The E-Town Breakfast Club

Lloyd Ashton   |  15 Sep 2010     TEXT

  • Paremokai Moses at the entrance to the E-Town. Eltham is a big cheese producer - note the bling in the Cheddar Mouse's ear.

    Paremokai Moses at the entrance to the E-Town. Eltham is a big cheese producer - note the bling in the Cheddar Mouse's ear.

  • A wet dawn breaks at E-Town, and the Breakfast Club crew are already at work. Note the next-door spire of All Saint's Eltham.

    A wet dawn breaks at E-Town, and the Breakfast Club crew are already at work. Note the next-door spire of All Saint's Eltham.

  • Jan Barleyman at the E-Town servery.

    Jan Barleyman at the E-Town servery.

  • Pare Moses, left, considers her menu options before responding to Jan Barleyman.

    Pare Moses, left, considers her menu options before responding to Jan Barleyman.

  • Storm Savage takes an animated approach to her E-Town breakfast.

    Storm Savage takes an animated approach to her E-Town breakfast.

  • Storm and Jessica.

    Storm and Jessica.

  • She may be contemplating the action elsewhere, but Tiaki Edwards appears to have a firm grip on her breakfast.

    She may be contemplating the action elsewhere, but Tiaki Edwards appears to have a firm grip on her breakfast.

  • Tiaki Edwards tackles her breakfast banana and bacon on toast. That's her brother Daerell at left.

    Tiaki Edwards tackles her breakfast banana and bacon on toast. That's her brother Daerell at left.

  • Tiaki Edwards makes her point to her brother Daerell.

    Tiaki Edwards makes her point to her brother Daerell.

  • Nurse practitioner Marilyn Chittenden - she's able to prescribe - is on deck at her E-Town surgery every second Tuesday.

    Nurse practitioner Marilyn Chittenden - she's able to prescribe - is on deck at her E-Town surgery every second Tuesday.

  • Probably not the border that Bishop Rich had in mind. The E-Town crew were invited to paint a mural on the wall leading to the hall.

    Probably not the border that Bishop Rich had in mind. The E-Town crew were invited to paint a mural on the wall leading to the hall.

  • CJ Brown escorts two of the younger Breakfast Club patrons from the E-Town hall - which doubles as the All Saints' Eltham hall.

    CJ Brown escorts two of the younger Breakfast Club patrons from the E-Town hall - which doubles as the All Saints' Eltham hall.

  • Regrouping at the E-Town servery - from left: Peter Barleyman, David Thompson, Tarsh Amohanga, CJ Brown and Jan Barleyman.

    Regrouping at the E-Town servery - from left: Peter Barleyman, David Thompson, Tarsh Amohanga, CJ Brown and Jan Barleyman.

  • Pare Moses, Taonganui Marino and Tiaki Edwards, ready to tackle the day after another E-Town Breakfast Club session.

    Pare Moses, Taonganui Marino and Tiaki Edwards, ready to tackle the day after another E-Town Breakfast Club session.

  • E-Town stalwarts CJ Brown, Tarsh Amohanga, Jan Barleyman, David Thompson and Peter Barleyman.

    E-Town stalwarts CJ Brown, Tarsh Amohanga, Jan Barleyman, David Thompson and Peter Barleyman.

Paremokai Moses at the entrance to the E-Town. Eltham is a big cheese producer - note the bling in the Cheddar Mouse's ear.
A wet dawn breaks at E-Town, and the Breakfast Club crew are already at work. Note the next-door spire of All Saint's Eltham.
Jan Barleyman at the E-Town servery.
Pare Moses, left, considers her menu options before responding to Jan Barleyman.
Storm Savage takes an animated approach to her E-Town breakfast.
Storm and Jessica.
She may be contemplating the action elsewhere, but Tiaki Edwards appears to have a firm grip on her breakfast.
Tiaki Edwards tackles her breakfast banana and bacon on toast. That's her brother Daerell at left.
Tiaki Edwards makes her point to her brother Daerell.
Nurse practitioner Marilyn Chittenden - she's able to prescribe - is on deck at her E-Town surgery every second Tuesday.
Probably not the border that Bishop Rich had in mind. The E-Town crew were invited to paint a mural on the wall leading to the hall.
CJ Brown escorts two of the younger Breakfast Club patrons from the E-Town hall - which doubles as the All Saints' Eltham hall.
Regrouping at the E-Town servery - from left: Peter Barleyman, David Thompson, Tarsh Amohanga, CJ Brown and Jan Barleyman.
Pare Moses, Taonganui Marino and Tiaki Edwards, ready to tackle the day after another E-Town Breakfast Club session.
E-Town stalwarts CJ Brown, Tarsh Amohanga, Jan Barleyman, David Thompson and Peter Barleyman.

In November 2006 a gang of bored, drunken teens went on a letterbox-smashing spree in the Central Taranaki town of Eltham.

That spree turned tragic. A man was left paralysed, some teens were sentenced to long jail terms, and several of the town’s families were left shattered.

Peter Barleyman, the newly appointed Regional Dean for Central Taranaki, wasn’t content to leave things that way.

He got alongside the kids in the town – and the folk at all Saints’ Eltham, Ngati Ruanui (the local iwi) and the Bishop’s Action Foundation.

Together, they’ve fashioned E-Town, a youth centre that’s proving to be a model for how a church can connect with its community – and how it can weave a safety net around vulnerable kids.

In the photos above we show scenes from the E-Town Breakfast Club.

There's more info about that – and the full story on E-Town – in the latest issue of Anglican Taonga , the print mag, which is winging its way to a parish near you now.

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