Ashburton Mayor Donna Favel is planning on a good strong run for the next 12 months. Photo supplied.With one year to run in her first term in the mayoral chair, Donna Favel says it’s likely she’ll be seeking a second term in office.

While stopping one step short of making a binding commitment to seek another term, Favel said she believed she had more to offer the district.

Deciding whether or not to seek a second term was like any decision, the pros and cons had to be carefully weighed up, she said.

“The first two years have definitely been more challenging than I expected and there have been obstacles and personal challenges, but not standing again is like leaving a job half done.”

“While I feel I can keep adding value to the community I’ll keep offering my services to the community.”

Over the past two years both she and seven first-time councillors had been on a huge learning curve, she said and while she had seen her role, initially as supporting and growing those councillors, she had now pulled back to focus her energies on her mayoral responsibilities.

There had also been significant change within council with one chief executive leaving and a several month vacancy before new chief executive Hamish Riach arrived, she said.

“I am excited to now have Hamish in place and we’re looking to have a good, strong run for the next 12 months.

“There’s a lot we can get done in those months and then I can definitely make my decision for the future with my eyes wide open.”

Favel believes she has now developed her own mayoral style.

“I believe I’m a leader who is flexible, adaptive and responsive.

“The world is changing very quickly and we need to respond quickly to events and situations.

“It will be nice to get to the point as a council where we can be agile and pro-active rather than reactive.”

The past two years had been years of challenge and change for the community, too, she said.

While the council had initially been in clean-up mode inheriting partially completed projects from the previous council, Favel said it was now time for the team to move forward.

“I like my foot on the accelerator hard, I like to be moving.

“I believe we’ve planted the seeds over the last two years and we will harvest over the next 12 months.

“We all need to be moving forward.”

It is her goal to have elected members working in the best possible way for the wider community.

“I want to see us putting our best foot forward – every time.”

The job of a mayor was not easy and the reality of the position, she said, could be summed up in a piece of advice from another politician –“if it was easy it would have been sorted out before it got here …”

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 13 October 2018

Off to Deutschland: Amy Pearson and Kate McIlroy are off on a scholarship trip to Germany. Photo supplied.Ashburton College students Amy Pearson and Kate McIlroy will be saying “Auf Wiedersehen” to the district in January when they head off on a three week scholarship visit to Germany.

The Year 12 students are this year’s PASCH Scholarship winners and will enjoy an all-expenses trip to Frankfurt am Main for an intensive language course with others from around the world.

While Amy enjoyed a taste of German life and culture last year on a student exchange trip, it will be the first visit to the country for Kate, who will return again next September on a school trip.

Both girls said they were excited and looking forward to the overseas experience and challenges ahead.

They would meet others from around the world and also enjoy some down time and sightseeing, said Kate.

The pair will sit a B1 German competency examination at the end of their stay in Germany.

Amy and Kate were selected after an interview with the National German Adviser, who then consulted with the Goethe-Institut in Wellington.

Ashburton College signed a partnership agreement with the Goethe Institut in 2013 to encourage international cultural exchange and extended relations with the European power house.

Part of the agreement was the provision of two fully funded study scholarships each year for Year 12 students.

© The Ashburton Courier - 11 October 2018

The Ashburton College First XI are currently in Australia and spent Monday taking part in a coaching session with renowned coach Alan Gale. Photo supplied.The Ashburton College First XI claimed their first success on Sunday in their week-long tour in Australia.

Playing against a Caloundra Cricket Club Invitational XI at the Caloundra Club on Sunday, the Ashburton lads had to hold off their excitement early in the day with the weather resulting in a delayed start and a match reduced to just the 35 overs.

With the willow in hand for the opening innings, the College boys put together an impressive 203-4 off their 35 overs including strong contributions from Isaac Bazley (88) and Devon Flannery (76).

In reply, the host side could only muster 106 runs before they were all dismissed with Ben Middleton playing the role of chief destroyer with the impressive figures of 4-25.

On Monday, the team turned its focus to improving their skillset thanks to a coaching session with the head coach of the Matthew Flinders Cricket Club, Alan Gale – who put them through their paces in an excellent training session.

Play was supposed to happen on Tuesday in the form of a T20 match against Sunshine Coast Grammar School and while some play was achieved, the weather again intervened.

The hosts won the toss and chose to bat and were 69 without loss after 10 of the 20 overs when thunderstorms settled in for the afternoon and saw the match abandoned.

Yesterday the club were set to play a day/night T20 match under lights against the Sunshine Coast Cricket Association before rounding out their visit with a 50 over match against the Matthew Flinders Anglican School First XI.

The side were initially set to take part in their first Canterbury secondary schools’ Cricket Express First XI Cup match this Saturday against Christchurch Boys’ High School Colts but the match has been deferred with the side only returning to New Zealand on Friday.

By Matt Markham © The Ashburton Guardian - 11 October 2018