KindRed Newsletter January 2013

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Red Cross Community Trainer Lia Jugo at Greenmeadows Primary School Hawkes Bay.

Helping Each Other

“I

’m eight, so it doesn’t matter how old you are, I know how to help someone who needs me,” says eightyear-old Kyra Dearns.

Kyra and her Greenmeadows class of 32 recently completed a New Zealand Red Cross People Savers course.

People Savers is a one-day in class course designed to introduce and

familiarise young students with the skills to treat an injury before medical help arrives.

“It’s about helping someone when they need you,” said Jackson Haines, nine.

The course is organised around a workbook, covering dangers at an accident scene, how to call for help, care of an unconscious person,

Save-a-Mate (SAM)

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identifying when a mate needs saving and how to do the right thing.

New Zealand Red Cross offers a 90-minute version of Save-a-Mate (SAM); which teaches young people how to save their mates by recognising unsafe choices,

Demand for the programme has exceeded expectations with more than 3,500 young people trained in less than a year.

ith more stories of young people’s interactions with drugs and alcohol making headlines, national operations manager Wendy Potter says it is vital everyone is realistic about what is going on, and highlights the urgent need to teach young people how to cope.

January 2013 NEWSLETTER

“While New Zealand Red Cross won’t say “do” or “don’t” to decisions, we believe it is critical to provide information to assist young people to make informed choices about their alcohol and other drug use,” Mrs Potter says.

treatment for choking, burns, bleeding, shock, broken bones and poisons.

In the last year New Zealand Red Cross has offered 832 People Savers courses at primary schools across the country. That equates to almost 20,000 eight to twelve-year-olds now trained in basic first aid for emergency situations.

Tauranga student Israel Remihana-Tata did the program, never thinking that he would use the skills learned a week later. He saved a stranger who had fallen on the street.

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Along Came the Red Cross O

ver the years, Red Cross has been there when Frank Hardy has needed it most.

Seventy years ago, Frank was a prisoner of war, detained by the German Army. For the four years Frank was held as a prisoner, his unenviable situation became more bearable, thanks to the Red Cross.

Frank will always remember that first Red Cross parcel in 1942. It not only brought much needed supplies, it also brought the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel - hope for him and his fellow prisoners of war.

“Never have I forgotten the arrival of the first parcel and subsequent weekly issue.

They turned despair into tolerance.”

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Frank, whose wife had mild dementia and at the time was almost immobile.

“At very critical points of my life, the Red Cross has cropped up.”

Frank reminisces about how sometimes along with tea, sugar and milk powder there would be surreptitious little notes of encouragement from whoever packed the parcel.

With so much thanks in his heart to Red Cross, Frank had no idea that seven decades later he would again call on the services of the organisation that provided a much-needed lifeline many years ago.

NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS

After the Christchurch Earthquakes, Red Cross came along again with two earthquake grants, meaning Frank and his wife Ann were able to get some respite by staying with their daughter in Whangarei for a month.

“At very critical points of my life, the Red Cross has cropped up.”

And now, after losing his wife earlier this year, Red Cross is there again. This time with meals on wheels, since at 91 years of age, Frank needs an extra little bit of help each day.

Recently, Frank wrote to Red Cross to say thank you. It was the least he thought he could do.

“God bless the Red Cross and everyone involved in furthering your work in meeting the demands of the world, long may it continue. Our appreciation is unbounded. Thank you.”

Volunteer delivers 34 years of caring

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or one hour a week, for the past 34 years, Hastings woman Pat Berry has been one of hundreds of New Zealand Red Cross volunteers delivering hot meals to the doorsteps of people who need them the most.

The 77-year-old grandmother first joined the Junior Red Cross movement when she was at primary school shortly after World War II. It was in the late 1970s when a relative reintroduced Mrs Berry to Red Cross, this time to help with meals on wheels.

“I was looking after my grandson back then so I had some time available to help out.

“You get fond of the people you meet and they are so happy to see you each week.”

Mrs Berry thinks Red Cross is just as important now as it was to people who were recovering from the impact of the war in the 1950s.

“I think they do a great job and I always keep up to date with what Red Cross is doing around the country.

“I know a lady who is nearly 90 years old and she is still delivering meals for Red Cross so I hope I can still do it when I am her age,” says Pat.

Photo credit: Hawkes Bay Today

With the support of thousands of volunteers across the country New Zealand Red Cross serves nearly 700,000 meals each year through the meals on wheels service.

astings resident Johannah Maaka receives H his meals on wheels from Pat Berry, who has been delivering them for 34 years.

KINDRED NEWSLETTER

National Office

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PO Box 12140, Wellington 69 Molesworth Street, Thorndon, Wellington 6144 Phone: 04 471 8250 Email: national@redcross.org.nz Website: www.redcross.org.nz

The first Red Cross truck to roll out will be based in Wellington.

The Red Cross Box Now have you ever stopped to think Of those who work so hard Who daily we pass in the street And often disregard Annoying I’ll agree, but nonetheless its time In every street we pass them by as many others do “Red Cross box, please spare a dime” Then you and I would hide We’d turn our backs and cross the street

Investing in disaster preparedness T

he first of five specially designed disaster welfare support trucks has rolled off the production line, built to enable New Zealand Red Cross to support a national response to a disaster anywhere in the country.

Lessons learnt from the Canterbury earthquakes highlighted the importance of being prepared. Over the last two years New Zealand Red Cross has placed significant focus on investing and building its response capability, to ensure it is there to support existing welfare capability.

Red Cross is now more prepared than ever before to respond and support other emergency services to deliver first aid, welfare and search and rescue services in disaster and emergency situations.

The trucks each hold welfare centre set-up equipment including stretchers and blankets for 140 people, basic food and toiletries for volunteers for a couple of days, medical supplies, an AED, individual and centre hygiene sets, lighting sets and telecommunication sets. The trucks also provide room for emergency personnel to perform mass casualty triage and pre-hospital emergency first aid support if needed.

The new trucks are an investment of about $1.5 million, funded from donations from other Red Cross National Societies.

The remaining four trucks are currently being built, and will be released over the coming months. Trucks will be based in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Thank you to everyone who has shared their Red Cross story with us.

To walk on the other side We never knew the hardship the trouble and the strife Of those little bands of people to whom we owe our life Imagine all the comforts if we’d spared a dime before But now we know our foolishness, as prisoners of war Now remember lads in living street Please never try to hide And when we see the Red Cross box We’ll slip a bob inside So give, to the Red Cross freely, please don’t save and stamp Remember all the gladness they brought to Prison camps So appreciate the kindness and before trouble ever knocks Just smile and put a shilling in the Red Cross box.

From a logbook kept by Prisoner Of War 33005 24 BN NZEF Corporal Lewis Albert Plackett from Wellington Camp PG 203, PM 3200 ITALY Author unknown 1944

We have enjoyed going through and reading how Red Cross has been making a difference to the people that matter most in your lives. Thank you for taking the time to do this.