21 August, 2015
life+style The Weekend Sun 1
Destination furniture See page 2
THE WEEKEND
Featuring
Home & living | People | Art & creativity | Welcome home...
2
life+style The Weekend Sun 21 17August, March, 2015 2017
A furniture hub Furnishing from one destination
We’re all different. We know what we like and what we don’t like. It’s what makes us unique.
Photos: Bruca Barnard
It’s also what can make renovating a home, or buying new furniture so fun. Dad wants one of those as-seen-on-TV recliner chairs, the kids want something that’s going to stand out – and Mum wants luxury and style. Together they want great quality and value-for-money furniture. This could mean shopping at four different stores just to furnish the lounge! It can be a hard day’s work searching the city to find something that suits everybody’s style. But Furniture Hub at 12 Owens Place makes it possible. Take a right after Harvey Norman into Furniture Lane, where the new retail development, Furniture Hub, brings eight large home and living furniture retailers to the same address. That’s comfort, design, affordability and New Zealand-made furniture all in one place. With everything for the bedroom, lounge to flooring – you can almost furnish the entire home shopping at one destination.
Key tenants include Hunter Furniture, La-Z-Boy, Furniture Zone, Besp-oak Furniture, Forest Furniture, PK Furniture and Carpet Court. And there’s one store left to rent. Word on the street is that spot’s currently in negotiation with a large national retailer. Watch this space! For Mum’s luxury and stylish furniture find, she might like to visit Hunter Furniture. They’ve got more than 50 years’ experience in designing, customising, manufacturing and supplying quality furniture. With a wide selection of stylish contemporary and traditional product from lounge suites, dining furniture and cabinetry to bedroom and occasional furniture, Mum’s bound to find what she’s looking for. Or if she’s after a wooden work of art, Mum might like to browse in Besp-oak Furniture. They are the sole distributor for the United Kingdom’s premium brand of solid oak furniture that imports and sell direct. They open at the beginning of May. With more than 200 products on display in their showroom, Besp-oak’s furniture range will include dining, lounge, bedroom, kitchen and occasional furniture from traditional, mid-century and modern styles. Mum might also appreciate a look inside Forest Furniture, which offers the very best of New Zealand-made solid wood furniture. They have more than 500 designs for you to choose from in either pacific kauri or rimu standard designs, which can be modified to add or delete drawers if you’d like a different size. Dad can live life comfortably in his choice of chair from the La-Z-Boy range at the only store in Tauranga devoted entirely to the
internationally-acclaimed brand. They’ve got everything from sofas to lounge suites, power chairs, occasional furniture and a huge range of the famous recliner chairs. And for a family on a budget, Mum and Dad can choose from a range of great quality and value for money furniture from Furniture Zone and PK Furniture. Furniture Hub makes it easy to furnish your home, saving you time and energy. They’ve also got flooring covered. Carpet Court encourages you to take off your shoes and trust your feet to find the best flooring option for your home. They’ve got the latest looks in flooring from carpet, laminate and vinyl planks to tiles and timber. No more visiting five different shops at
five different locations to find your favourite was at the first store you visited. No more waiting days for online orders to arrive and find they won’t fit your space. And no more worries – you can see it all at one place. Find your furniture fit at Furniture Hub on Furniture Zoe Hunter Lane today.
17 March, 2017
life+style The Weekend Sun 3
A need for speed Bernie the boyracer They were slowing down from 250km/h. Don Watson in the lead, Bernie Gillon behind him and Peter Brock heading up the rear. Then it all went horribly wrong.
Photos: Tracy Hardy
Don’s car somersaulted, landing upside down on a safety wall on the Mount Panorama race circuit. A cloud of dust and smoke hid a mangled mess – the Commodore had become the tomb. Don Watson died on September 30, 1994, during a practice run for the Bathurst 1000. His brakes failed him on the fastest corner of the famous 1000km circuit, the Caltex Chase. Tauranga man Bernie Gillon almost saw the same fate. “Don’s car exploded with that much force a piece of his brake disc came up through the inside of his rim, out through the tyre, up through the mudguard, over his car and came straight through my windscreen,” says Bernie. “If it had been another half a metre to the right it would have taken my head off.” The driver behind Bernie, Peter Brock, died on a separate occasion. The 61-year-old was killed after skidding off a downhill left-hand bend of the Targa West 2006 rally on September 8 in Western Australia. It’s one of the reasons Bernie thanks his lucky stars. He was the man in the middle on September 30, 1994 – and the only one who lives to tell the tale. But the 59-year-old won’t give up speed. “Never.” “I don’t see it as taking risks, I see it as having fun. I think most people who are into adrenaline are all fatalists. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.” Bernie’s the face of speed – the Baypark Family
Speedway promoter. He was brought up with speed, petrol, oil and grease. Vehicles are in his vocabulary. The boyracer at heart grew up on a dairy farm in Pyes Pa – what’s now Kennedy Ridge was the Gillon family farm. “We were always making go karts, ripping around on the motorbike, driving tractors or doing something as a kid. I was always getting told off for going too fast.” A ride in a friend’s Formula V gave Bernie his first taste of speed in 1991. “I crewed for him for one year and he offered me a chance behind the wheel.” In 1992, Bernie was behind the wheel of a Holden VL Commodore and racing with the big guys in the Nissan Mobil 500 Wellington. “I was very fortunate with sponsorship and lucky enough to own some successful businesses [including Jennian Homes] in my racing career,” says Bernie. And soon came the podium finishes. “All of my successes have come from tarseal,” says Bernie. “The trophy I treasure the most is the trans-Tasman challenge – Australian and New Zealand’s top drivers. It’s always nice to bring silverware home from Australia.” His final trophy is from the V8 super cars Hamilton street race in 2009. “I was in the GT1 in my ‘Jag’.” Since then Bernie’s love for speed has been fuelled by super saloons, sprint cars, stock cars and mini stocks. “I definitely miss racing, but I get my buzz out of speedway.” He spends his days servicing, repairing and maintaining race cars at Flamecrusher in Greerton. At the back of the workshop is Bernie’s favourite project. “I’m restoring a 1964 Pontiac into basically an overpowered toy. I want to get it up to about 1000hp… just because I can. “It’s going to be satin black.” And there’ll be a match-
Bernie and Jack
ing side-car scooter with ‘Jack lives here’ painted on the side for his Great Dane mastiff-cross named Jack. We know him as Bernie from Baypark – but behind his need for speed is a joy of helping others. He’s a former Te Tuinga Whanau support services trustee and 14-year Waipuna Hospice Foundation Board member. “I’ve project-managed the hospice’s expan-
sions out at Te Puna Station Rd.” And as owner of the Jennian Homes group from 1991-2004, Bernie also built an elderly woman a new home after her uninsured property burned down while she was shopping. So if you see Bernie, give him a smile and he’ll give you one right back. “I was always told: “If someone doesn’t have one, give them one of yours!’” Zoe Hunter
FAST, G THRILLINN! ACTIO
4
17August, March, 2015 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 21
Performing on the slings Walking the high wire of life There’s a loud collective gasp as Keely Tyler-Dowd does ‘the drop’. It looks dangerous, potentially is dangerous. It’s guaranteed to set a couple of hundred little hearts pounding and leave an equal numbers of little faces wide-eyed and anxious. It’s a fundamental of the circus ring, the unexpected, the element of surprise; it never fails. “I love the audience,” says the aerialist and tightrope walker 21-year-old Keely Tyler-Dowd. “It’s the reason I do this.” And when she hears that gasp, or a clap, or a cheer, it’s her reward. Job done. ‘The drop’ is aerial acrobatics, a freefall from about three metres above the circus ring. The fall is arrested just a few centimetres from impact by slings, or silks as they are sometimes known. They’re suspended from the roof of the Big Top. And at the bottom of the fall Keely waits, hanging upside down in a pose, as an audience regathers itself. “That’s why they pay for their seat. There’s an expectation they will be excited, thrilled, scared, whatever, and have a laugh. “It puts the pressure on you.” Keely is a vivacious, carefree West Australian, who’s been camped up in a bright red-and-yellow caravan in the 11th Ave corner of Memorial Park recently. She belongs to a circus. The Aotearoa Circus. “I love it.” Keely Tyler-Dowd, aka ‘Sparkles.’ That’s a generic
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name. “All we aerialists are called ‘Sparkles’.” And Keely aka ‘Strong Woman’. “Because I used to throw another person over my shoulder and carry them into the ring. And also because I was at the base of a human pyramid.” Normally a job for the blokes. Apart from an explosive smile that would melt a man 10 metres back in the bleachers, she’s been blessed with beautifully set square shoulders. They’re eye-catchers. “A gymnast’s shoulders,” she explains proudly. And no, she wasn’t another muddled, messed-up, troubled teenager who ran away to join the circus. “When all my friends were deciding what they wanted to do at uni, I wanted to keep doing what I was doing.” That was gymnastics. And to turn that into a career she found circus. “I auditioned for the National Institute of Circus Arts at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. They love having gymnasts to teach all this cool circus stuff to.” It wasn’t an academic romp. There were papers in anatomy and biomechanics, arts management, physiology and technique and cultural theory and representation, amongst others. Three hundred units all told. So there’s more to circus than grease paint, candy floss and high wires. Keeley came out the other end with a degree – a Bachelor in Circus Arts. “It’s a silly piece of paper.” But it’s still a piece of paper. And it’s a very transportable piece of paper. The degree will eventually take her overseas – to Europe, to new circuses, to new places, for new experiences. “I was raised upside down and hanging onto things, hanging off things and doing flips and stuff.”
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17 March, 20172015 21 August,
life+style The Weekend Sun 5
“I was raised upside down and hanging onto things, hanging off things and doing flips and stuff”
Her parents owed a gymnastics club and are very supportive. “I just think about the audience and showing off to them. Here’s all the things that I can do.” And after just a couple of months of circus she’s already playing her audience. “If there are little girls and boys ringside when I do my slings act I wave and smile at them and they go all: ‘Oh my God.’ I can make them feel really special.” And they feel they know the circus girl, there’s a connection. “You can see them thinking: ‘She is waving at me’.” And even when the ringmaster announces her and she emerges from the curtain you can hear them go: ‘Wooow! She’s amazing, isn’t she beautiful?’ They get swept along in the moment.” And you can’t buy that satisfaction. You can’t put it in a pay packet. “That’s why I do it. It feels great.” By the very nature of a circus act, there will be mishaps. Keely didn’t wait long for hers. “It was the very first week of this tour in January. I was stepping off the tightrope onto the platform and crash. The high wire went down and the platform tipped up.” It wasn’t as planned and Keely had a very undignified landing. “I got a hell of a fright. I whacked my arm.” She had a few days out of the spotlight and was then straight back up on the tightrope. “I just forget about it when I am performing.” What about life outside the Big Top, the dynamics of circus people? “We spend 24/7 with each other. “We work, eat and play together. We have a good crew so I am pretty lucky. We all get the work done, we aren’t lazy and we share a sense of humour, we
Thinking of Selling? laugh a lot.” But she’s heard some “rough stories” from the past where people have been put in caravans together and things haven’t worked well. And this April 13 in Rotorua will be a special performance for Keely. It’s her 22nd birthday and Mum, Dad and three siblings are flying in from Perth to be ringside. “They’re all arty people too, we are all over the shop.” So 5000km of travel to hear the ringmaster introduce ‘Sparkles’, to watch their wee girl emerge into the spotlight, to see her teeter theare tightrope *Ouron fees 2.95%and up to ‘drop’ out of the sky on the slings andthereafter then take in1.95% $390,000 all the adulation. And love. And pride. + admin fee +There gst might even be 22 candles and a birthday cake when the Big Top empties out that night.
With low supply and high demand, wouldn’t you like to know what your property is worth in this current market? To experience the Mike Pero difference call us today. Photos: Tracy Hardy
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Mike Pero Real Estate Ltd Licensed REAA (2008)
Mike Pero Real Estate Ltd Licensed REAA (2008)
6
March,2015 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 2117August,
Finding hope in a home Stories of sorrow to success Rebecca and Nathan Christie have 11 children living with them this week. There could be another 11 there next week. Some stay for a week, some stay for a month, some will live there for years.
Sinead Roach, Rebecca Christie, Hilary Price, Zita Te Ahuru and Nathan Christie.
And they will leave little legacies – crayon drawings and letters all over their walls. It’s delightfully chaotic. “You can imagine the amount of washing,” says Sinead, the social worker at Homes of Hope. “When they’re all home it’s a very busy household.” It’s gone just after-school when Life+Style visits. One child’s chomping on what’s left in his lunchbox after forgetting to take it to school. The toddlers are getting their nappies changed and the older ones are kicking around a rugby ball in the backyard. What’s seems like organised chaos to anyone watching, it’s ‘home sweet home’ for these kids. Their names remain secret and their identity hidden – and for good reason. Life’s given them a difficult start.
They’ve been scarred by violent offending, physical abuse, family violence or neglect. But Homes of Hope has given them a safe and loving home for as long as they need one. A place where children can be children. And the team work together to provide love and care to them all, making sure they have a strong sense of belonging. Nathan and Rebecca Christie are there when they’ve written their name for the first time, when their first tooth falls out, or the first time they sit at a dinner table with a family. “Celebrating the little milestones is important,” says Sinead. “They finally feel like they belong somewhere, safe from harm. “You see how resilient they are after everything they have been through and yet they can still laugh and smile. “Some of them have come from not being able to show emotion because of trauma they’ve experienced, unable to express sadness or happiness – and then we begin to see them blossoming.” Sinead started volunteering at Homes of Hope in her second to last year at Tauranga Girls’ College. She left school to study social work at university and graduated with first-class honours. “I knew as soon as my journey started here; I knew that that’s where my heart and calling was. I feel humbled every day to walk alongside these children. “Often they’re so voiceless in our systems. I wanted to play a part in being a voice for our children,” says Sinead. “Advocacy is huge, and I’m very passionate about early intervention.” She’s professional, but also human. “It can be very hard,” says Sinead. There’s tears on a regular occasion.
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17 21 March, 2017 August, 2015
life+style The Weekend Sun 7
“They finally feel like they belong somewhere, safe from harm”
Homes for Hope support workers Trustis Kiel, Toni Welsh, and Michaela Tera help with the children’s homework.
witness to high levels of domestic violence and are as traumatised as if they’ve been physically violated themselves. “Our highest needs children have generally been those from highly volatile, dysfunctional families where we see violence as the significant issue.” But with the stories of sorrows comes stories of success. “Success is finding a Home for Life for our children,” says Sinead. It means a child will live with their extended family or a ‘forever’ family permanently. “If they’ve been with us for three or four years it is hard to then say goodbye. But we know we’ve been able to have a positive impact on their life when they’ve needed us. “And that’s what we always think about.” Success is when a child leaves the home to take their place in society as a confident, competent and fulfilled adult. “Young adults who have been in our care have returned time and time again and it’s absolutely wonderful and so encouraging to hear their stories and the impact Homes of Hope has had on them,” says Hilary. There are also the children who were given care and are now caregivers. “We have two young adults who were once children with us and are now working as support leaders,” says
Photos: Tracy Hardy
“There’s definitely moments when hearing our kids’ stories, it’s horrific. “But to know we can play a part in the healing of that is very special. “They’re life-changers for us too.” Homes of Hope has cared for more than 190 children since opening its first home in late June 2003. In this home, Nathan and Rebecca are supported by caregivers who come in each morning, afternoon and evening to lend a hand. Sinead supports the children and Zita Te Ahuru is practice manager. Then there’s the Mum of all Mums, Homes of Hope chief executive officer Hilary Price. Hilary has seen many children come and go since the first arrived in 2003. “They’re little heartbreakers,” says Hilary. “We’ve had some as young as six months old.” Some stay as little as one week. “But we’re not short-term emergency care, we’re what they call transitional care which provides support in a very stable environment for as long as it’s required.” Some have stayed for as long as six-and-a-half years. “Which is far too long but if there are no other options for them we would rather they be here with their brothers and sisters and they can remain in one stable place,” says Hilary. “There are some very extreme cases where our children have witnessed the worst of the worst,” says Hilary. She stops to take a breath. “This is hard.” It’s hard to hear. Violent offending, physical abuse, family violence, neglect. “We also find children who may not have been subjected to violence themselves but have been
Hilary. “One of our children, who is presently here, says he wants to come back when he’s big to do what we do and look after other children.” And there can never be enough helpers. There’s plenty of children, but not enough families to care for them. The trust’s homes are completely full. “We’ve had to turn away more than 30 children since 2016,” says Hilary.
“We urgently need to find new caregivers and raise the funds required to help many more children in Tauranga Moana who need us.” You can help by becoming a Friend of Homes of Hope and donate a small amount on a regular basis, make a donation, leave a gift, or volunteer to be part of the ongoing running of Zoe Hunter each home.
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life+style The Weekend Sun 21 August, 2015
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21 August, 2015
life+style The Weekend Sun 1
Destination furniture See page 2
THE WEEKEND
Featuring
Home & living | People | Art & creativity | Welcome home...
2
life+style The Weekend Sun 21 17August, March, 2015 2017
A furniture hub Furnishing from one destination
We’re all different. We know what we like and what we don’t like. It’s what makes us unique.
Photos: Bruca Barnard
It’s also what can make renovating a home, or buying new furniture so fun. Dad wants one of those as-seen-on-TV recliner chairs, the kids want something that’s going to stand out – and Mum wants luxury and style. Together they want great quality and value-for-money furniture. This could mean shopping at four different stores just to furnish the lounge! It can be a hard day’s work searching the city to find something that suits everybody’s style. But Furniture Hub at 12 Owens Place makes it possible. Take a right after Harvey Norman into Furniture Lane, where the new retail development, Furniture Hub, brings eight large home and living furniture retailers to the same address. That’s comfort, design, affordability and New Zealand-made furniture all in one place. With everything for the bedroom, lounge to flooring – you can almost furnish the entire home shopping at one destination.
Key tenants include Hunter Furniture, La-Z-Boy, Furniture Zone, Besp-oak Furniture, Forest Furniture, PK Furniture and Carpet Court. And there’s one store left to rent. Word on the street is that spot’s currently in negotiation with a large national retailer. Watch this space! For Mum’s luxury and stylish furniture find, she might like to visit Hunter Furniture. They’ve got more than 50 years’ experience in designing, customising, manufacturing and supplying quality furniture. With a wide selection of stylish contemporary and traditional product from lounge suites, dining furniture and cabinetry to bedroom and occasional furniture, Mum’s bound to find what she’s looking for. Or if she’s after a wooden work of art, Mum might like to browse in Besp-oak Furniture. They are the sole distributor for the United Kingdom’s premium brand of solid oak furniture that imports and sell direct. They open at the beginning of May. With more than 200 products on display in their showroom, Besp-oak’s furniture range will include dining, lounge, bedroom, kitchen and occasional furniture from traditional, mid-century and modern styles. Mum might also appreciate a look inside Forest Furniture, which offers the very best of New Zealand-made solid wood furniture. They have more than 500 designs for you to choose from in either pacific kauri or rimu standard designs, which can be modified to add or delete drawers if you’d like a different size. Dad can live life comfortably in his choice of chair from the La-Z-Boy range at the only store in Tauranga devoted entirely to the
internationally-acclaimed brand. They’ve got everything from sofas to lounge suites, power chairs, occasional furniture and a huge range of the famous recliner chairs. And for a family on a budget, Mum and Dad can choose from a range of great quality and value for money furniture from Furniture Zone and PK Furniture. Furniture Hub makes it easy to furnish your home, saving you time and energy. They’ve also got flooring covered. Carpet Court encourages you to take off your shoes and trust your feet to find the best flooring option for your home. They’ve got the latest looks in flooring from carpet, laminate and vinyl planks to tiles and timber. No more visiting five different shops at
five different locations to find your favourite was at the first store you visited. No more waiting days for online orders to arrive and find they won’t fit your space. And no more worries – you can see it all at one place. Find your furniture fit at Furniture Hub on Furniture Zoe Hunter Lane today.
17 March, 2017
life+style The Weekend Sun 3
A need for speed Bernie the boyracer They were slowing down from 250km/h. Don Watson in the lead, Bernie Gillon behind him and Peter Brock heading up the rear. Then it all went horribly wrong.
Photos: Tracy Hardy
Don’s car somersaulted, landing upside down on a safety wall on the Mount Panorama race circuit. A cloud of dust and smoke hid a mangled mess – the Commodore had become the tomb. Don Watson died on September 30, 1994, during a practice run for the Bathurst 1000. His brakes failed him on the fastest corner of the famous 1000km circuit, the Caltex Chase. Tauranga man Bernie Gillon almost saw the same fate. “Don’s car exploded with that much force a piece of his brake disc came up through the inside of his rim, out through the tyre, up through the mudguard, over his car and came straight through my windscreen,” says Bernie. “If it had been another half a metre to the right it would have taken my head off.” The driver behind Bernie, Peter Brock, died on a separate occasion. The 61-year-old was killed after skidding off a downhill left-hand bend of the Targa West 2006 rally on September 8 in Western Australia. It’s one of the reasons Bernie thanks his lucky stars. He was the man in the middle on September 30, 1994 – and the only one who lives to tell the tale. But the 59-year-old won’t give up speed. “Never.” “I don’t see it as taking risks, I see it as having fun. I think most people who are into adrenaline are all fatalists. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.” Bernie’s the face of speed – the Baypark Family
Speedway promoter. He was brought up with speed, petrol, oil and grease. Vehicles are in his vocabulary. The boyracer at heart grew up on a dairy farm in Pyes Pa – what’s now Kennedy Ridge was the Gillon family farm. “We were always making go karts, ripping around on the motorbike, driving tractors or doing something as a kid. I was always getting told off for going too fast.” A ride in a friend’s Formula V gave Bernie his first taste of speed in 1991. “I crewed for him for one year and he offered me a chance behind the wheel.” In 1992, Bernie was behind the wheel of a Holden VL Commodore and racing with the big guys in the Nissan Mobil 500 Wellington. “I was very fortunate with sponsorship and lucky enough to own some successful businesses [including Jennian Homes] in my racing career,” says Bernie. And soon came the podium finishes. “All of my successes have come from tarseal,” says Bernie. “The trophy I treasure the most is the trans-Tasman challenge – Australian and New Zealand’s top drivers. It’s always nice to bring silverware home from Australia.” His final trophy is from the V8 super cars Hamilton street race in 2009. “I was in the GT1 in my ‘Jag’.” Since then Bernie’s love for speed has been fuelled by super saloons, sprint cars, stock cars and mini stocks. “I definitely miss racing, but I get my buzz out of speedway.” He spends his days servicing, repairing and maintaining race cars at Flamecrusher in Greerton. At the back of the workshop is Bernie’s favourite project. “I’m restoring a 1964 Pontiac into basically an overpowered toy. I want to get it up to about 1000hp… just because I can. “It’s going to be satin black.” And there’ll be a match-
Bernie and Jack
ing side-car scooter with ‘Jack lives here’ painted on the side for his Great Dane mastiff-cross named Jack. We know him as Bernie from Baypark – but behind his need for speed is a joy of helping others. He’s a former Te Tuinga Whanau support services trustee and 14-year Waipuna Hospice Foundation Board member. “I’ve project-managed the hospice’s expan-
sions out at Te Puna Station Rd.” And as owner of the Jennian Homes group from 1991-2004, Bernie also built an elderly woman a new home after her uninsured property burned down while she was shopping. So if you see Bernie, give him a smile and he’ll give you one right back. “I was always told: “If someone doesn’t have one, give them one of yours!’” Zoe Hunter
FAST, G THRILLINN! ACTIO
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17August, March, 2015 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 21
Performing on the slings Walking the high wire of life There’s a loud collective gasp as Keely Tyler-Dowd does ‘the drop’. It looks dangerous, potentially is dangerous. It’s guaranteed to set a couple of hundred little hearts pounding and leave an equal numbers of little faces wide-eyed and anxious. It’s a fundamental of the circus ring, the unexpected, the element of surprise; it never fails. “I love the audience,” says the aerialist and tightrope walker 21-year-old Keely Tyler-Dowd. “It’s the reason I do this.” And when she hears that gasp, or a clap, or a cheer, it’s her reward. Job done. ‘The drop’ is aerial acrobatics, a freefall from about three metres above the circus ring. The fall is arrested just a few centimetres from impact by slings, or silks as they are sometimes known. They’re suspended from the roof of the Big Top. And at the bottom of the fall Keely waits, hanging upside down in a pose, as an audience regathers itself. “That’s why they pay for their seat. There’s an expectation they will be excited, thrilled, scared, whatever, and have a laugh. “It puts the pressure on you.” Keely is a vivacious, carefree West Australian, who’s been camped up in a bright red-and-yellow caravan in the 11th Ave corner of Memorial Park recently. She belongs to a circus. The Aotearoa Circus. “I love it.” Keely Tyler-Dowd, aka ‘Sparkles.’ That’s a generic
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name. “All we aerialists are called ‘Sparkles’.” And Keely aka ‘Strong Woman’. “Because I used to throw another person over my shoulder and carry them into the ring. And also because I was at the base of a human pyramid.” Normally a job for the blokes. Apart from an explosive smile that would melt a man 10 metres back in the bleachers, she’s been blessed with beautifully set square shoulders. They’re eye-catchers. “A gymnast’s shoulders,” she explains proudly. And no, she wasn’t another muddled, messed-up, troubled teenager who ran away to join the circus. “When all my friends were deciding what they wanted to do at uni, I wanted to keep doing what I was doing.” That was gymnastics. And to turn that into a career she found circus. “I auditioned for the National Institute of Circus Arts at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. They love having gymnasts to teach all this cool circus stuff to.” It wasn’t an academic romp. There were papers in anatomy and biomechanics, arts management, physiology and technique and cultural theory and representation, amongst others. Three hundred units all told. So there’s more to circus than grease paint, candy floss and high wires. Keeley came out the other end with a degree – a Bachelor in Circus Arts. “It’s a silly piece of paper.” But it’s still a piece of paper. And it’s a very transportable piece of paper. The degree will eventually take her overseas – to Europe, to new circuses, to new places, for new experiences. “I was raised upside down and hanging onto things, hanging off things and doing flips and stuff.”
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17 March, 20172015 21 August,
life+style The Weekend Sun 5
“I was raised upside down and hanging onto things, hanging off things and doing flips and stuff”
Her parents owed a gymnastics club and are very supportive. “I just think about the audience and showing off to them. Here’s all the things that I can do.” And after just a couple of months of circus she’s already playing her audience. “If there are little girls and boys ringside when I do my slings act I wave and smile at them and they go all: ‘Oh my God.’ I can make them feel really special.” And they feel they know the circus girl, there’s a connection. “You can see them thinking: ‘She is waving at me’.” And even when the ringmaster announces her and she emerges from the curtain you can hear them go: ‘Wooow! She’s amazing, isn’t she beautiful?’ They get swept along in the moment.” And you can’t buy that satisfaction. You can’t put it in a pay packet. “That’s why I do it. It feels great.” By the very nature of a circus act, there will be mishaps. Keely didn’t wait long for hers. “It was the very first week of this tour in January. I was stepping off the tightrope onto the platform and crash. The high wire went down and the platform tipped up.” It wasn’t as planned and Keely had a very undignified landing. “I got a hell of a fright. I whacked my arm.” She had a few days out of the spotlight and was then straight back up on the tightrope. “I just forget about it when I am performing.” What about life outside the Big Top, the dynamics of circus people? “We spend 24/7 with each other. “We work, eat and play together. We have a good crew so I am pretty lucky. We all get the work done, we aren’t lazy and we share a sense of humour, we
Thinking of Selling? laugh a lot.” But she’s heard some “rough stories” from the past where people have been put in caravans together and things haven’t worked well. And this April 13 in Rotorua will be a special performance for Keely. It’s her 22nd birthday and Mum, Dad and three siblings are flying in from Perth to be ringside. “They’re all arty people too, we are all over the shop.” So 5000km of travel to hear the ringmaster introduce ‘Sparkles’, to watch their wee girl emerge into the spotlight, to see her teeter theare tightrope *Ouron fees 2.95%and up to ‘drop’ out of the sky on the slings andthereafter then take in1.95% $390,000 all the adulation. And love. And pride. + admin fee +There gst might even be 22 candles and a birthday cake when the Big Top empties out that night.
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March,2015 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 2117August,
Finding hope in a home Stories of sorrow to success Rebecca and Nathan Christie have 11 children living with them this week. There could be another 11 there next week. Some stay for a week, some stay for a month, some will live there for years.
Sinead Roach, Rebecca Christie, Hilary Price, Zita Te Ahuru and Nathan Christie.
And they will leave little legacies – crayon drawings and letters all over their walls. It’s delightfully chaotic. “You can imagine the amount of washing,” says Sinead, the social worker at Homes of Hope. “When they’re all home it’s a very busy household.” It’s gone just after-school when Life+Style visits. One child’s chomping on what’s left in his lunchbox after forgetting to take it to school. The toddlers are getting their nappies changed and the older ones are kicking around a rugby ball in the backyard. What’s seems like organised chaos to anyone watching, it’s ‘home sweet home’ for these kids. Their names remain secret and their identity hidden – and for good reason. Life’s given them a difficult start.
They’ve been scarred by violent offending, physical abuse, family violence or neglect. But Homes of Hope has given them a safe and loving home for as long as they need one. A place where children can be children. And the team work together to provide love and care to them all, making sure they have a strong sense of belonging. Nathan and Rebecca Christie are there when they’ve written their name for the first time, when their first tooth falls out, or the first time they sit at a dinner table with a family. “Celebrating the little milestones is important,” says Sinead. “They finally feel like they belong somewhere, safe from harm. “You see how resilient they are after everything they have been through and yet they can still laugh and smile. “Some of them have come from not being able to show emotion because of trauma they’ve experienced, unable to express sadness or happiness – and then we begin to see them blossoming.” Sinead started volunteering at Homes of Hope in her second to last year at Tauranga Girls’ College. She left school to study social work at university and graduated with first-class honours. “I knew as soon as my journey started here; I knew that that’s where my heart and calling was. I feel humbled every day to walk alongside these children. “Often they’re so voiceless in our systems. I wanted to play a part in being a voice for our children,” says Sinead. “Advocacy is huge, and I’m very passionate about early intervention.” She’s professional, but also human. “It can be very hard,” says Sinead. There’s tears on a regular occasion.
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17 21 March, 2017 August, 2015
life+style The Weekend Sun 7
“They finally feel like they belong somewhere, safe from harm”
Homes for Hope support workers Trustis Kiel, Toni Welsh, and Michaela Tera help with the children’s homework.
witness to high levels of domestic violence and are as traumatised as if they’ve been physically violated themselves. “Our highest needs children have generally been those from highly volatile, dysfunctional families where we see violence as the significant issue.” But with the stories of sorrows comes stories of success. “Success is finding a Home for Life for our children,” says Sinead. It means a child will live with their extended family or a ‘forever’ family permanently. “If they’ve been with us for three or four years it is hard to then say goodbye. But we know we’ve been able to have a positive impact on their life when they’ve needed us. “And that’s what we always think about.” Success is when a child leaves the home to take their place in society as a confident, competent and fulfilled adult. “Young adults who have been in our care have returned time and time again and it’s absolutely wonderful and so encouraging to hear their stories and the impact Homes of Hope has had on them,” says Hilary. There are also the children who were given care and are now caregivers. “We have two young adults who were once children with us and are now working as support leaders,” says
Photos: Tracy Hardy
“There’s definitely moments when hearing our kids’ stories, it’s horrific. “But to know we can play a part in the healing of that is very special. “They’re life-changers for us too.” Homes of Hope has cared for more than 190 children since opening its first home in late June 2003. In this home, Nathan and Rebecca are supported by caregivers who come in each morning, afternoon and evening to lend a hand. Sinead supports the children and Zita Te Ahuru is practice manager. Then there’s the Mum of all Mums, Homes of Hope chief executive officer Hilary Price. Hilary has seen many children come and go since the first arrived in 2003. “They’re little heartbreakers,” says Hilary. “We’ve had some as young as six months old.” Some stay as little as one week. “But we’re not short-term emergency care, we’re what they call transitional care which provides support in a very stable environment for as long as it’s required.” Some have stayed for as long as six-and-a-half years. “Which is far too long but if there are no other options for them we would rather they be here with their brothers and sisters and they can remain in one stable place,” says Hilary. “There are some very extreme cases where our children have witnessed the worst of the worst,” says Hilary. She stops to take a breath. “This is hard.” It’s hard to hear. Violent offending, physical abuse, family violence, neglect. “We also find children who may not have been subjected to violence themselves but have been
Hilary. “One of our children, who is presently here, says he wants to come back when he’s big to do what we do and look after other children.” And there can never be enough helpers. There’s plenty of children, but not enough families to care for them. The trust’s homes are completely full. “We’ve had to turn away more than 30 children since 2016,” says Hilary.
“We urgently need to find new caregivers and raise the funds required to help many more children in Tauranga Moana who need us.” You can help by becoming a Friend of Homes of Hope and donate a small amount on a regular basis, make a donation, leave a gift, or volunteer to be part of the ongoing running of Zoe Hunter each home.
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