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WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY 2015 3
Norma’s a very happy camper!
Jane Wells
Norma Westrupp’s 92 years young,
really on the ball and very much involved
in life.
And she has had a habit she can’t
break– her annual pilgrimage to holiday
at the Kaiteriteri Camping Ground.
It was in 1952 that she and her husband, Bo and their young family – Barry,
Pam, Walt and Bev first camped there.
These days she’s there on her own with
her trusty blue CF Bedford and her comfortable awning with all its mod cons.
Last week her good
friend Ian Crawford,
grandson Mark and
son in law John
helped set it up and
there she’ll stay for
January.
The morning I met
her she’d just returned
from walking to brunch
at the Shoreline with
her ‘other family’ – the
Inglis who live near
her at this time of the year.
“They keep an eye on me and my
family don’t have to come trotting down
all the time.”
Returning from the restaurant Norma
had popped into the office to check on
a long time friend who still hadn’t turned
up. She was relieved to learn she’ll
arrive next week.
“Everyone here is so lovely. I know
a lot of my neighbours although the
people next door are new. But they’re
very nice. Lots of people pop in and
say hello. And most nights I seem to
get asked out to BBQ’s. I always take a
bottle of wine.”
Norma doesn’t drink wine herself but
she’ll never go out empty handed.
Whisky’s her favourite tipple. “I have
some every night; I just add a little
water.” One of her secrets of her good
health and longevity she reckons.
“I have something to do all the time
here, I love reading. I really like Nora
Roberts. I got one of hers for Christmas,
“Blood Magick”, and I’ve been saving it
for my holiday. I usually go out every
morning to see somebody and then I
have a bit of a snooze in the afternoon
her iPad and her new iPhone so everyday she reads the New Zealand Herald
on line and sometimes the Press, and
she’s in email contact with family and
friends.
Norma remembers the old days at
the camp fondly. The camp was much
smaller and there were small pines dotted around everywhere. “It’s always
been a fun place.
We used to have concerts along the
front and anyone who could do anything
used to be dragged in, and at the back
of the little store
there
were
open air pictures.” Norma’s
daughter, Bev
can still picture
taking her little
stool with her
to watch the
movies. And
going with old
Mr Withall on
his tractor collecting rubbish.
Walt remembers his dad’s family slide
shows projected onto the white wall of
the tent and the intermission signalled
when Bo’s special “Time for a Capstan”
slide came up. Bo went outside for a
puff and discovered about 30 campers
parked on their chairs watching from the
other side!
In those days the roads were all shingle, there was one tub and one shower and you queued with all the other
women with your washing board under your
arm to use the copper. And all the campers
pitched in to buy the New Year’s Eve fireworks.
“It’s still a lovely family camp. When the
children were little they did a fair bit of running
around. We had no fears for them and everybody more or less looked after everybody else.
It’s still like that. It would have to be a pretty
good camp to be better than this one.” said a
content Norma Westrupp.
“Everyone here is so lovely. I know a lot of my
neighbours although the people next door are
new. But they’re very nice. Lots of people pop
in and say hello. And most nights I seem to get
asked out to BBQ’s. I always take a bottle of
wine.”
so I’m ready for the evening.”
In her other life Norma’s a stalwart of
the Motueka Golf Course and runs the
Saturday raffles.
“There’s a tournament on while I’m
here so I’ll go down in my little car and
do the raffles. Then the others can play.”
She gave up playing golf a couple of
years ago because she said she was
getting too slow. She’s happy breaking
into her holiday “I like seeing them all
and I like to know what’s going on.”
While she’s holidaying keeping in touch is not a problem
though thanks to her Senior
Net membership. Norma has
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Norma with Rob Guild, the Manager of the Kaiteriteri Recreation
Reserve. Presently the camp is at full capacity with 1800 staying.
Rob’s aim is to make sure guests enjoy their stay. Obviously he
does a great job as 90% of his guests are returnees.
www.allabouttours.co.nz
Call: 0800 80 47 37 Email: [email protected] Visit: 183 High St, Motueka