Nelson Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
Wednesday 26 August 2020
Giving back goes virtual
Stu makes running run
Page 18
Page 26
Students vaping on the up Kate Russell Nelson secondary school principals have welcomed the Government’s new vaping law, saying it’s a “step in the right direction” to help counteract what is a worryingly growing
trend for local teens. The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Vaping Amendment Bill was passed on 5 August and will come into effect this November. It will see a ban on the sale of vaping products to those under
the age of 18. It will also prohibit advertising and limit the sale of all flavours to specialist stores, with shops like dairies, supermarkets and petrol stations restricted to mint, menthol and tobacco. Nayland College principal Daniel
Wilson welcomes the changes, saying he has taken a “very hard line” against anyone vaping on school grounds. “Several students have been stood down from school for vaping this year. The incidents I am aware of have been across all year levels,
which is a concern.” He says they have seen a rise from virtually no instances of vaping a couple of years ago to seeing it as a growing concern over the past 18 months.
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Benjamin on a roll at 7 Charles Anderson A multicoloured glint flashes from across the asphalt courts at Enner Glynn School. Benjamin Murphy, 7, has just finished up for the day and rolls towards the van that is waiting for him on the other side of the school. He propels himself up the van's ramp and into the back, helped by a carer. “See ya Ben,” another student says. Ben smiles and waves out the window. “See ya.” It is part of a regular daily routine that has been years in the making. This afternoon he will have a snack before heading off to physio and exercise. “I hope it’s boxing,” he says. Benjamin was just two-years-old when he ran onto Main Road Stoke and was hit by a car after an appointment at Stoke Medical Centre.
He was flown to Christchurch Hospital and treated for brain bruising, concussion, a fractured jaw, liver laceration, lung contusion and broken femur. But it took six weeks for doctors to realise that Benjamin also had serious spinal injuries. Those days feel distant, his dad Simon says. They have come a long way. These days Benjamin enjoys video games. Currently his favourite is “Titanfall 2” where players control ‘Titans’, or giant mechanical exoskeletons in their mission to save mankind. It’s set at a nondescript time in the future. “Benjamin is doing really well,” Simon says. “He blends in with other children and at that age they are really accepting, so he has quite a happy social life.”
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Benjamin Murphy has come a long way since an accident which saw his spine badly damaged, making him lose the function of his legs. Photo: Charles Anderson.
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