Chester Borrows: Digging deep for Wanganui's women

THIS past weekend was the first of this season's warm-up games for the Parliamentary Rugby World Cup.
I'm a bit battered and bruised, but relatively OK for a bloke about to turn 54 this month.
I joined a bunch of other MPs and ring-ins for a game and an overnight stay in Murupara, a settlement southeast of Rotorua.
Both the parliamentary rugby and netball teams played against a Murupara invitational side.
Funds were raised for Te Hau O Te Ora, a trust set up to address issues in the community after the killing of Murupara teen Jordan Herewini in 2008.
This was the unfortunate case of a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time wearing the wrong colour T-shirt who became the focus of a vicious gang attack.
There was another fatal attack within months in the same town. We've seen these senseless attacks in Wanganui too.
This event was a tragic catalyst that made the people of Murupara wake up to the fact something needed to be done in their neighbourhood. The trust's work in fostering a sense of respect and community has been invaluable.
We'd rather we didn't see violence and this uglier side of life but we can't turn away from it. In our community, the Woman's Refuge is there to support and counsel those suffering from abuse.
Not long ago, this would've been done by neighbours, family and friends, now Women's Refuge shoulders that burden.
Currently, they need toys for children 4 and over, plus board games, playing cards, educational DVDs and felt pens.
If any Wanganui folk have items like that spare, please feel free to come to my office at 94 Victoria Avenue to drop them off and we'll get them to Women's Refuge.
I spent last week in Australia as part of a parliamentary delegation looking at child and youth offending and the way we work in communities to prevent crime, deal with those victims and offenders and mitigate the effects of big society on vulnerable people.
It is amazing what taking small steps such as support for Women's Refuge can do to big picture societal problems.
Owning the problem is the first step. Dig deep for Women's Refuge.