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Guardian
Ashburton
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 1879
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Two men airlifted out of Rakaia By Sam Morton Two Rakaia men had to be airlifted from their car roof after getting caught out in the Rakaia River. It is understood the men were attempting to cross the river mouth in a 4WD vehicle, but
came unstuck when the wheels stopped spinning and the truck ground to a halt, late on Friday night. The men clambered out of the vehicle and managed to get to the roof, before raising the alarm and waiting for assistance. The Rakaia Volunteer Fire Brigade, Rakaia Search and
Rescue, Ashburton Police and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter spotted the submerged vehicle – and saw the two men standing on the roof – stuck in the middle of the river. Station officer Tyrone Burrowes, of Rakaia, told the Guardian firefighters couldn’t access the river track and remained relatively
helpless in such a situation. Firefighters helped SAR members find the two men, before the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called into action. “The guys obviously got caught out, it was a tough time of night to be out, so it could have happened to anyone really. I guess, it’s a timely reminder to be cau-
tious when crossing rivers at any time,” Mr Burrowes said. “We took the guys back to the station, the police had a chat to them and we gave them a hot drink. It was just one of those things.” Senior Sergeant Grant Russell, of Ashburton, said police would not be taking the matter any fur-
ther and said it was unlikely the two men would be fined by the rescue helicopter service. “It’s not an offence getting stuck in the river, people cross rivers all the time. “I would have liked to think these men would have taken more responsibility for themselves, but as far as the police are
concerned, we won’t be taking it any further,” Mr Russell said. The two men were uninjured and aside from a slight shiver, the late night drama came to an end. The vehicle was retrieved the following day as it was too dark for emergency services to operate at the time.
Residents to be moved in Coldstream development By Sam Morton Five Coldstream Rest Home and Hospital residents are being moved out of the district temporarily to make way for a major development that will increase hospital beds at the home. Owner Vicki Green announced yesterday that eight hospital beds will be added, taking the total to 36, in a move Mrs Green believes will address long waiting lists in the district. But it may be a case of longterm gain means short-term pain for some families, as the five residents are being moved to the Geraldine Rest Home while building work gets under way. The development is restricted to just one wing. “All too frequently a resident requiring hospital care has had to be prepared to wait until a bed becomes available locally or to move to either Christchurch or Timaru,” she said. “The Canterbury District Health Board is fully supportive of our plans and the positive impact that this will have for hospital residents and their families, locally.”
While five residents in the wing will have to leave temporarily, four other residents will be relocated within the facility, resulting in steady change for all affected residents. Mrs Green said it was never pleasant telling residents they have to leave, but she remained positive about the future and pointed out at least two residents would not go to Geraldine. “It’s going to be very positive for Ashburton, there is always a need for more hospital beds and the residents and families were certainly very understanding of our reasons for expanding. “Following our meeting, some residents have opted to shift to Christchurch instead of Geraldine, so we will work with them and help make that as easy as possible for them,” Mrs Green said. Mrs Green added the expansion did not mean job cuts and pointed out her clinical staff assessed the residents on their needs to select the five residents required to leave the wing. The expansion is being carried out by a local building company and is expected to be completed by mid September.
Lauriston School principal Dianne Prendergast and her school are pleased with their latest Education Review Office report.
Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 270513-TM-001
ERO gives top marks to Lauriston School By Myles Hume Lauriston School has added another link to its impressive chain of reports from education watchdogs. The Education Review Office (ERO) recently published its latest report on the rural Mid Canterbury school, highlighting its string of success in a number of areas and acknowledging its “history of positive ERO reports”. Lauriston School principal Dianne Prendergast said she
was pleased with the assessors’ findings. “Even though we may have a history of good reports, ERO’s priorities and the ministry’s focus areas are always changing, we’ve been able to change and develop,” she said. The report pointed to a number of strengths including the strong relationships between pupils and teachers, and the school’s ability to keep parents “well informed” with their child’s progress. The report also found the
pupils played a big part in the direction of their learning, backed by the prominent use of ICT with tablets and computers. “A feature of this decision making is the key role students have in helping teachers to plan the content and direction of learning programmes,” the report said. Mrs Prendergast said the process was relatively stress-free for the school and her staff, put down to their confidence in their own ability and the open book approach by ERO assessors. “We know we are doing well,
but it’s good to have someone independent come in and give us constructive feedback.” Amid the glowing review, it also highlighted areas where the school could develop. Finding ways to promote bicultural learning and the success of Maori pupils was one of the main points, while the assessors also asked the school to identify priorities in its three-year longterm plan. It also asked the school to monitor all aspects of its curriculum, particularly in science
and other subjects that do not come under the national standards umbrella. Mrs Prendergast said the school was already putting steps in place to address areas that needed more work. “We have staff enrolled in a ministry contracted Te Reo programme, so we are trying things as we speak, and we are also doing some work in consulting with families and looking to do that more effectively.” ERO said it planned to visit the school in 2015.
Teen’s crime spree fuelled by synthetic cannabis
Coldstream Rest Home and Hospital.
Photo Kirsty Clay 270513-KC-008
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An Ashburton teenager has admitted smoking K2 (synthetic cannabis) and cannabis, prompting a crime spree which involved breaking in to a number of homes and businesses. Tyrone Laffey, who turned 18 last week, appeared before Judge Noel Walsh in the Ashburton District Court yesterday, to answer to six counts of burglary and theft, and intentional damage. Over the course of a week in February Laffey entered a number
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of homes, many in the Pages Road area, with the intent of stealing to fund his drug habit and buy food. On several occasions he entered homes where residents were sleeping and was disturbed twice in the act. He also stole cash and alcohol from the MSA, a number of items from a local motel, and lollies and soft drink from a supermarket, after climbing a security fence. When apprehended Laffey told police he needed money for food, after he was kicked out of home.
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Yesterday Judge Walsh questioned Laffey about his drug use. Laffey said he had been using cannabis since he was 13, and “got into K2” about the middle of last year. At the time of the offending he had been using a bag of K2 daily. “Your family wants you to sort it out – they are worried about you,” Judge Walsh said. He pointed to Laffey’s three previous convictions, relating to a driving offence, willful damage and assault.
“At just 18 your offending has escalated to breaking into dwellings committing burglaries,” he said. “Some of the occupants very lucky they didn’t bump into you, potentially it could have been much more serious.” Judge Walsh said the pre-sentence report gave him some idea of what was driving Laffey’s offending. “Some of the adults who were responsible for raising you let you down, and sadly you now have a
serious problem with alcohol and drugs.” He sentenced Laffey to three months community detention, on a strict curfew, and nine months intensive supervision with orders to undertake appropriate psychological counselling to address historic issues, and alcohol and drug assessment, complete counselling and treatment as directed. He must also complete 180 hours of community work, and make good $1228 worth of reparation.
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