5
Independent Herald
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Fruits of hard labour stolen Kate Bleasdale
Some health-conscious crims were active in Wilton last month. Unfortunately Wilton Playcentre was the target of two thefts, in which they had fruit trees and strawberries stolen from their children’s garden. Jess O’Brien, whose son attends the playcentre, says they received funding last year from Healthy Eating, Healthy Action (HEHA) to create the garden, with the idea to teach the children how to grow their own fruit and have a healthy attitude towards food. ‘‘All the kids planted the stuff with us so they’ve been right in the process of the whole thing.’’ To create raised beds, the fruit trees were planted in a washing machine inner and large tractor tyre, both donated by the public. In the first burglary, one week after the October school holidays finished, the lemonade and apple trees in the washing machine inner disappeared, as well as the planter. Ms O’Brien says freeing the planter and taking it away would have been no small task. A couple of weeks later the strawberry vine inside the tractor tyre disappeared, along with the stakes and ties used to hold it up. In both instances the fruit was
Spreading the message
BAFFLED: Children at Wilton Playcentre cannot understand why plants were stolen from their Playcentre twice in one month. Photo: Supplied / CCN261110SPLtheft just about ripe enough to be eaten, Ms O’Brien says. ‘‘It’s so sad, it’s just so unfair.’’ She says the children are ‘‘baffled’’ with all the theft going on. ‘‘It’s upsetting for the kids.’’
While the police were contacted, Ms O’Brien says in this instance there’s not much they can do. On November 26, the playcentre closed for the year and remodelling work has begun
to earthquake strengthen the facility. Ms O’Brien says when they start up again in February 2011 she hopes they’ll try and get another garden going, and that this time it’ll stay put.
Bells ring in
festive season
TIME FOR CHIMES: Samuel Marsden Collegiate College year-10 pupils, from left, Emma Leech, Harriet Aburn and Leandera Fiennes, are among the college’s Handbells Group, who put on a performance at Wellington Regional Hospital last week. The group is lead by year-13 students Michaela Petrove and Chelsea Grant. Michaela made the offer to the Wellington Hospitals and Health Foundation to perform for visitors and patients in the hospital’s atrium. The foundation’s manager, Trish Lee, who came to watch, says it was the first time they
had had something like this, and says they were very happy to accept their offer. Deputy principal Anne Field says the Handbells Group is an ‘‘absolute tradition’’ at the college for nearly half a century, and it used to be the exclusive preserve of the girls who boarded. Today the college has both junior and senior groups, who practise weekly. This week they played at the carol service at St Paul’s Cathedral and attend many other events.
Violence is never pretty. I teach people how to recognise it and how to protect themselves from it. Whether it be for the reason that someone feels unsafe, they are about to go overseas, it’s an organisation that wants the volatility of an employee assessed, or a woman that wants to know what to do after asking a guy to leave her place three times during a date. I support those who want to better understand violence and learn how to deal with and protect themselves from it. The flipside is spreading the message about violence being unacceptable. Too many habitually justify their violence against others, in particular women and children, which is of course unjustifiable. November 25 was White Ribbon Day. White Ribbon Day was initiated by men for the safety of women, and the recognition of women’s rights. Wellington marked the occasion with the annual White Ribbon Race down Lambton Quay, finishing in Civic Square. This is a day where we can send a clear message to those who need to hear it: that violence is unacceptable, that we will not tolerate it and that help is there for those who recognise that they are violent and want to change. Attitudes can be changed through raising awareness and positive action. We want a violence free city with violence free homes for all. Violence is not a pretty subject to talk about, but because it thrives when we are silent, violence is something that we do need to talk about. I love being part of events like this and spreading the message. Come and join the White Ribbon Race next year. ■ Darcy Mellsop is a Protect Self Defence Instructor. He runs classes on Monday and Thursday nights in Wilton. darcy@protectselfdefence.co.nz, www.protectselfdefence.co.nz.
— Photo: Andrew Bonallack / CCN021210ABbellringers
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