Jimmy Hawes and his wife, Aurora. His inline hockey team, Stingrays, is hoping to raise $20,000 in sponsorship to help pay for some unfunded cancer treatment. Photo / Supplied
Jimmy’s Puck Off to Cancer
Jimmy Hawes and his wife Aurora arrived in Kerikeri two-and-a-half years ago. They are 32 and 31 respectively and were married last year.
In the time he has been in the district, he has made a big impact on the small inline hockey community. He got to go to the national championships in Hamilton at the beginning of October, which is considered a substantial achievement for a relatively new hockey player.
He has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, with a tumour in his colon and cancer on most of his liver. The prognosis isn’t good, although there are some options. Chemotherapy may help, and there are some unfunded treatments that can improve his life expectancy.
That’s where the Stingrays come in. They are a Northland inline hockey team, and the members are putting together several forms of fundraisers. Spokeswoman Sasha Fraser-Nathan said the aim is to raise $20,000, which will fund one set of treatments for Jimmy.
“We are putting on a six-hour hockey game on December 3. The puck drops at 12pm, and we want to invite all of Kerikeri, Waipapa and even those further afield to come and cheer our Stingrays on,” she said.
Aurora Hawes, Jimmy’s wife, believes the government rules about unfunded drugs not being allowed to be given in public hospitals should be changed. She says that’s where the largest cost is for most people.
“Maybe we can’t get this changed for James, but there are so many people in his situation, and the added stress and effort of having to make a second trip to Whangārei every two weeks because they won’t give the drug at the same clinic is both expensive and ridiculous,” she said.
“He obviously can’t be in two places at once.”
Drop for Youth a Success
The Drop for Youth skydivers raised over $10,000 between them for their jump from Skydive, Bay of Islands, on November 5.
It’s an annual fundraiser for the Graeme Dingle Foundation Far North, a youth development organisation. Regional manager Tracy Walker said New Zealand is the best place in the world to be young.
“Our tagline of empowering kids to overcome life’s obstacles is fitting for this fundraiser, where we ask people to overcome their fears while raising funds to keep the programme going.”
There were a few nervous looks and plenty of excitement as the ten “droppers” prepared for their jump. There were big smiles all around when they landed safely back on the ground.
Tracy Walker thanked everyone who donated to the cause and specifically mentioned Imerys Ceramics, who donated the skydive to a student from Whangaroa College who is involved in the Foundation’s school programme.
Kiwi books for children
Sonya Wilson, author and journalist, runs Kiwi Christmas Books, which organises the donation of new books for kids in need around New Zealand.
Donors buy a book and give it back to the bookshop, which collects them until mid-December. They are then given to local charities to donate to the children.
Russell, Paihia and Kerikeri post shops and book shops have recently joined the movement, as has Craniums in Whangarei.
The charity is aiming to deliver a record number of books into the hands of under-privileged kids this Christmas. It began as a personal project for Wilson in 2019, and has now grown to a fully-fledged nationwide charity. Last year saw 6,670 brand new books gifted to families in need or in crisis at Christmastime.
“All of the charities we work with are experiencing huge demand for their services,” says Wilson.
She founded the Kiwi Christmas Books project while studying creative writing at the University of Auckland. She realised what a difference books and reading can make to children’s lives, and wanted to address the fact that while some Kiwi kids grow up in houses filled with books, others, through no fault of their own, have none.
The Kiwi Christmas Books Campaign runs from November 1 until December 12, 2022.
For more information, visit: www.kiwichristmasbooks.org.nz.
Rawene residency changes the script
A month spent in Rawene as the first-ever creative-in-residence at The Church has seen changes to the script for Auckland-based playwright Geoffrey Clendon.
He has spent the past month researching and writing his play Te Whawhai Taake Kuri – The Dog Tax War while based at the former Rawene Methodist Church, which is listed as a Category 2 historic place by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
The month-long sojourn enabled the author to meet with people from the community who shared their stories and to research the Dog Tax war, which ultimately changed the shape of his project.
“The writing didn’t go down the track I had foreseen, but the result will be something stronger,” he says.
“The highlight of the residency was meeting these people and learning more about the Dog Tax war. Although I had carried out considerable research before I arrived in Rawene, what I learned while I was there deepened my knowledge and understanding on a more personal level. The result will be something much richer.”
Having a month to focus solely on the project has been hugely beneficial, according to Clendon. He is writing the play for a small cast, enabling it to tour around Te Tai Tokerau and beyond.
The church building was recently restored with funding from the National Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund – a fund for significant heritage buildings in private ownership administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Paihia chooses Community Volunteer of the Year
The Paihia Community Trust has chosen their Community Volunteer of the Year for 2022.
In fact, they have chosen two, saying the calibre of nominations received was so high they couldn’t separate the two who won.
Rex Wilson was nominated for his outstanding services to the community as volunteer chief fire officer. He recently received his 25-year badge in recognition of that service.
He leads a team of 30 or so brigade members, and in the past two years has become a Fire Emergency New Zealand volunteer support officer. He said his reason for giving so much time and energy to the brigade is simple.
“People say they do it for the community, but I do it for me, for the satisfaction I get from helping the community. And being chief is cool, because you get to support other brigade members to do that as well.”
Mark Johnson was nominated for his selfless dedication and commitment to the Paihia-Opua walking tracks. He has been dubbed ‘the track angel’ for the work he has done on the seaward walkway to Opua, clearing slips, mending pathways and replacing some of the seats.
He has led the installation of several culverts over the waterways, upgrading and maintaining the track and planting natives.
DoC closed the Harrison reserve track because they could not maintain it, but Mark worked with many locals and DoC towards a plan to keep it open. It is now recognised as a trampers’ track which is maintained by the community.
He is on the track daily, and is happy to chat with locals and visitors alike.
The latest news bites from around the region.