KindRed Newsletter October 2012

october 2012 | NEWSLETTER

RED CROSS DELIVERY FROM THE PAST

P

eter Jack of Strathmore, Wellington, tells the story of a Red Cross cricket ball, another way, he says, of how Red Cross helps and continues to help in so many ways.

“Within this camp a group of prisoners realised they all had something in common, their love of cricket. They decided to play cricket to fill time, keep fit and maintain their sanity, but they needed a cricket ball. It was decided to use the strings from the Red Cross parcels the Photo: New Zealand Cricket Museum

Hospital supplies being packed and sent to Egypt and England from the Nelson Red Cross depot.

Photo: Frederick Nelson Jones

“My father Albie Jack of the 25th Battalion and his older brother Wes were in the prison camp PG 57 Udine, Northern Italy.

camp received. The ball was knitted out of the string then boiled down.

Boiling made it hard as rock, perfect for cricket.

“During a friendly game of cricket Sock Simmons, an Australian, shouted to the batsman ‘you stupid b*****d, hit the ball!’ One of the carabinieri (guard) overheard this and assumed the Australian had called him a b*****d. Without a second thought he shot him.

“He was given a funeral as similar to a military funeral as they could achieve from within the camp.”

Jack was told of this story by his father when they were visiting the New Zealand Cricket Museum where the ball sits under the heading “Cricketers at War”.

The famous cricket ball on display at Wellington’s Basin Reserve New Zealand Cricket Museum.

People have come from far and wide to view the famous war time Red Cross cricket ball at the Basin Reserve New Zealand Cricket Museum.

there is always a reason

Rick with his wife Miriam and daughter Hannah.

R

ick Eisenhart has spent the last 35 years of his life helping people, first as a New York fire fighter and now he is in his tenth year as a New Zealand Red Cross first aid trainer. Such experiences have left him with extraordinary stories to tell.

No matter what the situation Eisenhart strongly believes, “you are at a given place, at a given time for a given reason. That’s that, you have to move forward”.

Upon applying for a job as a Red Cross first aid trainer Eisenhart discussed the need to have fun during trainings.

He received the job and set about trying to create a class where students would learn through a fun environment.

Eisenhart acknowledges that most people are on courses because of work requirements therefore they need to be engaged. He asks each person why they are here and where

NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS

they work, ensuring throughout the course the situations and stories are applicable to their jobs. Eisenhart’s passion for these courses stems from his belief that “In the next six months it is likely that someone in these classes will be involved in a first aid incident.

If they remember what they have learnt, they can make a difference”.

This passion quickly led Eisenhart to take part in aid worker training in the Pacific Islands, where it is obvious he really gets a buzz from teaching.

“You can be in a room in 40 degree heat with no air conditioning wondering why you are doing this, then you look around and see their faces; so keen to engage and learn and you remember that’s why.”

Eisenhart works hard to ensure that those attending learn basic first aid skills which they can then disseminate to their wider communities.

His passion is also instilled in his family

and is already being passed through the generations. At a Christmas party a few years back Eisenhart heard the defibrillator going. He found his six year old daughter Hannah, giving her own first aid lesson, teaching other children by demonstrating on her doll.

“Little Hannah at the age of six not only knew how to use the defibrillator, but was passing this knowledge on to other kids, she was disseminating priceless first aid knowledge.”

Eisenhart loves all that Red Cross is about and has never looked back after taking his job with Red Cross. “Not long after 9/11 I was offered my old job back in New York, but I turned it down. I was on a new path and had to stick it out.” Not taking that job has given him the ability to help and teach many people, he knows it was the right decision. “It has put me in certain places, at certain times for certain reasons and I have loved every minute of it.”

Nathan Hancock in Kona, Hawaii.

accidents happen W

ell aware of the dangers the kitchen can hold for children, Matt Hancock always told his son to be careful. But accidents happen.

His son ran through the kitchen as his wife carried a boiling pot of water from the stove to the sink.

Nathan bumped his head on the bottom of the saucepan and boiling water splashed down his neck and back.

“Everything happened so fast, I remember feeling frightened, angry, frustrated and worried, all

within a split second. I immediately remembered what I had learnt about burns during a New Zealand Red Cross first aid course six months earlier,” Hancock said.

what they were doing,” said Nathan.

He says this knowledge enabled him to swing into action, putting his son underneath the shower fully clothed for about 25 minutes.

Removing the clothing runs the risk of the burn spreading.

Now, a month on, the burn is not visible.

Hancock determined that the shower combined with wrapping the burn in gladwrap was enough to get them to accident and emergency.

“I was glad that Mum and Dad knew what to do and took care of me, it wasn’t that scary once they told me

The emergency doctor praised Hancock, and said the training and his process had been integral in lessening the severity of the burn.

“Without the course I would not have known the key components of dealing with burns. Twenty five minutes is such a long time, but I knew I could use tempered water and was aware of hypothermic dangers.

“Kids will always be kids, something will always happen when they need first aid attention, even just the minor stuff. I am glad I know how to administer this effectively.”

KINDRED NEWSLETTER

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

Supporter Survey In April we sent you our Supporter Survey so you could tell us a little about yourself and why you support New Zealand Red Cross.

We received an overwhelming response of nearly 3,000 surveys.

To say Thank You for taking part we wanted to share some of the results with you.

When we asked you for the main reasons why you support New Zealand Red Cross, the answer was clear.

84% 43%

You told us that you want your donations to go WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST. New Zealand Red Cross works in different regions of the world.

Which regions are you most interested in supporting?

of you believe in the work that we do. of you trust Red Cross with your donation.

You also told us that you are very family-oriented.

81% 68%

of you have children. of you have grandchildren.

54.6%

WHERE IT’S NEEDED MOST

29.3%

NEW ZEALAND

10.0%

THE PACIFIC

3.6%

AFRICA

2.5%

ASIA