesman of the group, Tony Kelly – no mention of zimmer frames here, TK, reminded me of just how good he is, having not heard him perform for a while and his skill on the keyboard is a big asset to the entire performance.

Daniel Wilson and Luke Glendining take on a lot of the solo work during the show and each does so with their usual amount of talent and professionalism.

Wilson’s effort on Garth Brook’s Friends In Low Places will appease every country fan in the house while Glendining’s effort with Dave Dobbyn’s Shouldn’t You Oughta Be In Love was a personal favourite.

Then there’s Tainui Kuru.

A seasoned, polished and outstanding performer, his presence on the stage seems to lift the others and that same cheeky persona that’s shone through so much over the years is clearly evident throughout the show.

Kuru has a number of solos during the night, but his effort as the self-proclaimed, Maori Buble, when performing Home by Michael Buble will leave a few feeling a little emotional, I’m picking.

Special mention too to drummer Chris Grieve who adds another dimension to an already outstanding performance.

We’re lucky to have some incredibly talented performers in this district, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but the chance to get to a performance where it’s a group of so many of them, focusing just on the vocal side of things is rare, so I can highly recommend getting along and enjoying what the boys have to offer.

You won’t be disappointed.

Cabarnet opens on Friday night at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre and the second performance will be held Saturday night.

Tickets are available at both Ticket Rocket and from the Event Centre.

Reviewed by Matt Markham © The Ashburton Guardian - 5 December 2019

Winners of this year’s EA Networks $2000 jubilee scholarships (from left) Carl Cayanan and Leanne Walsh, Ashburton College and Harrison Hyde, Mount Hutt College. Photo Sue NewmanThree Mid Canterbury students have won themselves scholarships that could not only ease their financial study burden but could also lead to future careers.

Leanne Walsh and Carl Cayanan from Ashburton College and Harrison Hyde, Mount Hutt College, have been awarded EA Networks Jubilee scholarships that are worth $2000 but which also come with the offer of holiday employment and the prospect of post study employment.

The scholarships were established in 1996 to mark the company’s 75th birthday and initially were awarded to just one student, but the calibre of applicants this year saw that extended to three, EA Networks board chair Phil McKendry said.

Today the lines company was vastly different to the company that was set up in the 1920s.

There were great opportunities for talented people across a range of areas, he said.

“It’s no longer men up poles in the wind and rain, we’re more of a technology company now with a big diversity in the skills we need,” McKendry said.

Chief executive Gordon Guthrie said the company’s relationship with the scholarship recipients did not end when the money was handed over.

The company would keep in touch with the three winners during their years of study, he said.

Leanne Walsh will start the 2020 academic year at Canterbury University studying electrical engineering, Carl Cayanan will study computer engineering, also at Canterbury while Harrison Hyde will begin a Bachelor of IT at Ara.

– By Sue Newman 

Three Mid Canterbury students have won themselves scholarships that could not only ease their financial study burden but could also lead to future careers.

Leanne Walsh and Carl Cayanan from Ashburton College and Harrison Hyde, Mount Hutt College, have been awarded EA Networks Jubilee scholarships that are worth $2000 but which also come with the offer of holiday employment and the prospect of post study employment.

The scholarships were established in 1996 to mark the company’s 75th birthday and initially were awarded to just one student, but the calibre of applicants this year saw that extended to three, EA Networks board chair Phil McKendry said.

Today the lines company was vastly different to the company that was set up in the 1920s.

There were great opportunities for talented people across a range of areas, he said.

“It’s no longer men up poles in the wind and rain, we’re more of a technology company now with a big diversity in the skills we need,” McKendry said.

Chief executive Gordon Guthrie said the company’s relationship with the scholarship recipients did not end when the money was handed over.

The company would keep in touch with the three winners during their years of study, he said.

Leanne Walsh will start the 2020 academic year at Canterbury University studying electrical engineering, Carl Cayanan will study computer engineering, also at Canterbury while Harrison Hyde will begin a Bachelor of IT at Ara.

– By Sue Newman 

Three Mid Canterbury students have won themselves scholarships that could not only ease their financial study burden but could also lead to future careers.

Leanne Walsh and Carl Cayanan from Ashburton College and Harrison Hyde, Mount Hutt College, have been awarded EA Networks Jubilee scholarships that are worth $2000 but which also come with the offer of holiday employment and the prospect of post study employment.

The scholarships were established in 1996 to mark the company’s 75th birthday and initially were awarded to just one student, but the calibre of applicants this year saw that extended to three, EA Networks board chair Phil McKendry said.

Today the lines company was vastly different to the company that was set up in the 1920s.

There were great opportunities for talented people across a range of areas, he said.

“It’s no longer men up poles in the wind and rain, we’re more of a technology company now with a big diversity in the skills we need,” McKendry said.

Chief executive Gordon Guthrie said the company’s relationship with the scholarship recipients did not end when the money was handed over.

The company would keep in touch with the three winners during their years of study, he said.

Leanne Walsh will start the 2020 academic year at Canterbury University studying electrical engineering, Carl Cayanan will study computer engineering, also at Canterbury while Harrison Hyde will begin a Bachelor of IT at Ara.

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - December 2019

Schools across the Ashburton District have received an unexpected Christmas present worth almost $3 million.

The cash injection came as a total surprise to school principals when it was announced earlier this week by education minister Chris Hipkins.

It’s designed to pay for upgrade and infrastructure work that cash-strapped schools have been forced to put on the back-burner.

And it couldn’t come at a better time, the district’s principals say.

The district’s grant is part of a $400 million national pool that has been handed to virtually every school in the country.

Integrated schools, schools built through a public-private partnership and schools in leased accommodation are not eligible.

This sees St Joseph’s, Our Lady of the Snows and the Ashburton Christian School left off the list.

The district’s big winners are Ashburton College with a $400,000 windfall and Mount Hutt College, $305,000.

The grant is roll-based at around $700 per student, but has an upper cap of $400,000.

This means larger schools such as the college receive a much lower grant rate per student.

The least a school can receive is $50,000 and that sees the district’s two smallest schools, Chertsey and Fairton with rolls of 29 and 36 respectively receive a much higher rate per child.

Schools are yet to see the fine print around the grants, Ashburton Intermediate principal Brent Gray said, but in the minister’s announcement it was spelled out that the cash hand-out can be used in classroom upgrades, to replace roofing and guttering, to upgrade stormwater systems, install energy efficient heating and lighting and to resurface outdoor areas.

The Intermediate will receive $280,665 from the grant pool.

With a substantial rebuild of many of his school’s buildings planned to start next year, Gray said the extra money would allow the school to catch up deferred maintenance work on other school buildings and facilities.

“We’re still in the planning and design process of our new build and this is an absolutely welcome Christmas present.”

The $277,893 that Allenton School receives will be well spent said principal Bruce Tilby.

His school is working on a major rebuild plan that will see six new classrooms built in stage one, but the final scope of the plan is still being worked through to ensure it matches the significant roll growth anticipated in the future.

Allenton does not receive its next five year agreement funding (5YA) until September 2021 and there would be plenty of options for spending the new grant, Tilby said.

First to mind was a refurbishment of the school hall, but there would be a raft things in a school of the age of Allenton, such as electrical and drainage projects that would be on the list, he said.

“This means that for the first time in many, many years we’re in as good a position as we’ve ever been in, in terms of our property work.

“This is a very positive piece of news.”

Schools must use the on-off cash injection within two years.

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 6 December 2019