Staff and Other Trustees of The Thames Seagull Centre.
It takes a certain amount of courage to take the plunge, get started and turn a long-held dream into a reality. It’s a big enough challenge for an individual to take that initial leap of faith, but when there is a reasonably large mindset change required by local council and a wider community to convince, then that dream can easily suddenly turn into something of a nightmare.
For local Thames man, Ian Coatsworth, one of his long-held dreams was always about doing more for the environment, plus having a vision of creating a community-based organisation built around sustainability, reuse, and opportunity.
“It was way back in 2000 when I witnessed an oak dresser in seemingly perfect condition being dropped into the concrete pit and crushed at the Burke Street Refuse Transfer Station in Thames that really kick-started me into action. I was chair of the Thames Coast Protection Society (TCPS) back in the 90’s and had connected with some very special like-minded people including Clive Monds, Shelley Carr and Denise Lyons who quickly came onboard to start the wheels turning in earnest.
“There were also a number of other members of the TCPS including Fin and Carol Buchanan who also played a significant role in those early days. Clive had had previous input into the TCDC waste management plan so that gave us valuable runs on the board initially, and soon after spending a week at the Kaikoura recycling dump shop, I chaired a public meeting to gauge start-up interest which ultimately led to the formation of the first Trust with myself being nominated as the chairperson.
“The Trust currently has 8 Trustees including Peggy Barriball, Denise Lyons, Lou Deane, Shaked From, Satyananda Cooney, James Elder plus two of the originals, Denise Lyons and myself”.
A name for the facility soon followed that initial gathering with The Seagull Centre, which has since been abbreviated by many to simply “Seagulls” becoming an obvious and unanimous choice.
The next major task was getting TCDC on-board and asking for $50K to fund the first building and to provide access to what still is the current site position in Burke Street.
To gain their full attention, 10 full rubbish bags were scattered around the councillor meeting room during their morning tea break where Ian spoke about and sold the idea of establishing a resource centre to which people from the wider Coromandel community could contribute positively, in one way or another. The council didn’t take a lot of convincing of the merits of the proposed scheme and wasted little time signing off on the initiative.
An initial challenge for the Trust along the way was that the designated site was an old landfill which still leaked methane from the decomposing waste. The concrete foundations required ventilation to prevent the risk of fires or explosions from the methane buildup. This unbudgeted work added an additional $14K onto the setup cost, and set the Trust back a year in completion time.
The Seagull Centre was officially opened on 6 July 2006 with a very compact shop and a smallish yard with local man, Ben Wolfe appointed as the manager.
The financial expectation was basically a few pennies, but from day one, enough money was taken to keep the centre and dream afloat.
Initially, staff numbers and opening hours were limited, but during this period Ben and his small team added the finishing touches to the building, added extra shelving, constructed new pathways and sorted out onsite drainage issues.
“From the very start we were able to meet our main objectives of saving waste from landfill, employing local people who also shared the dream, providing goods at reasonable prices to local people and to quietly educate people about the benefits of reuse and recycling,” adds Ian.
The site has grown significantly since those early days with the addition of more buildings and more recently with the addition of the Resource Recovery Park in 2020 adding a drive through and integrating the drop-off process closer with the neighbouring Refuse Transfer Station.
Staff numbers and opening hours have also increased with the centre currently employing an enthusiastic group of 25 staff diligently working to stop reusable goods from joining what they hope to be a diminishing landfill queue.
Ongoing education also plays a big part in Seagulls current and long-term focus with the Trust’s educator Lucci Scott employed to provide education initiatives to local schools, shops, businesses and local residents as well as advocating national level initiatives like the Container Deposit Scheme.
Seagulls has also played a leading role in the establishment of other Resource Recovery Centres locally in Coromandel, Paeroa, Whitianga and Katikati and are actively supporting Whangamata’s proposed facility at Lindsay Road. Another new innovation has been the establishment of ‘goods-drop off’ centres at Pauanui, Tairua and Matarangi which allows residents to drop-off their reusable goods at weekends.
This financial year, the Seagull Centre Trust will turn over $1,000,000 with at least $750,000 going back into the local economy through staff wages. This along with the annual grants, that have cumulatively totalled more than $200,000, highlights the significant impact Seagulls is making on the local economy. With a staggering 600 tonnes of reusables diverted from landfill annually, they are certainly making a significant impact on the environment.
All this was made possible by the vision, dedication and ongoing governance of the Trustees, the dedication of staff and volunteers, the support from their funders, TCDC and in particular the Ministry for the Environment and their loyal local stakeholders.
Two Founding Trustees – Ian Coatsworth and Denise Lyon
Birthday celebration DAY
The official 20th birthday celebrations will take place on Sunday, 5 July, with the day featuring a special auction, a sausage sizzle, and complimentary coffee for customers spending more than $20.
Ian says it’s a small way of thanking the loyal locals who have supported the Centre over the past two decades.
“The team says they want the anniversary to feel less like a formal celebration and more like a true community gathering which is a reflection of what the Coromandel is all about and the values the Seagull Centre has always stood for”.
After twenty years, one thing remains clear: the Seagull Centre is not just about second-hand goods, it’s about second chances, sustainability, connection and community plus a timely reminder that some often farfetched dreams can and do come true.
