Kids show soft spot for Kaikoura
As soon as the shaking stopped in the early morning of November 14, Carol Mullany knew she had to do something to help.
Instantly, her mind turned to the South Island children affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake. The Carterton woman was already used to sending boxes of soft toys to Christchurch kids each Christmas, so why not do the same for Kaikoura?
The next day, she set up a toy donation box at St Mary’s Primary School in the Wairarapa town.
The response was overwhelming. ’’I set the box up, and the numbers just kept growing and growing,’’ she said.
‘‘The kids donated, but so did St Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, friends ... it was just wonderful.’’
Before long, there were a staggering 625 soft toys ready to make their way to Kaikoura.
Local MP Ron Mark became involved, helping pave the way for the toys to reach their South Island destination.
The NZ First list MP said the community’s donations were impressive. ‘‘It’s an astonishing act of generosity, especially by the kids at St Mary’s.
‘‘They’re beloved toys and in very good condition. The kids had to make the tough decision to give them up for people who really needed them. It’s amazing to see.’’
The toy haul will soon be on its way, although whether it will get there by road or helicopter is still being decided.
What isn’t in doubt, though, is the happiness that the efforts of the small Carterton school will bring to Kaikoura’s shaken children.
‘‘Did I expect it to take off like this? No,’’ Mullany said. ’’I thought a couple of boxes would be great, let alone all this.’’
One child who donated was Maiah Purcell, 8. She said letting go of her toys was hard but thinking of what the children in Kaikoura were going through made her decision easier.
‘‘I felt sad to let my toys go, but happy for all the Kaikoura children that ... are going to feel happy because most of them have lost nearly everything they’ve had.’’