The
Stewart Centre Christmas lunch for 2009 was celebrated in
style at Valentines Restaurant. The venue is popular with
several of us because it has a wide selection of good food
at a very reasonable price. Everyone I spoke with said they
had a wonderful time.
The
selection included soups, salads, hot meats and vegetables,
seafood dishes and desserts as well as tea and coffee. We
arrived back at the Centre with very full stomachs and ready
for a little sleep—which I think is a good indicator that we
all enjoyed ourselves!
In the
afternoon there were more Christmas festivities with some of
the family members joining us for afternoon tea and sharing
Secret Santa
gifts together. I am very impressed with the sense of family
the Stewart Centre provides, especially at special times of
the year, like Christmas.
I was a
competitor in the Special Olympics Summer National Games,
that were held in Palmerston North from the 2nd to the 5th
December 2009. These Games are held every four years and
bring together teams from all over the country,
participating in a variety of events such as ten-pin
bowling, athletics, aquatics, basketball, soccer, indoor
bowls, bocce, golf, equestrian and power-lifting.
I
represented Manawatu at the Special Olympics Ten-Pin Bowling
Regionals in June, where I was able to win a gold medal in
the ‘Pairs’ and a bronze in the ‘Fours’, so it was a real
privilege to be able to represent Manawatu again in several
of the Ten-Pin Bowling events at the National Games.
Our team
was given accommodation at Massey University, which became
our home during the Games. We stayed in Egmont Court along
with Manawatu Swimming and Ten-Pin bowlers from Howick/Pakuranga.
The
Opening Ceremony on the Wednesday night was an opportunity
to meet all the other competitors. Altogether there were
1085 athletes; 43 teams; 10 sports; 379 coaches and 967
volunteers.
We had an
early 5 am start the next day in order to get to Bowlerama
in time for the start of the day’s events.
My
bowling partner Hamish, and I played Counties in the
‘Pairs’ on the Thursday morning and we won all three games
that we played. On Friday we played in the ’Fours’ against
Southern Tarakani who beat us in all three games.
On Friday
Hamish and I played Canterbury in the ’Pairs’ final and we
won 1 game and lost the last 2 games, but we managed to
achieve a silver medal for the effort and I am happy with
that.
I really
enjoyed Nationals even though I was nervous at the
beginning. There was a great spirit at the Games and I think
everyone had a great time. I look forward to competing again
in the future.
Clients
and Staff from the Stewart Centre recently went on an
Art Trip to
Wellington.
It was a
beautiful day that started off really well. On the way we
stopped at Lindale for morning tea which we enjoyed very
much. We then continued to central Porirua where we had
lunch sitting outside in the sunshine. We then went to see
the
“Mirrored Years’
exhibition by Yayoi Kusama at the City Gallery.
The
outside of the Gallery had been coated in multi-coloured
round dots which looked impressive!Inside, her art works
also used dots and one room appeared hallucinatory, surreal
and unique. It was all in yellow with black dots with large
inflated shapes!
One small
room was darkened with mirrors and small hanging lights and
gave the effect of space. The last room at the exhibition
showed several pictures each one showed a repetition of
black shapes on a white background. It was very effective.
The whole
day was fabulous and thoroughly enjoyable.
Whilst we
were traveling back from the exhibition in Poneke
(Wellington), the Stewart Centre Art enthusiasts called in
at
Shona Moller’s Art Gallery
in Paraparaumu. The gallery couples as a working studio
which enables one to observe first-hand the various stages
in the lifecycle of a piece—from initial inception to
finished work. Shona uses a
visual diary to plan
and organise each project. She documents her ideas, draws
sketches, uses symbols and includes photographs in the
planning stage.
The walls
of the Gallery are lined with her works—predominantly the
theme being local flora and fauna, shoreline and distinctive
Kapiti landscape. The colours are vibrant and striking. Her
blending of shades and tonal variations enhance the
perspective, as does her use of texture to add a third
dimension.
I was
particularly taken with three of the pieces. One captured
the flow of the grass caught by the wind and wonderfully
highlighted by vivid flecks of sunlight on some of the
blades. Her self-portrait also inspired me, particularly the
way she had captured that inquiring facial expression.
Another note-worthy piece was of a festive pohutukawa. The
pallet work was stunning, causing the metrosideros excelsa
to leap out at one. Awesome!
Outward Bound is an outdoor
education centre in Anakiwa and I have been wanting to go
there for several years. Now I have been given the
opportunity to attend the Outward Bound
“Summit”
at the end of February! “Summit”
is an eight day adventure
course especially designed for people who have sustained a
brain injury. We will be experiencing
activities like sailing, rock climbing, kayaking and
tramping.
The Liason Officer from BINZ
(Brain Injury NZ) as well the Coordinator at CCS have been
supporting me to fundraise for the trip. I had the idea of
doing a sausage sizzle as a fundraiser. I spent a whole day
selling sausages outside Mad Butcher and managed to raise
about $250 as my contribution towards the total cost.
My father also contributed some
money, and the rest was provided by BINZ.
Thank you to all those who have
helped me to prepare for my adventure. I am a little
apprehensive about participating in the course but many
people have encouraged me and I believe it will be a
life changing experience.
I will let you all know how I
survived in the next newsletter—I can’t wait to share that
with you all!
I couldn’t remember a lot about the recent Stewart Centre
trip to Ashhurst Domain until one of the staff reminded me,
and I saw the photographs.
What did you enjoy most about the trip?
I really enjoyed preparing the BBQ. I took on the
responsibility of doing all the cooking for the group that
day, which included sausages, meat patties and onions. It
was also my job to see that everyone received their fair
share and that it was well cooked and nice and hot.
Why did you enjoy cooking the BBQ most of all?
I have always found great satisfaction in helping others.
Even when I was a young boy I was known as
a helper.
Helping others makes me feel really good about myself.
Is there anything else about the trip that you enjoyed?
I enjoyed visiting Te Apiti wind farm in the afternoon. The
turbines are a lot bigger up close. They are an amazing
piece of technology!
I am pleased to say I have
successfully completed a birdhouse as a woodwork project at
the Stewart Centre.
As the photo shows, the
finished product is now mounted on my fence at home and it
is attracting several birds in the area.
There was a set process I had
to follow in constructing it, and the materials had to be
able to withstand the weather. Once all the individual
pieces had been prepared I was able to begin assembling it.
This was a very enjoyable stage, watching everything come
together.
One Saturday morning, Bruce
from the workshop came to my house to help me mount the
birdhouse against the fence. We had to put a huge bolt into
it to hold it in place. I began to monitor the bird
‘activity’ and I made a record of my observations:
·Day
1: There were no birds in the house or settling on the
perch. Bruce suggested I add bread to the feeding bowl to
attract them.
·Day
2-10: I did what Bruce suggested and after a few days some
birds started coming around but not too many.
·Day
10 onwards: Now there are birds around the bird house all
the time. Every day I enjoy looking out my window to see
them. I make sure there is plenty of bread in the feeding
bowl and that keeps the birds coming back. I call the birds
“The
Martinez Family” after
my virtual family from The Sims3.
Making this bird house has been
a journey of discovery. I have learnt skills like planning
and problem-solving, which are good life skills to
have.
Several of the
clients are developing some stunning projects to form part
of the overall design for the new sensory garden and
courtyard area at the Stewart Centre.
They have been
keeping visual diaries to help them plan and organise their
designs. There are some wonderfully creative projects
beginning to emerge.
Recently
the Stewart Centre celebrated
Diwali
with Anil and Prem Kumar and their daughter Natasha. Prem
came to the Centre and gave a demonstration on how to make
special Diwali sweets and Natasha, shared about the meaning
of Diwali. We asked Anil to explain about the celebration.
What is Diwali?
(Anil replies)
Diwali is the Indian ‘Festival of Lights’ and is celebrated
in October/November each year. We celebrate the return of
Lord Rama after defeating the evil ruler of Lanka, in the
epic story of the Hindu Ramayana. It is a celebration of
light conquering over darkness.
How do you
celebrate Diwali? (Anil replies)
Diwali is a family celebration. We celebrate by lighting
rows of tea candles, praying special prayers and sharing
special food and sweets.
Tell us about the
Diwali meal at Queen Elizabeth College Hall. (Anil replies)
This year the Indian community held a fundraiser dinner with
entertainment at QEC Hall. My daughter, Natasha, performed
some Bollywood dances along with others. Some people from
the Stewart Centre also attended. It was a lot of fun.
An Interview with Anil Kumar
Traditional Indian Sweet
Suji Halva—Semolina Pudding
Ingredients
1½
cups semolina 3
cups milk and 1 cup water
1 tblsp sultanas
3 blanched, chopped almonds
½ tsp
vanilla ½ cup butter/ or ghee
3 cardamon
seeds crushed 1 cup sugar
Method
1.Add
sugar to milk and water and bring to boil
2.Meanwhile
fry semolina in ¼ cup of butter / or ghee on medium-low
heat until brown (about 6-8 minutes)
3.Add
almonds and sultanas and cook a further 5 minutes
4.Add
milk and sugar syrup, cardamom and vanilla essence and boil
on a low heat, stirring continuously
5.Add
remaining ¼ cup of butter / or ghee
6.Cook
until all milk has been absorbed, stirring all the time to
prevent burning or sticking on the bottom.
A
gathering, held on November 6, 2009, at the Stewart Centre,
West Street, Papaioea, marked the opening and commemoration
of our custom built activity wing, colloquially known as
Club
Med.
Invited to officiate during
proceedings, was the Minister of Disability Issues, the
Honorable Tariana Turia. Tariana is also the co-leader of
the Maori Party, and we appreciate her including us in her
tight schedule. Also attending the celebration were Alex
and Mary Stewart, the founders of the Stewart Centres, who,
in 1991 at Auckland, established the first centre. They
traveled down from Ruawai, on the Kaipara Harbour, to attend
proceedings. Our Mayor, His Worship Mr. Jono Naylor, also
attended the celebrations.
The Stewart
Centres were first established in 1991, at Auckland by
Alex and
Mary after their son, Tommy, was injured in an accident in
Australia. There are now seven Stewart Centres in the North
Island, each endeavoring to facilitate productive pathways
for their client base. Here in Palmerston North, I have
entered into the creative activities, such as lathe work,
painting, pokerwork, and mosaics. Others among us are lead
into activities which will be beneficial, like budgeting and
meal planning. Cooking skills and domestic planning like
budgets and automatic payments are among the skills I have
acquired.
After the formal
proceedings concluded, we shared a morning tea with the
Minister and as parting keep-sake to remember us by, we
presented Tariana with three woodwork items I created on the
lathe at the Stewart Centre. Prior to European influence,
the introduction of a common or noa element into a formally
creative zone, allowed said space to once again be available
for everyday activities. Hence, the consumption of food and
drink often rounds out traditional Maori gatherings. We
enjoyed a barbecue lunch and social chit-chat to conclude
the day’s events.
When I first
started attending the Stewart Centre I was using taxis to go
to and fro. I live in Milson, which is quite a way from West
Street if I were to walk, so the taxis worked well for me.
It was a great service but expensive to fund for ACC.
A few months ago
some of the staff suggested I try catching a bus instead. To
be honest, it freaked me out at first. I wasn’t sure how I
would handle it. There were a lot of anxious thoughts
spinning round in my head. Well, I took the plunge anyway
and I’m glad I did.
We started by
catching the bus home to begin with. I would walk into town
and get the bus from there. That seemed to work OK. I
actually got a buzz out of doing it.
The next step was
to catch the bus in the morning as well. One morning I
decided to just do it on my own. I got a bit confused about
which side of the road I should catch the bus on. I found I
was on the wrong side of the road when the bus pulled up,
but managed to get across in time.
Now I catch the
bus to and from the Stewart Centre on every day that I
attend. I guess you could say I’m taxi-free! I am not
anxious or concerned about it. I’m very comfortable now with
the whole thing. I really enjoy catching buses!
A new group to
start up at the Stewart Centre is the Women’s Group. This is
an opportunity for the women clients to get together on
a Friday afternoon and do ‘girls stuff’ – no men
allowed! All joking aside, it is nice to be able to spend
time with just the ladies for a change.
So far we’ve been
to the Feilding Art Centre, Te Manawa pottery exhibition,
second-hand shopping at Savemart, out for coffee, to the
Esplanade to see the bird aviaries and rose gardens, made
cards together and been pampered with foot spas and nail
manicures, including Janet. The group is still in the early
stages and we’re still figuring out what it is we want to do
with our time together. The group is not just about doing
activities together. We really want to be able to support
each other.
Apart from
attending the Stewart Centre I don’t get out much. My
husband is a farmer, so I often spend the whole day on my
own, so that gets pretty lonely. For me, the rewarding thing
about this Women’s Group is getting together with other
ladies for a chat over coffee. It’s lovely being able to
have a natter.
Matariki is the
Maori name for the star cluster, Pleiades. The Maori New
Year is marked by its pre-dawn rising over Aotearoa, coupled
with the appearance of the new moon in her skies, usually
during the month of June.
Traditionally,
the brighter the appearing, the warmer the months ahead, and
the greater the expectation of a productive harvest to
follow. However, my understanding is that this year’s
appearing was somewhat dim.
Matariki can be
celebrated in any number of ways. In ancient times,
ceremonial offerings were made to the gods of the land,
Rongo, Uenuku and Whiro, to ensure good crops for the coming
year.
One Matariki
event that a number of us Stewart Centre folk attended was
at Square Edge – a collection of Matariki inspired
paintings and sculptures, and a recitation of poems to the
haunting sounds of nga taonga puoro played by Warren
Warbrick. The proceedings were well attended and executed,
and I was moved by what I saw and heard.
This year, we at
the Stewart Centre also celebrated with typical Maori kai
for lunch - ‘boil
up’ to be
precise. From memory, there were copious amounts of bread,
pickled pork, potatoes, pumpkin and watercress to be
enjoyed by all. Those of us with room for seconds were
graciously accommodated. It was an excellent feast, as good
as any I’ve tasted. I look forward to partaking of it again
sometime
soon. The
emphasis on the word ‘soon’
is obvious.
There has been
some debate in the media as to whether Matariki should be a
national holiday. I don’t have an opinion on that, but I do
like the way it has become popular by the mainstream and it
pleased me to see it being embraced by the Stewart Centre
this year. Long may it continue! If nothing else, we get to
have some great kai!
Music Group runs
every Monday morning at the Stewart Centre. Claire is our
facilitator and she does a brilliant job. If you enjoy
singing songs and listening to music then this is a very
good group to be part of.
A few times we
have had a guest musician join us. He is a very accomplished
guitarist. His name is Mason. It is always good to have him
come along. The singing sounds better when he plays.
In the Music
Group we do a number of activities. We sing popular songs
such as ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’, and sometimes
we sing along to the karaoke machine. We also sing Maori
waiata such as ‘Te Aroha’ and Maori action songs like
‘Titiro Mai’. Sometimes we watch music videos, we have
music quizzes to test our general music knowledge, we play
musical instruments and occasionally we even dance about.
I enjoy attending
the Music Group. It is a lot of fun!
We want to honour
one of our Stewart Centre clients for his amazing
determination and will power! After many years of heavy
smoking, he’s given up the cigarettes!
On the 27th
May 2009 Ian McRae was awarded a Diploma of Achievement from
the Manawatu Primary Health Organisation (Te Roopu Mana
Hauora o Manawatu) in recognition of the effort and
commitment required to become ‘Smoke
Free’
Congratulations
Ian, we are all inspired by your awesome achievement!
“How long did you
smoke for?”
“I smoked for 40 years, - ever since I was 14.”
“What made you
decide to give up?”
“I was sick of it! … I didn’t like the taste anymore and I
was coughing … and it costs money!”
“How did you go
about it?”
“I got nicotine patches and gum from the Manawatu PHO
Smokefree Co-ordinator to help me with the cravings. It was
hard for the first few weeks but not too bad after that..”
“Do you feel
better for having given up?”
“O yes, I feel a lot better thank you … I feel fitter and
I’m not coughing anymore either”
On the weekend
of the 13th and 14th of June the 2009 Special Olympics
Ten-pin Bowling Regionals were held in Palmerston North and
I was fortunate enough to be able to take part. As well as
from the Manawatu, there were representatives from several
clubs including Hawkes Bay, Hutt Valley, Mana and
Wellington.
Check-in at
Bowlerama was at 9.30am on the Saturday. We were all put
into divisions from 1 to 5, I was in division 3. My team
mate and I played three games against Hawkes Bay and won all
of them. That evening there was a special roast dinner at
Club Palmerston. Once dinner was finished there was an award
ceremony where the various winners were presented with
ribbons and medals.
On Sunday, we were back at Bowlerama for the ‘Fours’ event.
I was a player on the Manawatu Fours Team. Our team played
the team from Mana and we managed to beat them in all three
of our games.
It was a very
successful weekend for me, winning a gold medal in the
’Pairs’ and bronze in the ‘Fours’. It was great to be part
of this event. 10 Pin is an awesome sport to be involved in.
In March, quite a large group
of us from the Manawatu Stewart Centre set off to Taradale
for our annual exchange with the Stewart Centre @ E.I.T.
On the journey up, we had an
enjoyable lunch break at the Dannevirke Reserve, setting off
again at about 1.30pm. As we neared Taradale we started to
see hectare after hectare of wineries as well as the many
fruit orchards that the Hawkes Bay is well known for.
We were welcomed onto the Marae
at E.I.T with a powhiri. Lindsay was the speaker for our
side and we all supported him with a waiata. After all the
formalities, we went inside for something to eat and to set
up the wharenui for our two night stay there.
Later on we all enjoyed a fish
and chip dinner followed by a games evening. There were a
variety of games on offer including bingo, trionimoes and
cards. Quite a few people from the Taradale Stewart Centre
stayed over with us in the marae.
The next morning we visited the
Napier prison. This is an historic building which is now a
backpackers. It was interesting to see the cells, also the
stocks and the gallows. Lunch was at the sunken gardens on
Marine Parade and after lunch we visited the lookout on
Bluff Hill. In the evening we prepared a BBQ meal for our
guests and after dinner some of us went to Ocean Spa which
was very relaxing.
On the final day we went to the
a’maze’ing maze, to battle it out for the Ranworth Cup. This
is a corn maze just out of Napier. It was a beautiful sunny
day and perfect weather for the challenge. Although we lost
the cup (on a minor technicality!) it was still a lot of
fun, and well worth the visit.
Thank you to Stewart Centre@EIT,
who were great hosts. We look forward to being able to
reciprocate in 2010.
This article
was a group effort by Kerry Tofts and Bruce Aldred
I was blown away by the recent
visit to Taradale. I was very nervous at first because this
was a totally new experience for me. I didn’t know what to
expect as I haven’t been away with the Stewart Centre on any
overnight stays before, but it turned out to be a-maze-ing!
It was the first time I have been on a Marae and I just
loved it. The Maori welcome was a new experience and I had
to be filled in on what was going on, but it was all good
and they did make me feel like ‘family’.
It was really neat to get out
of town. I haven’t been away for a while so this was like a
holiday for me. I just sum it up by saying ‘Awesome! Thanks
very much for the opportunity to be part of it.’
From an
interview with Roger Milne
How did you enjoy the Taradale
trip Philip? ‘Yes! …. Beautiful!’ So you enjoyed it then?
‘Mama!’ (as he kisses his fingers and flicks them towards
me) but … um … da-nce-ing’ So you missed the dancing this
time round? ‘Yes!’ I think we will have to have dancing as
part of next year’s visit ‘Yes! … Beautiful!’
From an
interview with Phil Larking
I always enjoy going away with
the Stewart Centre. We do heaps of fun things and it was so
cool to see some of our Taradale friends again.
Lisa
Robertson
I enjoyed myself in Taradale.
It was neat! The maze was good but a shame we didn’t win the
cup!
Bruce Jenkins
This is my second time in
Taradale. I had a wonderful time. Boy I was tired when we
got back … I think I slept nearly all the way home too.
Gloria Shaw
I had a great time away. Thanks
for all the support from staff. They always look after me
and spoil me rotten.
It’s that time of year again
when the Stewart Centre head off to the Massey orchard to
pick apples. I have joined in the apple picking several
times now and I love it. We begin with morning tea at
Wharerata, which gives us a good energy burst.
This year we picked three trees
bare. They were the Pink Lady variety and they were
delicious. I know how good they taste because I have eaten
my way through several of them … Yum! Picking the apples is
only half the battle though. Once we get them back to the
Stewart Centre they need to be washed and dried, then
sorted, weighed and put into bags ready for people to take
home and enjoy. There are still a number of bags in the
fridge, so if you wants some come and get them!
I have heard that there is a
Tai Chi class being run at the Stewart Centre on Tuesday
afternoons. Unfortunately I don’t attend the Centre on that
day, but recently several of us went to the Esplanade for a
group outing and some of the staff led us in a Tai Chi
session in the Rose Garden. It is a very relaxing activity
and I really enjoyed it. I am very interested in this and
keen to learn more.
Life is great at the moment
because I have succeeded in getting a new start in life –
paid work!
I am working at Ag-Research two
days a week and it seems to be going well. Ag-Research is
located out by Massey University, so it’s a bit of a bike
ride to get there but I enjoy the ride and it keeps me fit
and healthy. It’s a great feeling to have a job to occupy
myself and earn some extra cash.
I’m very grateful for the help
others have given to make this all possible. Sandy from
Options helped me to prepare myself. She assisted me with
making my CV and we practised with mock interviews to get me
used to the interview process. She kept encouraging me to do
my best and in the end it paid off. I was given the job!
I work in one of the Labs. I
fill up test tubes with water and put things into
containers. I really enjoy this work. I am part of a great
team who are friendly and helpful, and this makes the job so
much easier.
My goal of finding paid
employment has been a bit of a journey. I have worked hard
and there have been many people who have supported me along
the way. Now that I’ve finally found work, I’m feeling great
about myself and very proud to be able to tell people that
I’m a working man now.
The Stewart Centre has been
running an Art Group on Thursday afternoons and several
clients, including myself, have been attending.
We’ve been learning lots of
interesting drawing techniques which has been both
challenging and fun. The first week, we experimented with
charcoal, by drawing the back of our hand. The instruction
was to look only at your hand and not at what you were
drawing. It was quite amazing to see how well proportioned
and detailed the drawings were, considering we weren’t
actually looking at what we were drawing. We’ve also learnt
about the use of shading to add depth to drawings, copying
pictures upside down, as well as cutting pictures into
shapes and rearranging them on the page.
More recently we’ve been
getting ideas together to create various art pieces,
sculptures, mosaics etc to decorate the new patio area at
the Stewart Centre. The patio has a sensory theme, with
sections being divided into sight, sound, taste, smell and
touch. This will be a great opportunity for us all to
contribute to the Centre as well as exhibit our work. We are
all looking forward to being part of this project. It is
really good to be able to express ourselves through art.
by Ian Johnson
Thanks to PNCC Arts and Culture Funding Scheme for assisting
with the Art Group
[Editor]
I tu ai he whare hou ma matau,
na reira, te mahi whakanoa, i haere a te 19 March 2009.
Recently, a new edifice was
constructed at the Stewart Centre to facilitate and enhance
our rehabilitative journey. It is an activity room which has
been affectionately dubbed “Club Med”, and I was proud to
have been involved in a ceremony to effectively bring it
into the everyday realm so it can be fully utilised for it’s
intended purpose. This transpired on Thursday 19 March,
2009.
For Maori, a building in it’s
construction stages is tapu. This is a supernatural
condition where it is removed from the sphere of the profane
and put into the sphere of the sacred. In this sphere it is
untouchable and cannot be put to common use.
Traditionally, the influence of
fresh water, when introduced into a tapu environment will
dispel said creative forces. A girl, ‘puhi’, is also
essential on such an occasion. Aunty Janet, who actually
turned the key, represented this feminine entity. Other
important elements are karakia and kai. When tapu is
removed, things become noa. This process of removing tapu
and making things available for common use is called
whakanoa.
In April several staff and
clients from the Stewart Centre visited the Te Manawa Art
Gallery to see the New Zealand Army Art Exhibition.
The exhibition gave us a
glimpse into the life of kiwi soldiers serving overseas. The
sketches and paintings were done by Captain Matt Gauldie who
is the official New Zealand Army artist. He spent time in
the Solomon Islands and was also deployed to Afghanistan.
I found the exhibition very
interesting. The paintings are so lifelike. I especially
liked the way the artist had captured the facial expressions
of the soldiers. You could almost see what they were
thinking.
I spent many years as a soldier
in the New Zealand army and seeing this art collection
brought back many memories of that time in my life. I think
Captain Gaudie has done an excellent job in capturing what
life is like for a soldier.
In October 2008 my family and I
went to Australia for a holiday. We left from Wellington and
flew to Melbourne. In 1988 I was a jockey in the Melbourne
Cup, so attending the big race day in 2008 – the twentieth
anniversary of my ride, was a special occasion and one of
the main purposes of our visit.
When we first arrived we hired
a rental car and did quite a bit of travelling around to
different places including Werribee, Geelong, Serento and
Mornington.
In Melbourne we visited the
Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and various museums. We saw a
full sized model of Phar Lap and other racing memorabilia
from the past.
We attended Flemington
racecourse for Derby Day, then again for the Melbourne Cup
on the Tuesday. The Melbourne Cup has been described as ‘The
race that stops a nation’ and tens of thousands of people
turned out to see it. It was an exciting race to watch. The
winning horse, ‘Viewed’, trained by Bart Cummings was a
complete outsider and won by just a nose.
After the Cup, we continued on
with our holiday, heading up to Sydney and visiting several
towns on the way. We took a tour bus to look around most of
the famous landmarks of the city like the Sydney Opera
House, Sydney harbour bridge and Bondi beach.
From Sydney we headed to Coffs
Harbour and up towards Brisbane. We visited Movie World,
Australia Zoo (founded by Steve Irwin), the Big Pineapple
and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where I was able to hold a
koala.
We had a wonderful time in
Australia. It was a great holiday that holds many special
memories for me.
The Stewart Centre has been
making the most of summer by arranging a number of outside
activities so we can all enjoy the good weather.
Recently we went to the
Esplanade where we had a morning of sport followed by a
delicious barbeque. When we first arrived, we set up
base on the grassy area behind the children’s playground.
We decided on a game of cricket
before lunch. We were all given an opportunity to bat. After
a batter had been given 10 bowls we all rotated one position
clockwise giving each person a turn in each position. Even
if a player went out they still were given 10 bowls, which
was good for me as I went out three times.
After sport we had a look
around the gardens and fed the ducks at the pond. You could
hear tuis in the trees and I also saw a number of fantails.
The BBQ lunch consisted of
sausages and bread with a nice coleslaw and my
favourite—tomato sauce.
I really enjoyed the barbeque
and hope we get to have some more before summer finishes.
By Michael
Webb
I have been joining the ‘Art
of Conversation’ group
which is running at the Stewart Centre fortnightly
on Mondays. Our group is
run by Maxine,
who is a Speech
Language Therapist. I
find her very good.
The group is
helpful for me as I don’t find
it easy to have conversations with others and tend to sit in the corner
and be quiet in group settings. I also need to
learn to speak more clearly and louder.
Maxine often says to me ‘Think Loud’
and this is a good
reminder for me. As well
as learning to have good
conversations with people we are also learning to
be good listeners and we
have had a number of sessions on this.
One thing I have found helpful
is the use of a
personal mantra. A mantra is an unspoken script that we say
to ourselves before we
engage in conversations with other people. The main purpose
of a mantra is to help us
focus on the other person rather than centring conversations
on ourselves.
I have
enjoyed the ‘Art of Conversation’ and found it
very helpful.
According to
‘Wikipedia’,
a diary is a record
(originally in written book format) with discrete entries
arranged by date,
reporting on what has happened over a period of time, or
what is planned to happen in terms of future appointments
and activities. Diaries also
provide a platform to express one’s feelings and record
self thought.
There has been much
promotion of diary use at the Stewart Centre these days with many incentives
for using one. I have witnessed public award
ceremonies, with
accompanied certificates
and fancy pens in
recognition of those who maintain
regular use. I myself
have even been persuaded to toe the line and make the odd
entry now and again.
I recall being told that
diaries are a ‘good
strategy’ for those
who have memory difficulties.
As one who has quite a few memory issues, I may have
to concede that diaries do have their place, and those of you who know me
well, will be aware of my reluctance to concede on anything.
I
guess congratulations are in order to the diary brigade.
The Stewart Centre organised a
couple of outings to
Foxton Beach in January
2009 and I was fortunate enough to go on one of them.
It was a glorious day
and the sun was shining brightly
as we came down onto the beach with the vans. Susan helped
me to get my shoes and
socks off and get down
to the ocean so I could walk in the
waves. It was the first time
in five years that my feet had touched the sea and I was quite moved as I
thought about this.
I spent some time collecting
shells and drift wood
off the beach to take back to the Centre as a reminder of my
time. I may even be able to use some of
it in an art piece.
I have
visited Foxton many times over the years. It is a bit of
an
old haunt
for me. I used to hang
out there a lot in my teenage years. At 17, I bought my
first car, a Ford Falcon, and I would often take the car
down to the beach on weekends.
The beach
trip was a great day out and I thoroughly
enjoyed myself. It gave
me many happy memories …. Beautiful!.
I recently made the long trek to
the South Island, driving to
Wellington then ferrying to
Picton, where we were
met
by my father and taken
to his place for a catch up and overnight stay.
We had travelled to
the South Island to attend my son’s graduation.
For
four years he has been
studying avionics at
Woodbourne Airforce Base in Blenheim.
We had an early start
on graduation day—up
at 7am, in order to be
at the Base by 9am.
Woodbourne is the Air Force's
only support base. Units at Woodbourne are responsible for
the training of recruits, initial officer training, trade
training and command training.
On arrival, we were given a tour
of the place which I
found interesting.
Woodbourne is the New Zealand Air Force's only support base.
Units there are responsible for the training of
recruits, and initial officer, trade and command training.
It is also the only heavy
maintenance facility for
the repair of aircraft airframes, engines and avionics
systems, so my son would
have had lots of hands-on training.
The graduation
ceremony only took a few
minutes and seemed to involve a lot of saluting, but it was
an
amazing achievement.
From
a class of 36, only six had made it through to graduation,
and I
was very proud that my son was one of the graduates.
Some of us
from the Stewart Centre
recently visited the
Palmerston North Library.
I have always loved
reading books and found
the visit tremendous.
We were given a brief
introduction to the library layout—
I think I am reasonably confident I can find the newspaper,
fiction, non-fiction and
reference sections now.
The other skill I have
gained is with using the
library’s computerised catalogue system to find books of
interest. I am still not very good around computers but
think with practice I could use the library computer system
to find a book on the shelf … well maybe!
The other thing I discovered
on our library trip was
that
I have a few unpaid fines for overdue books and I am
working to sort this out .
You may
recall my last article in the August newsletter, where I
mentioned an 8 week Pokerwork Course being run at the
Stewart Centre.
More
recently, the participants of that course, myself included,
attended a graduation ceremony of sorts, where we were
presented with ‘Certificates of Achievement’. I guess that
means we are now somewhat qualified as pyrographers.
We were
also given the opportunity to put together a Pokerwork
Exhibition at Square Edge. The exhibition lasted for a few
weeks and gave members of the general public an opportunity
to experience and enjoy our work.
It gave us
a genuine sense of pride to have our work on display in such
a public forum. The work was of a high standard and we
received a number of accolades from various respectable
quarters. An article about the event even managed to find
its way into the local newspaper.
Many
thanks to the Stewart Centre for developing my pokerworking
skills. I have always enjoyed etching my mark on wood. I
have my own distinct style, which I guess one could describe
as expressionist. It is very satisfying to see what
evolves.
In September, staff and clients
from the Manawatu Stewart Centre participated in a community
outing to Apiti.
The weather was perfect! The
sun was shining the whole time which made the scenery along
the way look so beautiful. It was great to get out into the
countryside for a change.
Once we arrived at Apiti we
visited Mageo Woodcrafts, which is run by a lovely couple,
George and Mavis.
George and Mavis make a living
by making and selling pokerworked items. This was of
interest to several of us who were doing a pokerwork course
at the Stewart Centre at the time. I was totally impressed
by the quality of the pokerwork. It was inspiring to see
such detailed artwork. It was a brilliant display. I was
also impressed by the way they worked as a team. George has
a large workshop where he prepares the wood ready for Mavis
to etch her artwork on.
As well as the crafts, George
and Mavis also have beautiful gardens, where we were able to
enjoy a lovely morning tea and scones. The garden was like a
little paradise. It was very interesting and had all kinds
of bits and pieces in it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the
outing. There was a very lovely atmosphere there.
Recently some of us from the
Stewart Centre went to Te Manawa to see an art exhibition of
New Zealand artists. There were a number of famous art
pieces, including several prints by Colin McCahon.
We spent quite a bit of time
discussing which paintings we liked and why. It was very
interesting how we all had such different tastes, which made
me realise that art is quite a personal thing and we relate
to it in different ways. Some of the artists were using
their art to make a statement about something like love,
war, religion etc. Other paintings didn’t seem to have a
message behind them but gave you a good feeling because of
the way they used colour or arranged shapes. One thing I
noticed with the paintings was that if you stood back from
them they seemed to show more depth.
I personally enjoyed all the
art work but my favourite piece was a painting called
Eclipse of the Moon. I liked the way the artist made use of
light and dark. The exhibition is well worth a look as there
is something for everyone.
I have always enjoyed working
on various projects in the wood workshop at the Stewart
Centre. Bruce is a great tutor and I have learned a lot from
him over the years. I was never any good at woodwork
before my accident. I always avoided it at school. Now it
is something I look forward to.
One of my recent projects is a
rimu coffee table, which I have just completed. I am
delighted with the way it has turned out. The grain has come
up really well. It was a commissioned piece for Terry and
I’m pleased to have made it for him.
By John
Broadbent
I work in the workshop at the
Stewart Centre on Monday mornings. I really enjoy the
opportunity to make things with my hands. My latest project
has been to construct a wooden stool (see picture on the
right).
This project has taught me a
few new skills. The legs were cut out using a jig saw and
the there are two decorative bungs on the sides which I made
using the lathe.
I have decided to make this
project available for sale, so if anyone is interested in
making a purchase contact the Centre.
A group of us at the Stewart
Centre join a Tai Chi group on Tuesday afternoons. Our
sessions usually start with a warm up and then a set of
Xigong exercises before we start our 24 Form Tai Chi Chuan.
I enjoy Tai Chi very much and
have found it is a great way to improve health and fitness
as well as relax. It is also quite challenging cognitively
as the moves require you to think about timing and body
position, as well as breathing.
In June the Manawatu Stewart
Centre held an exhibition at the Feilding Art Centre. This
was an opportunity for clients to display various pieces of
work made at the Stewart Centre.
Some of the exhibits included
wooden bowls, vases, toys, planter boxes, coffee trees, salt
and pepper shakers, dibbers and poker-worked bread boards,
as well as paintings, cards and modpodge.
I had several pieces in the
exhibition. Some of the ideas for these came from pictures
in a library book, others I designed myself. These were all
made on a wood lathe in the workshop at the Stewart Centre.
We have been using a brain
injury education package at the Centre called Hero’s Journey,
developed by Kit Malia
and Anne Brannigan in England.
The material uses
several analogies to present a variety of adventures,
challenges and insights relating to brain injury and
the rehabilitation process.
There has been good feedback
from clients who have been attending the group. It is a
privilege to hear them share their personal experiences and
expertise.
‘Hero’s
Journey has helped me understand my injury better. Learning
about how the brain can repair itself when it is damaged is
good news for me.’
‘There are
a lot of things I have learnt again since I had a brain
injury. I’m learning about the importance of practise, even
when it’s hard going. The more I practise doing things the
easier they become.’
‘Hero’s
Journey is a way of getting to know myself and others
better.’
‘Having a
brain injury really sucks. I never thought of myself as a
‘Hero’ before, but I guess anyone who survives a brain
injury is a Hero.’
We have all
been anxiously awaiting the completion of the brand new
activity room at the Manawatu Stewart Centre. It has been a
long journey of several years since the idea was first
raised. There have been many hours put into planning and
design, then building consent, fund raising and now
construction. Finally the dream for such an awesome facility
is becoming reality before our eyes and should be finished
sometime in September.
The room will be used for our
arts and crafts activities, pokerwork, games such as table
tennis, boccia and pool, brain gym and other group
activities. The extra space will free up our present dining
room and eliminate the need to constantly reorganise
furniture.
It has been interesting to
follow the construction process. There have been several
vehicles including diggers, concrete trucks and even cranes
coming up our driveway over the last few months.These have provided us with lots of entertainment as
we have watched the building taking shape. It will be
awesome to finally start using it!
In July, Manawatu Stewart
Centre staff, clients and their partners came together for
a mid-winter lunch at Breakers Café. We were able to sit at
one long table which made it easier to chat and feel part of
the group. There was a good variety of foodavailable off the menu, everything from seafood and
roast chicken to burgers and fries.Some people chose to have coffee and dessert.
It was good that my husband
John was able to join us. It was a nice treat for him and a
well deserved break from his hard work on the farm. It is
always nice to see others in a different environment from
the Stewart Centre. From the comments so far everyone seems
to have enjoyed themselves very much. I know I did.
I’m now working as
a resource assistant at Freyberg High School in the Craig
Centre, which is a learning facility for students with
special needs. It’s a job that myself and some people I know
never thought I’d do but I find it enjoyable and very,
very rewarding.
On the subject of
me getting a job, there is no way I could have got back into
theworkforce without the help and
guidance of all the staff at the Stewart Centre, so for that
help I’m truly grateful. I have tried to stay connected to
the Stewart Centre, working as a volunteer there on
occasions. This has become more difficult lately as I no
longer get a travel subsidy from ACC and find it difficult
to meet transport costs to make the long trek from Marton.
My days have
changed since I have been at work, I have been all over the
country attending workshops and seminars to do with my job.
So with that I’d like to say don’t think you can’t do
something, if I can go to university and then work in a
school, you can reach your goals and dreams too. All my
achievements required a positive attitude and a lot of
support and encouragement from the Stewart Centre. I’m still
around so you will probably see me when you least expect it.
My other big
news is I celebrated the big ‘Five 0’ on the 5th
August. Wow!
Turning 50! What an achievement! Mum put on a surprise party
for me at a local bar/café. There were people at the party
from all over the country and some I hadn’t seen for years,
big surprise! By the way we were very good and finished up
proceedings at a reasonable hour. It was all over by about
1.30, although I heard that some danced until 6.30, great
night!
As for the
weather, I hope no one has been flooded out or blown away in
the wild storms we’ve been having lately. Speaking of
wild
isn’t that how you feel about the price of petrol! Oh well
until next time look after yourselves and don’t forget there
is always a way to achieve your goals.
It is my
understanding that pokerwork (pyrography), the burning
of designs into wood and leather, goes back hundreds, if not
thousands of years.Archaeologists have discovered
household containers decorated with pokerwork designs in
Peru dating back to 700AD. Some speculators even say that
cavemen may have used charred sticks to draw on the walls of
their cavernous dwellings.
Why the
brief history lesson on pyrography then? Well, there is an
eight week Pokerwork Course currently running at the
Manawatu Stewart Centre. This takes place on a Wednesday
morning under the capable tutelage of Dave Morton, a skilled pyrographer
cum artist with several years experience. There are around a
dozen participants. Those enrolled include clients from the
Stewart Centre, a few people from the community and a
smattering of staff to keep an eye on us.
We have been
given the basic techniques, along with plenty of freedom to
experiment and come up with our own distinct creations. I
have been taken with the degree of skill and diversity
amongst the group. The pieces include caricatures, doodles,
patterns, symbols, abstract scribblings open to
interpretation, even a pair of life-like kea that appear to
jump out at one.
There has
also been mention of a field trip to a craft venue in Apiti
as part of the course. I believe they produce a number of
pokerworked items for sale. This is something to look
forward to in the next few weeks and should embolden our
creative juices.
Pokerwork is
something I have done before, and enjoyed. This course has
helped to hone my skills further and I look forward to many
more happy pokerworking hours to come.
The
Stewart Centre Christmas lunch for 2009 was celebrated in
style at Valentines Restaurant. The venue is popular with
several of us because it has a wide selection of good food
at a very reasonable price. Everyone I spoke with said they
had a wonderful time.
I couldn’t remember a lot about the recent Stewart Centre
trip to Ashhurst Domain until one of the staff reminded me,
and I saw the photographs. 
A
gathering, held on November 6, 2009, at the Stewart Centre,
West Street, Papaioea, marked the opening and commemoration
of our custom built activity wing, colloquially known as
You may
recall my last article in the August newsletter, where I
mentioned an 8 week Pokerwork Course being run at the
Stewart Centre.
In September, staff and clients
from the Manawatu Stewart Centre participated in a community
outing to Apiti. 
Recently some of us from the
Stewart Centre went to Te Manawa to see an art exhibition of
New Zealand artists. There were a number of famous art
pieces, including several prints by Colin McCahon.
I work in the workshop at the
Stewart Centre on Monday mornings. I really enjoy the
opportunity to make things with my hands. My latest project
has been to construct a wooden stool (see picture on the
right). 
We have been using a brain
injury education package at the Centre called 
l
been anxiously awaiting the completion of the brand new
activity room at the Manawatu Stewart Centre. It has been a
long journey of several years since the idea was first
raised. There have been many hours put into planning and
design, then building consent, fund raising and now
construction. Finally the dream for such an awesome facility
is becoming reality before our eyes and should be finished
sometime in September. 
Manawatu Stewart Centre Trust 2005,
All Rights Reserved