Raising money for unfunded cancer treatment
Jimmy Hawes and his wife Aurora arrived in Kerikeri two-and-a-half years ago. They are 32 and 31 respectively and were married last year. In the time he has been in the district, he has made a big impact on the small inline hockey community. He got to go to the national championships in Hamilton at the beginning of October, which is considered a substantial achievement for a relatively new hockey player.
He has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, with a tumour in his colon and cancer on most of his liver. The prognosis isn’t good, although there are some options. Chemotherapy may help, and there are some unfunded treatments that can improve his life expectancy.
That’s where the Stingrays come in. They are a Northland inline hockey team, and the members are putting together several forms of fundraisers. Spokeswoman Sasha Fraser-Nathan said the aim is to raise $20,000, which will fund one set of treatments for Jimmy.
“We are putting on a six-hour hockey game on December 3. The puck drops at 12pm, and we want to invite all of Kerikeri, Waipapa and even those further afield to come and cheer our Stingrays on,” she said.
Aurora Hawes, Jimmy’s wife, believes the Government rules about unfunded drugs not being allowed to be given in public hospitals should be changed. She says that’s where the largest cost is for most people.
“Maybe we can’t get this changed for James, but there are so many people in his situation, and the added stress and effort of having to make a second trip to Whangārei every two weeks because they won’t give the drug at the same clinic is both expensive and ridiculous,” she said.
“He obviously can’t be in two places at once.”
Kiwi books for children
Sonya Wilson, author and journalist, runs Kiwi Christmas Books, which organises the donation of new books for kids in need around New Zealand.
Donors buy a book and give it back to the bookshop, which collects them until mid-December. They are then given to local charities to donate to the children.
Russell, Paihia and Kerikeri post shops and book shops have recently joined the movement, as has Craniums in Whangarei.
The charity is aiming to deliver a record number of books into the hands of under-privileged kids this Christmas. It began as a personal project for Wilson in 2019, and has now grown to a fully-fledged nationwide charity. Last year saw 6670 brand new books gifted to families in
need or in crisis at Christmastime.
“All of the charities we work with are experiencing huge demand for their services,” says Wilson.
She founded the Kiwi Christmas Books project while studying creative writing at the University of Auckland. She realised what a difference books and reading can make to children’s lives, and wanted to address the fact that while some Kiwi kids grow up in houses filled with books, others, through no fault of their own, have none.
The Kiwi Christmas Books Campaign runs from November 1 until December 12, 2022.
● For more information, visit: www. kiwichristmasbooks.org.nz.
Rawene residency changes the script
A month spent in Rawene as the firstever creative-in-residence at The Church has seen changes to the script for Auckland-based playwright Geoffrey Clendon.
He has spent the past month researching and writing his play Te Whawhai Taake Kuri — The Dog Tax War while based at the former Rawene Methodist Church, which is listed as a Category 2 historic place by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
The month-long sojourn enabled the author to meet with people from the community who shared their stories and to research the Dog Tax war, which ultimately changed the shape of his project.
“The writing didn’t go down the track I had foreseen, but the result will be something stronger,” he says.
“The highlight of the residency was meeting these people and learning more about the Dog Tax war. Although I had carried out considerable research before I arrived in Rawene, what I learned while I was there deepened my knowledge and understanding on a more personal level. The result will be something much richer.”
Having a month to focus solely on the project has been hugely beneficial, according to Clendon. He is writing the play for a small cast, enabling it to tour around Te Tai
Tokerau and beyond.
The church building was recently restored with funding from the