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1414 days ago

Wingmen from North Shore school on matching career coordinates

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

Three former students of a North Shore high school have been reunited on the tarmac.

The Westlake Boys High School old boys bumped into each other at their military flying training as Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) pilots.

Flying Officer Denzel Williams 24, Flying Officer Aaron Kurte 24, and Flying Officer Tyler Waters 25, all attended the school in Auckland's Forrest Hill.

Kurte and Williams were in the same year and played hockey together, while Waters studied in the year above them.

Despite following different flight paths after leaving school, the trio found themselves on the same pilot's course at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Base in Ohakea.

All three have passed with flying colours with six other new pilots.

Kurte made coffee as a barista while he saved for private flying training.

Williams did odd jobs for a few years and travelled with Kurte before joining the Air Force.

And Waters studied a Batchelor of mechanical engineering at Auckland University where he graduated with honours.

From left: Flying Officers Denzel Williams, Tyler Waters and Aaron Kurte graduate as RNZAF pilots. Photograph supplied: New Zealand Defence Force

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More messages from your neighbours
6 hours ago

Best way to use leftovers?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.

What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.

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16 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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8 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.9% Summer
    61.9% Complete
  • 36.6% Winter
    36.6% Complete
  • 1.5% Other - I'll share below
    1.5% Complete
1518 votes