Moggies going strong under Lion rule

Scotty Donaldson has been selling vegetable plants at Katikati’s Moggies Market for 20 years and he was there again this morning despite the rain.

“It’s not as bad as winter in Scotland where I began my training as a nurseryman.

“You wouldn’t be standing out here with all these plants in Scotland,” says Scotty whose range of seedlings include lettuce, Japanese spinach, silver beet and brassicas.

Scotty Donaldson has been selling vegetable plants he has raised from seed at the Katikati Moggies Market for 20 years.

Craft stalls and keen shoppers fill the Katikati War Memorial Hall for the monthly Moggies Market. Photos: Elaine Fisher.

Today’s market was the third for Katikati Lions who have taken over running the monthly market at the Katikati War Memorial Hall from John Sheppard who retired after operating it for 16 of its 20 years.

“It’s going well, and we haven’t changed much because it’s such a well-run market and the stall holders know what they are doing,” says Alan Hay, one of the Lion’s Moggies Market co-ordinators.

“We are running raffles each month for a local charity and have a draw which gives stall holders the chance to win their site fee back.”

The market on the second Saturday of each month is a well-established Katikati institution and a place where friends and neighbours meet.

The area in front of the hall is where plant and food stands set up while craft and food stalls also fill the steps and inside are the crafts people selling clothing, jewellery and handcrafted novelties. Among them is Katikati weaver Kathy Pritchard who for the last five years has been selling flax kete in traditional and contemporary styles and colours plus a variety of smaller ornaments and decorations woven from the flax she grows and dyes herself. “I love flax weaving. It’s becoming more popular and there are a lot of excellent weavers out there now.”

Heather Groves and her cat-themed handcrafts was also among the stall holders. Her quirky and colourful range of crafts include Dame Edna style dusting gloves and owl and the pussy cat ornaments in pea green boats.

Stalls selling preserves and baking, books and art, wooden children’s toys, dolls, second hand clothing and knick knacks also fill the inside spaces.

Bright flowering plants add colour to a grey Moggies Market morning at the Katikati War Memorial Hall.

Kathy Pritchard brings a modern twist to traditional flax weaving by adding colour and floral decorations to the kete she sells at the Katikati Moggies Market.

Heather Groves prepares to give an owl and pussy cat in a pea green boat a dust with a Dame Edna style glove at the Katikati Moggies Market.