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Guardian
Ashburton
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 1879
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Truancy problem Snapped spine not keeping Terry down plagues Allenton
Liam narrowly misses out on top 12 By Sam Morton
Ashburton country singer Liam Kennedy-Clark has bowed out of the X Factor New Zealand, narrowly missing out on a place in the show’s top 12. In a shock exit, Kennedy-Clark was overlooked by judge Ruby Frost in favour of the soulful
By Myles Hume A worrying number of truant pupils has left Allenton School principal Graham Smith no choice but to get tough with parents who don’t see education as a priority for their children. Mr Smith said there is “a hard core group” of pupils who continue not to show at school, with some attendance rates as low as 65 per cent. It has forced Mr Smith and the school to review their truancy policy, with the school considering asking truancy agencies to intervene earlier. “I put attendance figures on reports, mention in the newsletters how important attendance is and even home visits seem to have made no difference, so we are starting to think about attendance protocol,” Mr Smith said. “What they (parents) are saying is ‘I don’t mind if my kid’s failing in education, it’s not a priority’.” Mr Smith believed Allenton School would not be the only Mid Canterbury school which had a problem with truancy, which had become more evident in his school since a new electronic attendance system was introduced. “My concern is that some parents think schooling is optional, it seems beyond belief that it’s parent-condoned at primary school ...
we get complaints saying children are making no progress but if you look at attendance you can see why.” Ashburton College conducted research last year which showed year 11 pupils whose attendance slipped below 83 per cent were more likely to fail NCEA. He said there appeared to be a shift in parenting, and children “could offer the easiest excuse” to get off school for the day. He had even been abused on the doorstep by some parents. And one pupil had not been back to school since the last day of term one. The school cannot contact the family, despite calls to a work number, emergency contact and home. “Some kids say they have a sniff and they can stay home, we try to be careful and caring as parents but you are also taking the opportunity away from children, some parents say their child is struggling but you look over a term and they have a 25 to 30 per cent nonattendance (rate).” Other culprits also included single parents who “wanted company”, parents who did not take their children to the doctor and families who organised holidays during the school term, Mr Smith said. It was about parents and the school working as a team to better the education of each child, he said.
House prices still rising House prices in Ashburton continue to inch their way up at a faster rate than in most parts of New Zealand. Over the past 12 months, the average price of a house sold in the Ashburton District has risen 9.4 per cent to hit $297,445. The rate of increase is the third fastest in the South Island, sitting just behind three areas of Christchurch where growth exceeded 10 per cent and Selwyn at 13.2 per cent. Canterbury and a dozen suburbs in Auckland were New Zealand’s top growth areas over the past year. Over the past three months house values in Ashburton have risen by 1.3 per cent. Valuer Daryl Taggart that in an area like Ashburton where sales volumes were not as high as a city,
the 12 month measure was a more accurate gauge of market change. “The good thing in Ashburton is that it is still affordable, homes are still good value for money,” he said. In talking with Ashburton sales agents, Mr Taggart said he believed the outlook in the property market was positive for the coming months. In common with most parts of New Zealand, Ashburton’s market was marked by a lack of listings, he said. Since the market peak in 2007, property values have risen 6.2 per cent in the Ashburton District. Nationally values have shown an upward movement of 4 per cent. The 12 month change in values averaged 7.1 per cent across New Zealand, with 1.3 per cent change over the past three months.
4.25
By Sue Newman One minute Terry O’Neill was pruning a tree; the next he was lying on the ground, his spine snapped in half. In a split second the life he knew was over and Terry was on his way to hospital on the first leg of a journey that would see him return home 98 days later, in a wheelchair, and incredibly, still smiling. The immediate aftermath is a blur, but there are moments of clarity – lying on the ground surrounded by concerned faces, being enclosed in bean bag wrapping as he was loaded into a helicopter. There was no panic, little pain. “The last thing I really remember is reaching up to grab a branch when I slipped. Then I was aware my legs were not working,” he said. An X-ray of his spine showed Terry the seriousness of his inju-
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told Kennedy-Clark she doubted his versatility in the competition, before delivering a gut-wrenching ‘no’. “It’s tough sitting down there and being told no, it’s a bit gutting,” the 15-year-old Ashburton College student said. “Playing the waiting game is harder than the performance itself.”
However, Frost made it clear her decision was extremely difficult, describing Kennedy-Clark as “so likeable” and “bringing smiles to everyone’s faces”, when he performs. In another disappointing blow, Kennedy-Clark missed out on a wildcard placing - as it was revealed one further act would make it through to the live shows.
Four months after he snapped his spine, forester Terry O’Neill is back home, back at work and back getting on with life.
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Whenua Patuwai, guitarist Benny Tipene and fellow Cantabrian Tom Batchelor. In his performance at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney, Kennedy-Clark clearly won the heart of international popstar Guy Sebastien, who described him as a special talent, but Frost clearly thought otherwise. In making her decision, Frost
ry. “I looked at the X-ray and thought, there go my legs. It was pretty black and white. I remember my surgeon coming in pretty early in the piece saying you’re not going to walk. He said he’s only seen one or two breaks like mine every two years.” With his spine fused with rods and screws, Terry was moved to Burwood Hospital to begin his life in a wheelchair. He took with him a determination to make the best of his changed life. “There was no point in looking back; it had to be ‘where to from here’? I knew from the start there was no hope of walking again.” Yes, there were black, bleak times and plenty of them, but Terry knew that getting home and back to work relied as much on his attitude and determination as it did on his Burwood team – his physio and occupational therapists, doctors and psychologists. Support from family, friends and workmates at the Ashburton
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District Council kept his spirits up, and fellow patients, many with extensive injuries, provided both motivation and inspiration. Those early days in Burwood were marked by exhaustion. Physical therapy and learning to live life from a wheelchair required every ounce of energy Terry had. He battled pain, broken ribs, muscle spasms and a crippling bout of pancreatitis but he refused to give up on his goal of rebuilding his life. “And as time wore on and things got better I started to think about going home. You have goal setting meetings with all your team and the end goal is always discharge.” Ninety-eight days later he achieved that goal. He’s home, driving again and is easing back into work. “Initially it was hard after having that network of people supporting you, but for the last four weeks I moved into a transition unit where I looked after myself. It was like living at home but
with staff in the background as a backstop.” Day by day he’s working out what he can and can’t do, the shortcuts he can make. And he’s accepting what his body and energy will and will not allow him to do. Day-to-day life means problem solving and planning. Yes, he still lives with pain, particularly when he’s been in his chair for several hours, but he’s learning to manage that and work around it. And while it’s unlikely he’ll ever walk again, Terry knows that ongoing research may create opportunities for him to stand upright again. Through it all, he says he is determined to look ahead and to grab the new opportunities that will open up. Being in a wheelchair, Terry says, doesn’t mean he’ll be giving up sport. He’s about to start working with a physio, intends to join a gym and start swimming and he’s rapt to have access to a specially adapted boat so he can row again.
But it wasn’t to be for the talented country singer and his X Factor journey has come to an end - finishing up in the top 24 acts - a remarkable achievement considering more than 6000 people auditioned for the competition earlier this year. The first live show will be staged at Auckland’s Vector Arena on Sunday.
Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 130513-TM-035
“I try to keep a positive state of mind. I remember a guy in Burwood telling me I looked too happy, but I’m not bitter and I’m not angry. I saw so many young people in Burwood and I think, at least I had almost 50 years walking around. Some of these are kids whose lives are just starting.” Terry’s been back home for two weeks. He’s regaining the 12 kilograms he lost and he’s focused on building up his upper body strength to make the transition to and from his wheelchair a little easier. “You have to take advantage of every opportunity you can get hold of. It’s a matter of trying to push yourself, trying to do as many new things as you can. In hospital it was great, your team was pushing you, now the motivation has to come from me. “I’m not looking back, I’m looking at what I can do and what I can enjoy. This is not going to stop me living.”
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