Monthly Archive for June, 2004

June 2004 – Paul Jeffries

Published by Paul Jeffries on June 22, 2004 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

June was a busy time for me as I was away from the family for six weeks and in the bush working the whole time. Fortunately it was a little cooler! It was a productive time, we fixed a couple of water tanks damaged in the cyclone, and built another two and a half 20,000-litre tank. Our aim was to build four, but we were caught up in a land dispute that stopped our access to sand beach, where we get the building mix.

My vocabulary is continuing to grow, and bambae is a word used often. Meaning “sometime,” it seems to be used as an answer for most things! For example, “When will the land dispute be resolved?” “Bambae!” Fortunately, we are back in business as the dispute was since resolved.

The Malakula Medical Relief Trust is striding on with good inroads being made in the area of water tank construction and a bonus of being asked to head a provincial water program. This program is taking our tank design as a standard for future tanks throughout the region. We are still requiring a lot of assistance financially, as most of the materials still come from New Zealand and this incurs costs in purchasing and shipping, but we are confident that this support will come.

As part of this trip I drove several volunteer doctors down to Lamap, a health centre at the bottom of the island of Malakula, Vanuatu. The drive was fun as we had eight people in a Toyota Surf 4×4, with bags, packs and boxes of drugs stuffed in every available space. My roof rack was packed about four feet high!

We drove 120 kilometres in just under six hours and arrived in the dark. This made the last twenty kilometres interesting as it is only a bush track in parts and I was concerned that we would get lost! We didn’t and all arrived safely.

One job I have wanted to carry out for several months was to pull down a water tower that was in a dangerous state at Lamap. We were all concerned that the tower would fall in the next big wind and hurt someone. After depositing the doctors for the night, we climbed the tower (65ft), attached a rope and proceeded to pull the tower over. After several attempts, where my truck was jumping sideways, (and keeping the local villages in fits of laughter), we managed to drop the beast. The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful, a lot of hard work, whilst completing the two and half tanks.

I was in for a surprise when I got back to New Zealand. I was volunteered for the Vodafone Foundation ‘Shave for a Cure’ day in support of the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation. So, off I went with my family, managed to lose all my hair, but it was well worth it. I take my hair off to the women who had their heads shaved. You all got my respect for sure. As for the hair cut….oh what a difference….

Look for the next instalment…four Vodafone employees let loose in Vanuatu. Lukim yu…..

June 2004 – Margaret Suman

Published by Margaret Suman on June 20, 2004 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

June has been a month of planting at several of the Yellow-Eyed Penguin habitats, meeting with other conservation groups and working with school children out at the Nursery.

Public Planting Days
The Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust holds public planting days during the winter when the penguins are least disturbed and the ground conditions are suitable for plant survival. Our first planting day was at Okia Reserve on the Otago Peninsula, which is jointly owned by the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and Dunedin City Council.

We had a great group of individuals; family members, Department of Conservation Volunteers and University students from the Students for Environmental Action group join us. The day was very well organised due to the areas being prepared, plants positioned and spades waiting alongside! Therefore, it all went smoothly and quickly – 240 plants were planted in 2 hours! It is wonderful when we get enough people to plant as it gives us time to answer any questions people have about the Trust, our planting and reserves.

The next public planting day was at Tavora (North of Dunedin) where we planted 425 plants amongst remnant bush that had been grazed for many years. Our vision is to eventually connect these plantings with the existing natural vegetation of the neighbouring Goodwood Reserve, and ultimately down to the sea.

Additional Planting
We have also been out with our Ranger to Otapahi on the Otago Peninsula where we planted 270 trees and shrubs. As part of the ongoing Boulder Beach project, which coincided with Arbor Week, we joined the Conservation Corps where we planted 168 plants. There were heaps of people helping with planting, the positioning of penguin nest boxes, and putting wire cages around plants that are vulnerable to possums and rabbits. In this area one of the DOC Rangers found a peripatus (an ancient invertebrate), which was an exciting find. This area was the first area planted as part of the “Save the Yellow-Eyed Penguin campaign” in the late 1980’s. These first plantings were so successful that soil structures have enabled other species to colonise the area, in this case the peripatus. This is proof that areas can be restored to their original state through conservation efforts.

Pikao Group
One of the community groups that uses our Nursery facilities is the Pikao Recovery Group. This is a group dedicated to bringing the native sedge, Pikao, back to the dunes on the coastline to help with dune restoration. We are members of the organization and attend regular meetings and assist with their planting days.

Improvements to the Nursery
Our shelter area outside is finished and 3 potting benches have been made. The new potting benches have worked out so well that we are having some more made for the shadehouse and tunnelhouse. The heating area for root cuttings is almost finished, all we have to do is order the cables and misting units. We are still waiting for building approvals for the much needed tunnel house.

Portobello School
We finally were able to have the Portobello School out to the Nursery. This is a local community school of 70+ pupils that have a lovely reserve of their own. After several cancellations due to weather, we had a clear spell for two days to allow all the school to experience working at the Nursery. It was cold but it didn’t hamper the enthusiasm of the kids. We first looked at their seedlings from last year, many of which are ready to be planted out or potted on. We also taught them how to make seed balls and how to scatter them, held a plant identification quiz, and everyone planted their own Poa cita (silver tussock) to take home. They even had enough time to make some really creative penguins out of clay! We are looking forward to meeting the kids in late winter to see their reserve and help them plant some of the native plants that they have grown at our Nursery.

Well, we feel like this is what it is all about…getting those plants out onto the coastline, talking to the public about the importance of native plants and sharing our knowledge about the yellow-eyed penguins. We have run across so many people that are passionate about what they are doing for conservation. It is an inspiration to both of us.

Until next time
Anita and Margaret

June 2004 – Victoria Carpenter

Published by Victoria Carpenter on June 2, 2004 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

June has been huge. We started filming our Open Door Documentary, which is to screen on TV3 later on in the year. The documentary series is so named because it is an open door into people’s lives; an unscripted conversation where people talk about their issues and concerns.

Last month I was talking to the prospective individuals. This involved getting as broad a range of conditions as possible, in terms of ethnicity, gender and age representation, to show that Neuromuscular conditions( NMCs) can affect anyone at anytime, nobody is immune.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding from NZ on Air, the documentary had to become Auckland on Air! I have never been a producer for a TV show before. It is a massive organisational exercise to get talent, activities and film crews all coordinated. I got into the swing of it, but the biggest challenge was making sure that everybody was filmed doing the things they enjoyed doing whilst providing a challenge to them in terms of their condition. Activities included going bowling, band practice, quad biking, sailing and simple domestic activities like climbing stairs and playing with the kids.

I had 7 stars, each with their own challenges, and each with an incredible sense of humour and stoicism. They were all amazing, although sometimes heart wrenching to film. Watching one of the women interact with her little 10-month-old made everyone cry. As her mum doesn’t have the strength to pick her up they have a “climb and drag technique”, which is sometimes more successful than others.

Another of the stars, an 18 year old 7th former at Manurewa College has Charcot Marie Tooth, an NMC which is slowly progressive causing deterioration of peripheral nerves which control sensory information and muscle function of the foot/lower leg and hand/forearm muscles. He has just had a massive operation breaking and resetting with pins the bones in his foot, and cutting all the tendons to allow him to stand flat. His mum took out a second mortgage to pay for one foot, but it has been so successful that she says they will do the other foot as soon as she can. We filmed him bowling, something he does with his friends regularly. After his operation, when he was in plaster and couldn’t stand, they carried him and held him up so that he could still bowl.

It is amazing to see the support his friends and family give him. It gives him the strength to forge ahead, finish school, have a part time job and go to University, which is often more than just one pair of shoulders can bear. We have a motto at the MDA, “it takes a village to raise a child,” in our case this usually refers to the army of carers, supporters, funders and family members that are beside, behind and all around every individual with an NMC.

The documentary is now in the editing stage. The Fundraising Team and I have finalised our branding strategy, which is crucial for tying the new ads to the annual appeal. When the new ads go to air I want to start getting on the road and talking to potential corporate sponsors. I attended a brilliant Robin Hood seminar on talking to corporates, which will be a great help.

See you next month.

June 2004 – Tracey Napa

Published by Tracey Napa on June 2, 2004 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

This month has been an awesome month of networking and getting out to spread the word and promote our service further in the Wellington region.

Last month I attended a presentation given by the Blue Lagoon Charitable Trust. The two-day presentation was a great opportunity for people to be aware of the support, equipment, services and information available to Deaf people. With 10 Deaf speakers the Expo was devoted to the belief that access really can make a difference to the quality and equality of a person’s life. I found it very thought provoking to consider the ongoing challenges that the Deaf and hearing impaired are faced with everyday; things hearing people take for granted. It was great to be involved and to represent The Deaf Mental Health Service amongst the many experts, top speakers and researchers in their own field.

I went to Wellington for 10 days, where I attended a Mental Health Awareness workshop for resource development and promotional work. The Wellington branch covers 6 District Heath Boards from the Wellington, Manawatu, Wanganui, Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa regions. Whilst in Wellington I set to calling an extensive list of Community Mental Health Services. These included Maori Mental Health, Youth & Adolescent, Drug and Alcohol as well as general medical centers. I informed them of the Death Mental Health Service and offered personal team staff visits and a Deaf Mental Health Awareness workshop presentation.

The highlight of my trip to Wellington was the Mental Health Awareness Workshop. The focus was on how to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. As a group we discussed ways, as a community and as individuals, of assisting to create a more supportive environment for the mentally ill. As many as 1 in 4 people may experience mental illness at any stage, and with acceptance, understanding and support they may live satisfying and productive lives.

For instance, today I spoke at length – well actually signed – with a Deaf client who was very happy and interested to talk with me. He really appreciated being shown a folder I had made up of pictures I have been assembling over the last two weeks. The folder was a great conversation opener and inspired a quality exchange of ideas to do with fun and healthy ways to spend time. It is so good to witness positive responses from the clients as it reminds me that I’m involved in a very worthwhile cause. That’s the best reward ever!!!

Cheers,
Tracey