Deserving public acknowledgement

There's one person in this quiet village of Wagstaffe who, during the disruptions of the coronavirus, has been such a hero to the community that she deserves public acknowledgement.

The Wagstaffe General Store is old style in appearance, as befits a heritage building harking back to the days when this part of the Coast was dominated by the shacks of fishing people.

The store is also old style - in the best sense - in what it offers: which is to say, everything!

Coffees, milkshakes, fish and chips, bread, cakes, milk, lollies, fruit and veggies, newspapers and magazines, the keys to the community hall and the tennis court, a community library, and a post office.

Presiding over all this is one person, the manager, Keron Irving.

In the best of times, pre-Corona, Keron worked 12-hour days, seven days a week, month after month, year after year.

Now, during the Corona time, when so much else has been closed down, Keron still works 12-hour days, seven days a week.

With her loyal and cheerful staff, supported by a community that loves her, Keron put in place safety routines that have kept customers and staff out of danger and able to live as near as possible to "real life as we used to know it."

Email, 19 Apr 2020

Helen Menzies, Wagstaffe