Mahurangi Matters, 19 September 2018 – Off the Record

Don’t be fooled
It seems no one is safe from scammers, not even the the guys who are meant to be catching them. We saw this on the Serious Fraud Office website: Warning – We have been made aware of individuals being contacted by someone purporting to be from the SFO asking for payment in order to recover the proceeds of a previously committed fraud. This is a scam. Do not deposit any money. Report the call to Netsafe at www.netsafe.org.nz/report.

The name game
A Warkworth couple has shared some quirky name combinations that they thought readers might enjoy. Margaret and Owen Stephenson say they had a cousin, Miss Peacock, who married a Mr Swan, and the locals thought the offspring might be pukeko, but in fact they had a clutch of eight Swans. Margaret also recalled having teachers at high school called Miss Salt, Miss Pepper, Miss Lamb and Miss Jelly. “We used to say Miss Salt and Miss Pepper would go well on Miss Lamb, but not Miss Jelly!”

Dead confusing
Attention to detail became important at a Sandspit Residents and Ratepayers Association meeting earlier this year, when one member noted someone listed as present at the 2017 AGM was in fact deceased at the time. It’s little wonder now that they made no contribution at the meeting.

Hold page 32
A Mahurangi Matters reporter thought he had snagged the front-page lead when a phone caller informed him of a Summerset Falls resident with a passion for painting whores. “Really?” the reporter gasped. “Tell me more.” It turned out the elderly female resident’s real talent was for painting oars. Nevertheless, not a bad story.