About us
South Auckland
- Ellen has seen many changes in her neighbourhood over the years.
A very special lady
By Janet Linn
Ellen first moved into her home in Otahuhu in 1942 with her husband. In the 66 years she has been there, her house has truly become her home with a wealth of love and family experiences and community involvement shared.
Ellen raised her three children in her home - eldest son David, now 69 years old, was one of the first six children to attend the local Fairburn School when it opened in Otahuhu.
He then moved on to Otahuhu College where he was deputy head boy and dux of the school in 1957.
Elaine, now 64, works locally in South Auckland, while Peter, now 58, lives on a small farm with some calves and a few other animals.
Ellen has ten grandchildren and four great grandchildren, and at the time of writing was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next great grandchild.
Ellen has seen many changes in the neighbourhood and community since she first moved in, as many of the neighbouring streets used to be farmland owned by the church.
Ellen has made lots of friends in her local community over the years and also belonged to the Auckland YMCA women's group.
She has some good friends in the same street, who also treasure their homes as she does.
Saving water
Did you know that using water wisely can save money as well as help the environment?
Water companies charge for water according to the amount used, so the less we use, the less we pay. If we use water wisely, the money saved can be used to pay for other things we might need.
About 75 percent of the water used in our homes is used in the bathroom, so making sure that a dripping tap or leaky toilet cistern is fixed can really save money.
Here are five easy ways to save water around the home.
- Keep showers to under five minutes. That's still plenty of time to relax and enjoy it.
- Turn off the water while brushing teeth.
- Use a bucket when washing the car.
- Run the washing machine only when it's full.
- Water the garden in the evening or early morning, so the water doesn't evaporate under the sun before the plants have a chance to soak it up.
Water heaters account for about a quarter of the electricity used in a home, so if we use less hot water, for example by taking a shorter shower, we can also save on our power bills.
You can go online for lots more tips on saving water at www.manukauwater.co.nz
And if you see water leaking in the street, give your local water company a call - they want to save water, too.
