Spinal Network News - August 2017

SNN
August 2017 Volume 20 Issue 2 ISSN 1175-4573
SPINAL NETWORK NEWS
The National Magazine of the New Zealand Spinal Trust
JAVA’S CYCLE AROUND
NEW ZEALAND TO RAISE
AWARENESS
ALAN PULLAR CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN A
WHEELCHAIR
QUENTIN SMITH MARKS TURNING 40 WITH AN
ADVENTURE
JOSEPH DE THIERRY BACK IN HIS HAPPY PLACE
NEELU JENNINGS ON CHANGING THE
PERCEPTION OF DISABILITY
| 1

CONTENTS
EDITORIAL TEAM
EDITORIAL....................................................................................... 3
HANS WOUTERS - FINDING FUTURES....................... 6
DON’T LOOK BACK - ALAN PULLAR
CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN A WHEELCHAIR .......... 8
ADVENTURE SOUGHT - QUENTIN SMITH.............. 12
NZST UPDATES............................................................................. 14
THE BAIL BULLETIN................................................................... 14
JAVA’S CYCLE THERAPY........................................................... 16
GETTING THROUGH IT - Q&A WITH
NEELUSHA JENNINGS............................................................. 18
THE HIGHLANDS EXPERIENCE....................................... 22
CONNECTING PEOPLE - DEBZ’S BLOG....................... 23
A SECOND CHANCE............................................................... 26
LIBRARY NEW EDITIONS....................................................... 28
FUNDERS & SPONSORS.......................................................... 31
SPINAL NETWORK NEWS is published by the NZ
Spinal Trust
Send your contributions to:
The Editor SPINAL NETWORK NEWS
c/- New Zealand Spinal Trust, Private Bag 4708,
Christchurch 8140
Tel: (03) 383 7540 Fax: (03) 383 7500
Email: peter.thornton@nzspinaltrust.org.nz
Web: www.nzspinaltrust.org.nz
DESIGN & LAYOUT: Melanie Evans
COPY PROOFING: Suzanne Reiser
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in SPINAL NETWORK NEWS
are those of its contributors. They do not necessarily
represent the opinion of the members of the Editorial
Committee or the policies of the New Zealand Spinal
Trust.
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
PETER THORNTON
Hi my name is Peter
Thornton, I am so proud to
be the editor of this great
magazine. I believe it is a
publication that has the power
to change lives, but it is only as
strong as the community who
support it. I encourage anyone
who is living with SCI to get
in touch and share their story.
We’d love to hear from you.
BERNADETTE CASSIDY
Hi, my name is Bernadette
Cassidy, I am part of the
wonderful Spinal Network
News Editorial Team.
As the Library & Design
Services Manager, I am
passionate about libraries
and how having access to
quality and timely information
empowers people ‘to reshape
their lives’.
SUZANNE REISER
Hi, my name is Suzanne Reiser,
and I am a former patient
of the Burwood Spinal Unit
where I spent 4½ months
with Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
I have since been involved
with volunteer work at the
BSU and am delighted to be
part of the editorial team.
Patrons of the
New Zealand
Spinal Trust,
Sir Tim Wallis
(left) and Trevor
Harrison (right).
Peter Thornton
Bernadette Cassidy
Hans Wouters
Johnny Bourke
Quentin Smith
Debz Edmonds
Mike Brown
2 |

EDITORIAL
GIVING YOUR LIFE A PLAN....
I can still remember the day I
first met David Galbraith. Here
he was, this lanky, languid, and
quite odd fella, up the front of
our conference room telling
stories and yarns with effortless
charm. There was something
endearing about him that
drew you in and made you listen. David is a renowned
sports psychologist in New Zealand. He has worked
with a number of Olympians; world No. 1 golfer, Lydia
Ko; World Cup-winning hero and former All Black,
Stephen Donald; the Chiefs rugby team; and many more
high-performing athletes looking for the all-important
edge. Now it is easy to be fooled by his black beanie, his
week-old stubble, and the jokes he tells about making his
daughter laugh by farting loudly, but this man’s appeal and
impact lie in how real he is. In fact, the best thing about
Galbraith is, he is a man of the people and, he has the
ability to inspire or create change which has far wider
appeal than simply the sporting elite.
David wrote a book called Unleashing Greatness: In
Sport and Life Through the Pathway of Courage, which
I read often and highly recommend. It is a how-to guide
for all people to unlock their potential. The key phrase in
the title is, living with courage and what he calls Pathway
1. David sums up all living into two pathways—either
you are living by Pathway 1: courage, or you are living
by Pathway 2: fear. Living in bravery and courage helps
you to focus on all the things you can achieve, and not
the things you can’t. It is up to you to read the book to
fully understand, and, it is a recent addition to the NZST
library. He challenges us think about where we want to
be in 10–20 years’ time in our dream job—or dream
anything really—and then further challenges us to go
and make it happen. He asks us to think about anyone in
the world to help us get there. And then, he challenges
us to call them and ask for them for a coffee and to be
our mentor! I was terrified by that idea. David asked me
what my mission statements and vision are as a person
and, how they define what I do. Everything I did going
forward would need to be consistent with these values
and also, every role I took would have to be aligned with
my end goal. I had no idea where to start.
The old saying that if you fail to plan, then you plan to
fail, comes to mind throughout his sessions. After our
time together, I went away and thought hard. I drafted
up who I wanted to be, the five pillars of me—family,
health, faith, sport, work—and how I was going to get
to the life I wanted. The life-plan I designed for myself
centres around two things: my mission statement of
‘Make a Difference’, and my mantra of ‘Never Give Up’.
My sessions with David made me stop and rethink my
priorities and how I was living my life. I, by no means,
have these sorted. I work too much, and I don’t do
nearly enough of the things that make me truly happy.
When I have time away, like I did recently, it is a chance
to reflect and assess how I’m doing. One of the biggest
things that I come back to is, the pursuit of happiness
and what I am doing every day to make sure I am happy
and living the life that I want.
David also introduced us to a man called Dr. John Kitchin
(who calls himself ‘Slomo’) who quit a medical career to
pursue his passion of rollerblading along the boardwalk
of San Diego’s Pacific Beach. Now at first glance you
think, this fella is a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but
then you realise he has it all figured out. Slomo does
what makes him happy every day. Every day. Check him
out on youtube.com “slo mo the man who skated right
off the grid.”
By society’s values, Dr. Kitchin had it all: successful career,
big house, new BMW, and tons of money. But, he was
miserable. So, he skated right off the grid, and found his
| 3

T
s
happiness gliding around San Diego on one foot like a
natural. Bystanders judge him as different, but he doesn’t
care. The most important thing is, he is happy, and, he is
free.
David’s philosophy or teachings came to me when we
were putting together this magazine and interviewing
the many great people who feature in it. Neelu Jennings
for example, a woman who lost 70 per cent of her sight;
who has completed Coast to Coasts; climbed Mount
Kilimanjaro; and participated in many more multisport
events. She lives by what she can do, not by what she
can’t. Courage. Joseph De Thierry has come back from
the brink—the man who fractured his spine in a fall,
returned to what he loves most: cross-fit training. It has
made him feel whole again. Courage. Quentin Smith
wrote a great piece in this magazine about the adventure
he sought to mark the milestone of turning 40. He
decided that he wanted to mark the occasion with an
adventure and chose a river journey. He overcame his
fear and was free. Courage. Alan Pullar, as of this year,
has spent 50 years in a wheelchair. Alan never accepted
his life would be limited; to his credit, he made his own
luck. He just got on with things and wasn’t ever going to
put his hand out for assistance—being independent was
always most important to him. Courage.
All of these people share the same bond of
determination to live the life that they want. Able-bodied
or disabled, it doesn’t matter—that is a huge challenge to
pull off. It never hurts to challenge your thinking to see
if you are living the life that you want. And, if you aren’t,
then what is stopping you?
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THE CEO’S COLUMN
FINDING FUTURES
“$1,000,000!”, she exclaimed.
“Almost,” I said, “Just south of it,
to be more correct.”
“I suppose the government
covers most of that?”, she
enquired.
“Well, they don’t actually cover
half of it; in fact, not even a quarter of it. Specifically, 17
percent of our expenses are met by the likes of ACC,
the Ministry of Health, and District Health Boards.” The
woman was certainly surprised and seemed annoyed this
was not the case.
It is one year since I became CEO, and I have had
numerous conversations just like the one above during
that time. It is a common misconception that we are
funded substantially by the government. I suppose it
is because the folk I speak with know us; place a high
value on what we do; and assume our government will
cover our costs. Besides, we are a part of the furniture
at the two spinal units so it is very easy to view us as
part of the DHBs. How someone perceives something
affects how they respond to it when called upon for
financial assistance. I am working proactively to ensure
that individuals and organisations who might consider
supporting us are aware of our key income statistics, as
this will most certainly change their perception of our
need, and perhaps, how they respond to it.
If our system is working well, all readers of the Spinal
Network News will have received our first ever
e-Newsletter in May. It has long been a dream of mine
to be able to provide all of the folks who know us with
a more regular update on our work. Our legendary
patron, Sir Tim Wallis, whom I had the great pleasure of
visiting recently, wrote a short introduction in our recent
E-Newsletter. Sir Tim has his 80th birthday in his sights
and, no doubt, will get there in good shape—after all,
he does swim lengths seven days a week! Thank you Sir
Tim and Lady Prue, for your ongoing support; we really
appreciate it!
Another dream of mine was to launch ‘Payroll Giving’.
Done. It is very easy and quick to do and, if 500 people
gave $2 per week it would raise $50,000. What’s more,
with the instant tax rebate, your pay would only be
reduced by $1.40. See the ‘Donate Now’ button on our
website for more details if you are interested in doing
this.
On my way back from visiting the Wallis family, I stopped
in to see our good friends at Ostler Wines in the
Waitaki Valley. Since 2008, through Ostler harvest picks,
Jim, Anne, Paul, and the Ostler crew, have raised over
$39,000 for Peer Support of patients with a spinal cord
impairment (SCI) in NZ! This is an incredibly generous
and extraordinary effort and, we felt it was time to
recognise and mark that with a special presentation
at this year’s harvest. It seemed quite appropriate
that a group of young French pickers were assisting
with the harvest and witnessed this special moment
of appreciation. If you like Pinot Noir, the ‘Caroline’s
Pinot Noir’ (of any vintage) will impress, but the 2015
Sir Tim with Hans Wouters, CEO of the NZST
6 |

Hans Wouters presents the “Chalice” to
Jim Jerram of Ostler Wines
Caroline’s was awarded a Gold Award and Trophy at the
International Wine Challenge in London this year.
One of the joys of being CEO is, fielding calls like
the ones I received recently from Darryl Park, of
Bealey’s Speight’s Ale House and The Bog Irish Bar in
Christchurch, and from Bryce Dinneen, founder of Wish
for Fish in the Bay of Plenty, with almost the same words:
“Hi Hans, I want to put on an event and raise some
money for you.” Both calls came out of the blue, and
both men and their teams were true to their word; put
in a lot of hard work, effort, and resources, and raised
some much-needed and unexpected funds for us.
Gentlemen, thank you so very much for believing in
what we believe in, and for reaching out through our
organisation to help Kiwis with an SCI find their future. If
you would like to raise funds for us, don’t forget this link:
www.nzstfun.org.nz because it is more fun when you do
an event for a worthy cause.
Finally, a quick note to say we are very excited about our
first ever National Appeal in September—it’s going to be
heaps of fun—more details on page 11.
Vehicle accidents; falls; sporting injuries; and illness, are
all common causes of spinal cord impairments. In a split
second, everything can change: your work situation;
your relationships; your health; your pastimes. Our
sole purpose is to assist with navigating this life-altering
experience and getting you back on track. To all our
supporters who make this possible, we simply and
sincerely say: thank you!
For More info Contact:
Speedy Snail Mobility
(Mobility Solutions Centre Dunedin)
Email: shanon@speedysnailmobility.co.nz
www.speedysnailmobility.co.nz
Ph 0277271471
| 7

DON’T LOOK
BACK
Alan Pullar with Hans Wouters during the interview at Alan’s home in Christchurch
Alan Pullar is a firm believer that you make your own luck in life.
The 71-year-old, who suffered a spinal cord injury (SCI) playing rugby at the age of 20,
celebrates a special milestone in 2017 of 50 years in a wheelchair. It is no mean feat and
he has lived a life less ordinary.
Pullar can still remember the day his life changed forever as if it were
yesterday. He was playing club rugby for South Canterbury’s Waimate, against
Celtic from Timaru. As a slightly-built young fella, who was mad about cricket
growing up and showed promise as an opening batsman and leg-spin bowler
for the Arno Cricket Club, Pullar weighed in at just nine-and-a-half stone
[60kg]. A natural flanker, he was thrust into the front row as a hooker with
two 16-stone [102kg] props, and held his own as a wide-ranging rake before
disaster struck.
“I know exactly what happened,” says Pullar of the fateful moment. He and
his two props were ready to pack into a scrum before half-time, but his locks
were not in. They were catching up but were too late. The opposition scrum
started moving forward and Pullar’s two props pulled him over—he could see
trouble coming. He hit his opposite’s shoulder with mighty force, and his feet
went flying up in the air because there were no locks to hold him down.
“My whole body just fizzed,” he says. “I said out loud: ‘I have broken my neck;
put me down on the ground!’” They lowered Pullar down to the ground and
the 20-year-old had a moment that he would never forget. Lying there in the
mud, Pullar could see a light at the end of a tunnel. His life flashed before his
eyes in black-and-white photos. He described it as an amazing experience.
8 |

As Pullar lay prone saying the Lord’s Prayer quietly to
himself, some of his team-mates got into a scrap with
the Celtic forwards as they felt their team-mate had
been the victim of foul play. When it all settled down,
they realised he was just a victim of bad luck. He is
not sure why, but Pullar remained calm and composed
throughout the whole ordeal.
He was fortunate, as his local GP, Dr. Eaton, was on
the sidelines that day and he came onto the field and
stabilised his spine. He had been a former Otago lockforward,
so he knew what to do in this situation. Pullar
remembers lying in hospital and having his rugby jersey
cut up the middle and his muddy boots being pulled
off. In his mind, he can clearly see Dr. Eaton saying to
his parents at the hospital: ‘This is pretty serious’. As
Dr. Eaton told his parents the likely scenarios for him
going forward with a spinal cord injury, he could see the
anguish on his parents’ faces. “I just knew that I was going
to have a hell of a job getting out of this,” he says of that
moment when it all dawned on him. It took him more
than a few days to get his head around the trauma but,
when he did, he drew a line in the sand. “I finally got into
a mind-set where I was getting my head around it,” says
Pullar. “I told myself: ‘I am going to get out of here in six
months, and I am never, ever, going to look backwards.
This is all going to be history.’ And from there on in, that
moment was history. I don’t even think about it.”
It was a response typical of his hard-nosed generation.
Pullar is a no-nonsense man, common to his era and
upbringing. He grew up on a farm and became a
businessman who lived by old school values. “Selfmotivation
goes a long way,” said Pullar. He believed his
motivation comes from the way he was brought up—he
grew up with five brothers and two sisters and, he was
in the middle of the pecking order. “You’ve got to duck
your head out of the way of your older brothers, and
the younger ones have to duck their heads,” he says.
“You weren’t frightened to lift your hand for work,
because if you didn’t, you got a belt over the ear. You
only questioned it once. We were all hard workers.”
One thing is clear from our hour-long chat at his
immaculate Christchurch home, Pullar is as stubborn as
he is determined. When his mind his made up, it is made
up. So, even as a young man, Pullar made up his mind
that he wasn’t going to put his hand up for assistance.
“You have to get on with life don’t you?,” he says all these
years later, explaining his mind-set. “When I got up on
my feet and was more able, then I made myself change
my mind straight away. There was no ACC; you had to
crawl to social welfare for any assistance, so I went back
to them and said: ‘I will row my own boat from here
on in.” That was that. Pullar focused on one day at a
time, making the most of his new life. There were many
people along the way who pointed out all the things that
| 9

he couldn’t do, but Pullar wasn’t listening. He believed his
life wasn’t over, and he set out to prove it. Pullar realised
the most important thing was getting back his fitness.
He said he was lucky he got his arms back. “I was a
quadriplegic but, I was better than a quadriplegic. I could
stand, but I couldn’t walk,” he says. Being able to stand
was a huge advantage for Pullar. It meant he could stand
and do the dishes. He could shuffle along the aisle on
an aeroplane. He could hold his own weight. He had his
independence.
Pullar stayed in hospital for as long as he could—as long
as he could see improvement. Then it was time to move
on. “It was hard to go back to Waimate after that and
twiddle my thumbs, so I had to start thinking,” Pullar says
about what he was going to do next. He would go on
to become a qualified plumber and was proud that he
was able to pass his final exam by dictating the answers
lying on his bed. He went on to work for a company in
Christchurch and loved the feeling of earning a wage.
Three years after his injury, he met a woman who would
change his life for the better. Pullar made his way to a
friend’s engagement party, which was around three years
after his spinal injury. He had had a girlfriend before his
injury, but he broke it off soon after as he could see that
it wasn’t going to be the same. When he was injured,
he had no thoughts of any relationships or prospects
whatsoever. “Marriage or a long-term relationship was
not going to be part of my life. I had resigned myself to
that fact,” he says in his dry tone. But a drunken party
in Waimate changed everything. He met an attractive
young nurse called Barbra; the two formed a special
friendship and only a few months later, they were
married. “Barb reckons that I wasn’t talked into it… but
it was pretty close to it,” he says with a laugh and the
smile of a joke that has been told many times. “It wasn’t
on my radar, so you can’t discount anything can you?”
Barbra and Alan have been married for 46 years this
year, and they have two daughters together, Jessica and
Emilie. He describes those moments as the highlights of
his life.
It wasn’t a long courtship, and they raised a few
eyebrows when they began building a house before
they got married. Pullar wasn’t working. He was still at
Polytech and it was only three-and-a-half years after his
injury. “It was 1971, and Barbra said we couldn’t afford
to build a house and I said we couldn’t afford not to,”
he says. “We had the house built by the time we got
married and it was one of the best things that I ever did.”
Alan and Barbra were part of the lucky generation to
benefit from a once-in-a-lifetime property boom. The
house they built at 56 Fern Drive, was completed for
$13,000. Many years later, they sold it for $49,000 and
purchased a place at Hartley Avenue for $68,000, which,
in July 2012, sold for $810,000. It was clear their first
home was a life-changing decision.
Alan and Barbra became reliant on each other and
Pullar said her moral and financial support enabled him
to do a lot of things that he never dreamed possible.
His memoirs tell of the time when they built their first
home and their mortgage was $49 per month based on
borrowings of $10,000, which worked out to be one
week’s pay. Barbra was the only one working before
Pullar began working at a steel department as a costing
clerk. After that, he attended Christchurch Polytechnic
and completed a certificate in business administration
which would prove helpful later in life.
“We had lot of fun back in
those days,” he says with a
twinkle in his eyes.
Nine years after his injury, in 1975, Alan and Barbra
went on their big OE. They lived in London for four
years and travelled throughout Europe in a campervan—
an automatic Volkswagen van with hand controls, which
helped Pullar go where he pleased. “We had a lot of fun
back in those days,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes. “I
have special memories of those times.” Pullar has written
a detailed memoir of his life and one of the notable
aspects of it is, the 158 pages recounting his adventures
never mention a wheelchair. The fact that they
sojourned through Austria, Germany, Greece, Denmark,
and Sweden, all the time free-camping, drinking, and
exploring, underline that there were few limits to what
they would take on. “It was significant to me—nothing
was a hurdle. There were steps and things like that, but
we generally got around any hurdles one way or another.
No mobility access back in those days...but we just got on
with it and went where we wanted to.”
When Alan and Barbra came back to New Zealand, a
couple of friends who had a construction business asked
him if he wanted to join them. He began working for
them part-time and proudly says he made quite a lot of
money. Part-time work became full-time, from 1980
until 1992, when his life would change once again. Sadly,
his independence took a body blow in 1992. He had an
operation on his neck—to alleviate the problem of a
cyst forming on his neck—which proved worse than his
original injury. It made Pullar, not a complete quadriplegic,
but close enough to it. “Then I wasn’t independent
anymore, which was hard to take…”
Never one to sit idle, Pullar started his own business
hiring out shipping containers for storage, while his
neck operation was pending in 1992. His Dad owned a
business, so he thinks that was probably an inspiration
for him. Starting this business turned out to be a
hugely significant decision. Three years ago, he sold
the company, which had grown exponentially across
Christchurch as well as in value. “It was enough to keep
the shareholders and our family very comfortable for
the rest of our lives. Everybody did extremely well out
of it. It was a nice conclusion to my business life.”
Pullar has been lucky. But, as he would say, you make
10 |

your own luck in life. He has never given up, even
through all the adversity life has thrown at him. His first
few days in the spinal unit following his rugby injury sum
up his attitude. He wouldn’t wait for the nurses to come
and get him out of bed. He was up before 7am, had
the keys to the gym, and was into his workout at 8am,
trying to improve. It is a lifetime ago, but a generation of
old-school values and determination have helped Pullar
live a fulfilling life. He has never made excuses and takes
huge pride in making the most of his life every day. “I was
never frightened to be seen in public in my wheelchair,
and that is something that people in wheelchairs have
to get over. I don’t care where I go. It has never worried
me. I have always wanted to get on with my life and that
has always been my attitude.”
Pullar was very matter-of-fact during our conversation.
That is who he is. He lights up when talking about his
past sporting glories before the accident; the fortunes he
made in his business life; and his wonderful family. Alan
Pullar marks a special milestone this year—50 years of a
fulfilling life in a wheelchair. It is one that he has achieved
because he’s never looked back and has had a good
woman by his side every day.
Alan with his daughter and grandchildren
| 11

ADVENTURE SOUGHT
Quentin Smith
Prior to my accident, I led the classic Wanaka outdoor
lifestyle: a typical week involved a couple of climbing
sessions; skiing on the weekends in winter; Thursdaynight
sailing in summer; mountain biking after work;
and chasing every available opportunity for paragliding
when the weather allowed. Weekends and longer breaks
usually involved something slightly more adventurous:
a tramping trip; climbing trip; kayaking; paragliding
competition; or any combination thereof. I wasn’t a
hard-core extremist, but I was certainly a committed
weekend-warrior and a solid all-rounder in the outdoors.
(Quentin is T12 paraplegic after he broke his back in
2008 in a paragliding accident) While I still get out and
about regularly, there is no question that adventure has
been harder to come by than before and, combined with
a young daughter, the more significant adventures have
been few and far between.
Nine years on from my injury, I was faced with the
somewhat daunting prospect of turning 40. I decided
pretty early on that I wanted to mark the occasion
with an adventure—the preferable kind being a river
journey. Campfires; good people; wild places; and
enough excitement and challenge, were the criteria. I
started planting the seed pretty early with friends, and
doing research and making enquiries. Casting the net
for keeners, there were some early outs, which left
me wondering if it was going to happen. The takers
dwindled, but those that remained certainly met the
second criteria, leaving us with a solid group of 10. The
Waiatoto River in the South Island became the goal.
Helicopter fly-in access; a wild and remote West Coast
valley; challenging grade-4 white water: it seemed to
have all the ingredients—should the weather and the
river levels play ball. The remnants of a cyclone charging
12 |
Quentin Smith & Allison Swintz

down the country seemed to threaten our plans, but
fortunately, it was spinning off towards the east leaving
settling weather in the west. We pushed back our fly-in
by a day, but the call was GO with a dropping river level
and improving forecast.
I was anxious leading up to this trip, more so that I had
been for quite a while. I kept telling myself that we had
all the right people, planning, and gear. But the nerves
continued, valid or not. It is easy to operate within
comfort levels; so much harder to really extend into the
unknown—particularly in an environment where your
independence is challenged and you are heavily reliant on
others to help. Waiting on the airstrip at Waiatoto for
the helicopter, the nerves continued. Is the water level
going to be okay? Is the weather going to hold? As the
arrangements stood, I was up first load into the chopper
and flying up the valley. Strangely, a massive sense of
relief came over me as the chopper departed, leaving us
completely in the wilderness: me, my wife, and Pete; no
gear, no food, nothing. Somehow, the anxiety lifted; we
were committed. No more to worry about, just execute.
The gear and the crew arrived in three more loads, and
there we were, 10 of us, and everything we needed to
get down the river. Stoke was high, as was the campfire
(check).
The following morning, we geared up and hit the river.
Pack up was easy with a proficient bunch—evidence
of a good and capable crew (check). Although starting
out was easy enough, Day One on the river proved to
be both challenging and exciting (check): the after-lunch
session of paddling requiring constant scouting and
aggressive paddling to hit the line down technical, but fun
white water, in an amazing wild setting. The challenge of
a fully-loaded raft with six people proved tough to get
around tight corners and chutes, with more than one
rapid being negotiated backwards—not completely at
our will! The river mellowed, just as the light was tiring,
to reveal an open flat where the Te Naihi River joins the
Waiatoto: another ideal camp-site for good company
and stories of the day and previous adventures.
Day Two on the river was a little less in terms of quantity
of rapids, but the river certainly didn’t let us go easy.
The last major rapid of the river—and probably its
most significant—is called the “Shark’s Fin”, which was
formed by a massive landslide crashing down into the
river gorge. The result is a steep and dramatic rapid that
drops a significant amount of height in some 100m or so
of distance. It did not disappoint, being a truly exciting
ride. The river then mellowed, and meandered through
a beautiful rocky gorge before opening slowly to the
coastal flats. The last couple of kilometres proved hard
work in slowing water, as we paddled on towards the
last of the day, retiring at a small boat-ramp just a stone’s
throw from the sea.
This was a trip that will go down as truly one to
remember! The perfect combination of great friends;
great campfires; wild places; and challenging and exciting
adventure made all the better by a perfect forecast. It
ticked all the boxes, and then some! Truly a mountainsto-the-sea
experience: from the back of Mt. Aspiring,
to the West Coast and the Tasman Sea. It was exactly
the adventure I sought to mark coming across the big
40, and it somehow made the age-passing much less
significant. It was also a timely and refreshing reminder
that pushing beyond your comfort zone and seeking
out the road less-travelled, is abundantly rewarding and
nourishing. You somehow come back a little better for
the experience. These things rarely satisfy the thirst, but
rather, heighten the desire for more. Watch this space…
Thanks to the crew that made it possible; Greenstone
Helicopters; MakingTrax for the raft seat; and Nana for
minding my daughter!
| 13

NZST UPDATES
NEWS FROM CONNECTING PEOPLE
Peer Support Coordinator, Brett Ladbrook, recently
made a trip to Southland and Central Otago to connect
people with spinal cord impairments (SCI) living in the
community there. He took a group out ten-pin bowling;
hosted a BBQ at his family home; organised a future
outing to pick blueberries at Blueberry Country; and
generally offered a friendly ear and advice where he
could. He also connected several individuals, one of
whom was recovering from surgery and looking for
advice on vehicle modifications. Brett met with 22
people with an SCI from Invercargill, Riverton, Otautau,
Tapanui, Gore, Kaitangata, and Bluff, and looks forward
to his next trip to connect with others. Thanks Brett,
great work!
Brett Ladbrook from Connecting People meeting the
Wanaka Group
Left to right Mike Brown with Samuel Bennett and
Cheryl McCabe at the Wish for Fish event
WISH FOR FISH SPINAL TRUST CHARITY RACE
NIGHT
A fantastic night was had by all at the sold-out Wish
For Fish Spinal Trust Charity Race Night on 16 June,
held at Addington Raceway in Christchurch. The food
was excellent, the company top-notch and, a significant
amount was raised to support people with spinal cord
injuries. Photos from the night are available via a link on
our Facebook page. Stay tuned for updates on how the
money will be spent.
THE BAIL BULLETIN
Kia ora from the BAIL team,
BAIL believes that it is vital for research to be meaningful
and make a difference. We support researchers to
engage with the consumers of their research through
the BAIL Consultation Committee, or BACC, for short.
BACC specialises in providing feedback on research
proposals from the perspective of people with livedexperience
of disability. The members of BACC are
people with various impairments, such as spinal cord
injury / impairment (SCI), chronic pain, or acquired brain
injury. Researchers doing any type of disability- or healthrelated
research, can send their proposals to BACC,
whose members will read the proposal and provide a
letter with feedback.
The whole point of BACC is, to better involve people
who live with various forms of disability, in the research
process. Historically, this hasn’t always been the case. For
a long time, people experiencing disability had little input
into the topics being researched or the design of the
research, and, were excluded from the research process
and from accessing the results of the research—even if
that research was meant to help them.
BACC has been operating for a number of years now,
and has successfully consulted on many proposals.
Researchers who have used the service have found it
improves their research, and members of the committee
have enjoyed being involved in the research process, and
learning about the details of how research is planned and
designed.
If you would like to know more about our BACC
service, please visit: www.burwood.org.nz/
ConsultationCommittee
Otherwise, if you would like to be more involved in any
aspects of research, please get in touch; we would love
to hear from you!
Kia kaha — stay strong, from the BAIL team
www.burwood.org.nz
14 |

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Java Katzur and Gareth Lynch
JAVA CYCLES THE LENGTH OF
NEW ZEALAND TO RAISE AWARENESS
Mike Brown
Witnessing the accident that left Gareth Lynch a
tetraplegic on 16 September 2016, had a profound
effect on Java Katzur, who we first discovered after
$2,525 mysteriously appeared in the New Zealand Spinal
Trust bank account. When I met with Java and Gareth
seven months later, I discovered how they have both
forged on in admirable ways.
Twenty-year-old Gareth has a gentle calmness about
him. I didn’t ask if this was always the case, but I suspect
so. “After a spinal cord injury, it’s really important not to
lose track of who you are as a person,” Gareth says with
typically laboured tetraplegic breathing, when asked what
advice he has for others in his situation. I knew about the
tragic irony of his accident—an engineering student who
miscalculated a jump. Something you might expect to
see in some jackass stunt. The media took the expected
finger-pointing route and, if we’re honest, most of us
did too. Gareth was 20 years old. His friends watched
him do it. Forget the disbelieving headshaking hindsight!
How’s he doing now?
Java, also 20, nearly backed out of the interview,
concerned it would be too painful for Gareth to talk
about his experience. It’s this empathy that prompted
her to cycle the length of New Zealand to raise
awareness of spinal cord injury. “I wanted to make
people more aware of the effect an accident like this
has on the people around the injured person.” What
an incredible way to do just that, particularly when you
consider Java had hardly ever ridden a bike, and didn’t
even own one!
Gareth stumbles briefly as he recalls the moments
directly after his accident. He recovers and describes the
fog of medications and the weeks of denial. “I thought
it would all come back to the way it was, like it had in
16 |

the past with other mishaps. But obviously, a spinal cord
injury is different.” “How’d you get through this time?” I
ask. “I got to meet with a lot of the people at Burwood,
including the New Zealand Spinal Trust, whose
information is invaluable. The community connections
they offer are such a crucial part of getting your life back
on track.”
We are sitting out in the open on the grass in front of
the University of Canterbury, which Gareth and Java
both attend. There’s a steady stream of students coming
and going—all blissfully unaware of course, like us all,
of what the future truly holds. Java reflects: “It affected
me more than I thought it would.” She also notes how
it affected their mutual friends who were also there at
the time. “I’d been thinking of doing this ride for a while,
but never really had the right reason to do it. Seeing the
effect it had on Gareth’s friends made me want to do
something”, Java says. “They told me about Java’s ride
when I was in intensive care in Christchurch Hospital
and I really wasn’t sure how to react given the enormity
of her undertaking,” Gareth recalls. I look over to see
Java visibly shrunken, her arms crossed, legs tucked up.
Clearly it’s still raw.
Java, who’s halfway through her B.A., says she trained
on an exercycle a few times before buying a bike and
jumping on a bus for Bluff. “A lot of my friends thought
I wouldn’t make it,” she laughs. “But my parents and
brother were supportive and helped drive me forward
when I didn’t find it easy. There was one point on the
South Island, between Wanaka and Omarama, where I
ran out of water—in no man’s land. That was hard”, she
says. And the most rewarding part of the journey for
Java? The long blissful moments of self-reflection? The
beautiful sunsets? “No, finishing it,” Java says honestly.
But quickly adds: “The people that donated, the extra
awareness I created, and how much I raised for the New
Zealand Spinal Trust were the best parts”. Java doesn’t
refer to her cycle trip as therapy, but I know from firsthand
experience how physical exercise, time spent alone
in the zone, and a lofty goal, can heal and transform. The
Java that stood at Cape Reinga was a different Java that
had set off from Bluff two months earlier.
As for Gareth, what helped him get to where he is
today? “Your life will always be what you make of it. If
you continue to set goals and work to achieve those
goals, you will blow yourself away. I mean the first few
weeks in a chair, I thought I’d never be able to lift my
arms. I thought I’d be this weak forever. Setting little
goals and taking note of when you achieve them, will
help you get back on track”, he says. When asked what
his proudest achievement is to date, he quickly shares,
“getting back into my university course and achieving
the same results as I had prior to my injury. With the
support of the community around you, you can really
achieve whatever you want to”. It’s at this point I feel
tingles on the back of my neck and I realise that both Java
and Gareth have an emotional intelligence that will serve
them both well in the years ahead.
Having a beer at the university bar afterwards feels like
we’ve all just come out of the hills from a month-long
climbing expedition. The physical and mental struggles
are behind us, and now we talk music, university parties,
and what our next grand adventures could be. “What
are you guys up to for the rest of the day,” I finally ask.
Our daydream is broken. “I’ve got a test tomorrow,” Java
laments; “and I’ve got an assignment due,” says Gareth
with a sigh. Clearly, being a tetraplegic or cycling the
length of New Zealand doesn’t excuse you from the
demands of university life. We say our farewells and split
in different directions.
Cape Reinga
Java on the road
| 17

Getting
through it
Q&A WITH
NEELUSHA
JENNINGS
Neelusha Jennings is taking on what she describes
as her biggest challenge yet. The 32-year-old
from Lower Hutt, who has lived with a disability
since the age of 16 when she lost 70 percent of
her sight due to a brain injury, has not let that
disability put barriers on her life.
She has competed in the World Para-Cycling
Champs in France; climbed Mount Aspiring; was
the first legally-blind person to complete the
Coast to Coast; and the Crazyman Multisport
event (all with support). ‘Neelu’ is passionate
about the acknowledgement that people who
live with impairments are given in political
processes. We caught up with her on her latest
and most important mission.
You’re creating a new model to better
incorporate disabled people in society. Tell me
a bit more about what the model is, and what
it involves.
NM: At the moment, we’re in a situation where
disabled people tend to be isolated and segregated
from society. I believe this is why disabled people
are not achieving. They do not have the same
access to grow and develop, which only comes
from having relationships in the community. Based
on my own experiences of sharing passions with
people in the community who support me to
undertake my adventures, I am now creating an
approach called Limitless with Support to enable
a platform to be created so disabled people can
connect with community members based on
shared passions.
18 |

The approach works at three levels: Individuals in the
community who are keen and passionate about an
activity or event, are paired up with people who share
that passion, but who need support to do it. We set
the platform for a relationship to form and for new
opportunities to develop. Community organisations,
such as sports and hobby clubs, will be the hosts. They
will modify their services to welcome disabled people
into their group. This may mean adapting equipment,
organisational practices, or even the way a sport is
played in a club, to allow disabled people to be included.
City Councils can also adopt the Limitless with Support
values, and, check that their urban environments are
conducive to Limitless with Support activities—this is
all about modifying their events, facilities, and services,
to ensure access for their disabled citizens. When these
three levels work together, a disabled person becomes
truly Limitless with Support. This can be about any area
of activity: sports; social; community events; a day out—
anything the person is interested in or passionate about.
For example: let’s say a disability service organisation
sees that a member of their organisation—a wheelchair
user—may be interested in kayaking, but there are no
opportunities to practise this passion in the disabled
arena. The disabled person is new to and unsure of the
sport, and unable to do it by themselves, so they contact
Limitless with Support. Limitless with Support connects
them to their local kayak club, which then connects them
with a passionate club member who would be happy to
kayak with the person in a double kayak. Surrounding
this relationship are a number of enablers: the City
Council will ensure that there are accessible boat ramps
that the wheelchair user can use to access the water.
The disability service organisation will provide support—
which could be accessing funding for transport, or
support for the disabled person to be involved in the
club. Community support could enable the club to
improve their equipment. Limitless with Support will
oversee the activity to ensure that the model is practised
appropriately. The relationship that the support person
and the new kayaker make, is just the beginning. The club
provides sustainability, as there may be other members
happy to paddle with the disabled kayaker.
Explain the background behind this model.
NM: I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. When I
worked at the Office for Disability Issues in the Ministry
of Social Development, I didn’t feel like we were ‘doing’
anything for disabled people; I felt like we were just
‘maintaining’ them—we weren’t growing or developing
them. I came out of that job with a sense of real urgency
to do something and make life better for disabled
people.
Who have you talked to this model about and, what’s
the feedback been like?
I have talked to many organisations about this. At the
moment, the only organisation which has committed
any resources to it is Hutt Council, which is funding us
to start a game called ‘integrated sit-volleyball’ which
involves all people, both disabled and able-bodied. All
players sit on the ground to play the game, and this
means there is no advantage to being ambulatory. It also
means people are playing on an equal basis and are in a
good place to make friendships based on their shared
passion for the game.
You’ve achieved a huge amount as a person with a
disability, but you’re a bit of a pioneer in this area
—do you see yourself as a good person to take this
forward?
NM: I do. I’ve lived the benefits of working in the
community. I am an example of what can be achieved
with support from passionate members of the
community. I see disabled people who want to get out
and do stuff, but they can’t without support, and they
don’t know where to get that support. So for me, it
really rings true that Limitless with Support is the way
to start to make the social change to integrate disabled
people into our communities and allow them more
choice in how they live their lives.
Tell us about your fondest memories of ‘being
out there and doing it’—out in the elements and
overcoming it with a disability?
NM: Sport in the outdoors is the most amazing arena
to learn a lot of the lessons of life really. I love that you
are responsible for yourself, and you are faced with
risks many times in everything you do; that you have to
evaluate the options and make decisions, and you have
to work with the people who are with you. I kind of feel
that the outdoors is a really great microcosm of life, and
| 19

I think it’s kind of an intense way of showing it. I guess I
think of climbing Mt Aspiring and the very last part of
the climb: the last five or 10 metres, it was so windy that
I couldn’t hear Gavin, my guide and climbing partner,
who was yelling at me, and I couldn’t hear what he was
saying. I realized that I was by myself and no one could
support me, as there was nobody else on the mountain.
I had to muster the courage and use all the skills and
knowledge and experience I had, to start climbing that
last pitch, and I wasn’t really sure if I was going the right
way. Even though it was well out of my comfort zone,
I had to believe it would work out. When I finally got
my courage up and did it, it was scary, but it went well
and I got to the summit! I guess what I want people to
take from this story is that, sometimes, stepping out of
your comfort zone is hard and scary, but it can lead to
amazing things!
What advice do you have to offer to others who have
a disability and are looking to achieve?
things I’d like to do, and just believing I can do them
and not letting people hold me back. And there will
be naysayers. There have been so many people who
tried to hold me back from so many of the missions I’ve
done, and what that means is, that I could’ve lost a lot
of faith in myself. As an adventurer, you’ve got to push
through and believe in yourself—back yourself, even
when others don’t. If it’s something you really want to do,
you’ll do it—you’ll do the training; you’ll seek the right
support; you’ll get the right resources in place; and do
the right planning for it to come true. And, I think part of
it is, you’ve got to have the right expertise: there are a lot
of ‘experts’ out there, but you’ve got to assess who the
‘right experts’ are to support you to be able to do what
you want to do. Being able to do the training is a big part
of it as well—you don’t just jump into something without
doing the hard yards to get there. And lastly, believe in
yourself 100 percent, and even when you are scared, just
keep believing.
NM: Dreaming is the first step. I’m a big dreamer; I love
to think about cool missions; I love to think about cool
20 |
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| 21
The Coloplast logo is a registered trademark of Coloplast A/S. © 2017-06 CON589-Consumer All rights reserved Coloplast Pty Ltd, PO Box 240, Mount Waverley, VIC 3149 Australia.
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20/06/2017 3:59:06 PM

WHEELCHAIR USERS CAN ENJOY AN
ADRENALINE-PUMPING RACE CAR EXPERIENCE
While on one of my Connecting People trips around
the South Island, I met up with the Wanaka crew at the
Retro Diner in the Warbirds and Wheels Museum for
our get-together. One of the guys suggested that I call
into Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, and ask
about fitting out one of their track cars with handcontrols
that people with disabilities could use.
I met Kynan, the Operations Manager, and asked him
if they would consider this. He came out and had a
look at my controls and said: Yeah, I think we can do
that. About a month later, he contacted me to ask how
they would go about this. So, thinking cap on, and a
few questions with the assessment people at Aotearoa
Driving Academy —they suggested a push-pull system
and to contact Craig Gardiner from Vehicle Adaptions
Ltd. in Belfast, Christchurch, for more advice. Craig
gave me a couple of controls and, off I went to a racemeeting
at Highlands to meet up with Kynan. He and
the mechanic had a look and said they would like to fit
it them themselves. What’s the next step?" Highlands
asked. I caught up with Craig again, and he got some
parts together. A week later, while he was on holiday
down at Cromwell, he showed Highlands what was
required.
Two months later, I got a call to go down and try them
out. Well, enough said. I jumped in my mate's Merc,
and we drove down to give it a go. It was much easier
to drive than I thought. I did think the steering would
be heavier, and the car harder to control. It was just like
driving a car on the road—only a bit noisier, a bit faster,
and with a lot more braking power. It really was a great
adrenaline rush. Driving fast on a track is such an intense
experience for someone who has never done it before.
Josie, the Chief Operations Manager at Highlands, got
hold of a friend at TV1 News, and I was asked to go
down with some other people in wheelchairs to give it a
go. Everyone found it a great experience and we were
all featured on TV1 News later that week.
If you’re heading down that way, do check out Highlands
Motorsport Park—it’s an incredible facility!
www.highlands.co.nz
22 |

CONNECTING PEOPLE
Debz’s Blog
I recently watched an episode of the Sunday morning TV
programme, Attitude, that was created around Claire
Freeman’s personal journey to the present point where
she is living a life with real zest and purpose. In my view,
Claire, (a friend of mine and of the NZST) has always
had a certain sparkle, and has always had an amazing
potential to be a mesmerizing leader. She just hadn’t as
yet, got to the place where she could see the effect she
could have on people to empower and inspire them;
but, now that she gets it, she just glows with positive
energy—it is so heart-warming and enjoyable to see…
and isn’t this often the way? We see potential in others
that is often invisible to us about ourselves. Someone
said to me recently, “Debz, you don’t know what you
don’t know!” Anyway, I digress.
This drew me to thoughts around how all of us process
things in our own unique way and in our own good
time. There is no right or wrong way. We arrive at
unexpected experiences, such as a traumatic SCI, with
a different set of views and judgements, depending on
our previous life experiences. Starting from when we
are very small, we learn different ways of coping that are
formed through our unique experience of all the events
in our life. We find a way to survive life and protect
ourselves; this affects the judgements and decisions
that we make; it becomes our reference point (default
setting). This can affect our interpretation of anything
that happens to us from that day forward and stop us
from seeing that we are limiting ourselves by this. It is in
the nature of being human. It is a survival mechanism—
it colours everything negatively depending on how it
serves us.
For example, I have been afraid of speaking up in
front of people and sharing my opinions. The thought
of public speaking, in particular, created anxiety that
had me frozen in fear. This comes from a time when
I spoke up at school in front of the class and got it
wrong—I felt embarrassed and stupid, so I decided in
that moment that that would not happen to me again,
and I stopped speaking up in front of people for fear of
making a mistake. This stuck with me all my life, until
recently, when I learned that I had made up a ‘narrative’
in my mind about that: that I was stupid, and that I
shouldn’t risk speaking my thoughts in front of anyone
for fear of being wrong... WOW! Living this narrative
has affected every aspect of how I have been in my life;
what I believed about myself and, what I thought I could
achieve. It has been huge. I have avoided being involved
with anything where I might be put on the spot to share
my thoughts or opinions; where I might look stupid. I
became whoever people needed me to be so I would
fit in and not stand out... when, in reality, it was all based
on a narrative or story in my mind, and not true: I am
not stupid and, it is ok to make mistakes, have my own
opinions, and not always be right. Thomas Edison once
said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that
won’t work.” I have now realised how absurd it is that
I made a decision at age five, and lived the narrative of
that decision until I was 58 years old! Now, I get that my
concerns were not real; therefore, I am not limited by
them and I feel free. It is just so awesome to feel so free
of that old story! Now, I can create a new way of being.
I am excited, so watch this space!
What I’ve been talking about here is like people
believing, from some preconceived idea or judgement
they’ve made, that losing the ability to walk, and the
associated symptoms, means they have no value: that if
they can’t do what they did before and have to do things
differently, or need to ask for assistance, they have less
value and life will never be ok again! That is just simply
so not true—there are so many people out there living
amazing, fulfilling, and satisfying, joy-filled lives brimming
with purpose and value.
| 23

We need to drop the attitudes and mind-set (narratives)
that keep us stuck in a space and, see what is possible
when we open ourselves up to being open and honest
with ourselves—to let go of that which is holding us
back... we resist what persists. We need to choose that
what is, is what is, and live in the now—life is full of
possibilities. Ultimately, we are in control of ourselves
and how we choose to see things. When we go through
a traumatic, life-altering event, all these patterns of
being that we have come to know and have relied upon,
will come into play, and we will view our ‘possibility’
through this lens. I think this is why people process their
grief differently; there is no right or wrong. Grieving is
natural, understandable, necessary, and very human.
So, what can we do to help ourselves choose our new
way of being and be open to seeing what is possible in
our lives? I have been thinking about this a lot, as I really
want to be able to help people in this journey. I would
love to hear from you about what works for you and,
even what doesn’t work.
My thoughts around this are, that we need to recognize
that we have the power to look at ourselves, at how we
judge others, and at how this could be limiting us. I am
not saying that we all do this, but if we do, then maybe
we need to take an honest look at ourselves. If we can
be open to the view that life is full of possibility and, take
responsibility for our thoughts, actions, and reactions, by
trying to find out where they are coming from and what
happened to us to create our way of viewing life and
people; then it should be possible to separate out the
thoughts/attitudes and ways of being that limit us, and
create a place where we can see clearly what is actually
happening, not what we think might happen. Then, we
have the potential to open our mind up to look at things
in a different way, without the limits our beliefs had put
on us previously, and see a life full of possibilities.
I would really love to hear from you and start an open
and frank discussion on this topic. I want to figure out
a way we can help show people that, although life is
definitely different and has different challenges following
on from an SCI, life can still be great; that we all have
value; that life is full of possibilities and, that we are in
control of our own destiny. My team and I are here to
help with this; we have lived experience of spinal cord
impairment; we are all survivors and, we care and want
to assist people to live great lives full of purpose and joy.
24 |

What does a TAiQ powerchair
have in common with..
TA the new standard
see the answers below and ask us for a hot lap
www.mortonperry.co.nz
0800 238-523
sales@mortonperry.co.nz
As low as a Ferrari. All TA powerchairs have the lowest ground to seat height at only 38cm/15” with
electric hilow seat function as standard. Anytime, anywhere sit with ease under a table or desk.
Answers: TA versus other powerchairs
A ride as soft and sweet as a marshmallow. Experience the difference for yourself over
uneven terrain or kerbs.
View our videos at www.mortonperry.co.nz/mobility-ta-iq.html or scan the QR code with
your smartphone.
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Joseph De Thierry with coach Mike Hynard (right)
A SECOND CHANCE
Joseph De Thierry is determined to make the most of his second chance at life.
The 44-year-old from Auckland fell from a 1.5m wall in
September 2015 and, moments later, he was rushed off
to Middlemore Hospital in an ambulance with a serious
spinal cord injury (SCI). De Thierry has a four-year-old
daughter, Honey Dew, who was two when the accident
happened. He remembers lying in a hospital bed staring
at the ceiling, and all he could think about was his little
girl. “I was lying there feeling hopeless and sorry for
myself, and I was crying,” he reflects. “All I was thinking
about was her, and wondering if it would ever be the
same again. All of these emotions were running through
me and I just prayed to God, and says: ‘Lord, please give
me another chance’.”
De Thierry has clear, and blurry memories, of the
defining day in his life. He fell from the height and the
next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground and
couldn’t move. “It was quite scary,” he says. “I could
move my head and that was it. I was lying there and I
tried to move my body, but then I realised that I couldn’t
do anything. I couldn’t believe it. I was in total shock.
When you can’t move, it is indescribable. It started to hit
me when the ambulance got there to pick me up—that
is when I realised there was something seriously wrong.”
Something was seriously wrong. De Thierry had
fractured his spine at C4 and his life, as he knew it, was
over. Or so he was told. De Thierry, who was a team
manager for Goodman Fielder having worked there for
21 years, took redundancy after his injury. He spent
the next two years going from physiotherapy to his
powerchair and is now, after months of hard work, back
walking again with two crutches, and also uses a manual
chair. “Seventeen months after the injury I walked again
for the first time, and it was an incredible moment,” he
says.
De Thierry was big into CrossFit before his injury. He
has now found CrossFit adaptive exercise with an
amazing coach at Les Mills: Michael Hynard. “When I
first got to train again, I shed a tear,” he says. He loves
everything about CrossFit—from the simplest things, like
doing press-ups; lifting weights again; or doing pull-ups
26 |

on a rope. De Thierry was like a kid in a playground—
taking it all in for the first time. It has given him a
renewed sense of self-esteem. “I feel so much stronger
again. It gives me a lot of hope. I can’t find the words to
describe how much it means to me.”
Every morning, he starts the day with a quiet prayer of
thanks. “I have a quiet few words to God, and I thank
him every day for where I am at. I am so thankful to get
a second chance. It has given me the chance to be with
Honey Dew; to see her grow up and to hold her hand
and, three years down the track from the injury, I get to
do all of those things.” De Thierry says he never takes
hanging out with Honey Dew for granted. His family just
celebrated her fourth birthday, and it was a time when
he reflected on how far he has come. “She is my special
little girl and I am so grateful for the life that I have ahead
with her.” De Thierry always believed in God deep
down, but his faith is much stronger after his accident
and what he has been through. The adversity has given
him a reality check on how precious life is. “We tend to
take things for granted until something like this happens.
Now, my faith is very strong.”
De Thierry says his Les Mills personal trainer, Hynard,
has played a leading role in his recovery. He says the
trainer, who has 23 years of experience, has got a knack
for inspiring people. “He makes you believe in yourself
again. As hard as things are with the training, and
obviously it is much harder than it used to be, he gives
you that belief through the way he talks and the way he
makes you feel. It blows me away. I am inspired to be
around him. He gets really excited seeing some of the
things that we do too. He gets more emotional than we
do; he loves to see us achieve.”
De Thierry loves the camaraderie of Adaptive CrossFit
at Les Mills. He trains with a number of guys who are
half his age, and he feels like the elder statesman. “I am
the wiser one,” he says with a laugh. “They are always
pushing me and challenging me, which is good for me
because I don’t mind giving it back, you know?” De
Thierry loves his training so much that he gets there
early and watches other athletes lifting weights. It gets
him all hyped-up and he gets an adrenaline rush from
watching people push themselves. “Mentally, I have
always been strong,” he says. “When I was an ablebodied
athlete I would do CrossFit and really push
myself. The mental edge was always there so, when I got
back to training, it didn’t take long for it to come back.”
De Thierry believes that his love of CrossFit and getting
physically and mentally strong, will help in other areas of
his life. He is looking to get back into employment. He
is a natural motivator and would love to work in social
work or advising young people. He has simple advice
for anyone who has suffered a spinal cord injury and is
adjusting to their new life. “I would say to them: Your
life is different. You have had an injury and your life has
changed, but it doesn’t have to mean it has changed for
the worse. It can be as good as you want it to be. It
depends on what you want to do with your life.” He
talked to some other patients recently and told them
that he wouldn’t change a thing. “My life is different,
yeah, I know that. But my life is probably 10 times better
than it was before, because what I’ve been through with
my injury has made me so much stronger and made
me look at life differently. You can either feel sorry for
yourself and think, ‘I can’t do this; I can’t do that.’ Or, you
could look at the flipside and say, ‘Yeah, my life is different
since my accident, but there are so many new challenges
out there and you don’t know what you can do now.’ I
am excited about the future. Yes, I am nervous and a bit
scared, but at the end of the day, that is normal because
it is all new. It will be ok.”
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NEW ADDITIONS AUGUST 2017
CHECK OUT THESE GREAT BOOKS!
These items, and much more, are available to borrow for free! Not a member? It’s free to join; just phone the
library on: 03 383 9484 (Ext. 99484) or email us at: abclibrary@nzspinaltrust.org.nz
WHERE MEMORIES GO: WHY DEMENTIA CHANGES EVERYTHING, BY SALLY MAGNUSSON.
HODDER & STOUGHTON (2014)
Scottish broadcaster and author Sally Magnusson’s bestselling memoir of caring (with her two
sisters) for their mother Mamie during many years of living with dementia. Sad and funny, wise and
honest, this deeply intimate account of insidious losses and unexpected joys is also a call to arms that
challenges us all to think differently about how we cope with a disease like dementia and care for our
loved ones.
ESSENTIALS OF CEREBELLUM AND CEREBELLAR DISORDERS, EDITED BY
DONNA L GRUOL ET AL. (2017)
Essentials of the Cerebellum and Cerebellar Disorders is the first book of its kind written
specifically for clinicians and graduate students. Essentials provides a solid grounding in the field
of cerebellar research and ataxiology from cerebellar circuity to clinical practice, and it serves as
a springboard to a deeper appreciation of both the principles and the complexities of cerebellar
neurobiology.
A WORLD OF HURT: A GUIDE TO CLASSIFYING PAIN, BY MELISSA KOLSKI AND ANNIE
O’CONNOR. THOMAS LAND PUBLISHERS, 2015
Utilizing a combination of two proven pain classification systems, World of Hurt: A Guide to
Classifying Pain provides patient education and specific exercise prescriptions based on the
identification of the pain. These interventions guide the active care necessary to effectively
address musculoskeletal pain. A World of Hurt has been widely tested and used in clinical settings,
seminars, and university curricula. Clinicians, and patients can all benefit from the insight provided
by this resource.
SPINAL CORD INJURY: FUNCTIONAL REHABILITATION, 3RD EDITION, BY MARTHA
FREEMAN SOMERS. PEARSON EDUCATION, 2010
This unique reference is an in-depth examination of the central role of the physical therapist in
rehabilitation following spinal cord injury. This book encompasses all of the elements involved in a
successful rehabilitation program. It includes a basic understanding of spinal cord injuries and issues
relevant to disability, as well as knowledge of the physical skills involved in functional activities and
the therapeutic strategies for acquiring these skills.
SCREENING ADULT NEUROLOGIC POPULATIONS: A STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTION
MANUAL, 2ND EDITION, BY SHARON A GUTMAN AND ALISON B. SCHONFELD. AOTA
PRESS, 2009
From traumatic brain injury to dementia, occupational therapists working with adults with
neurological difficulties must be able to efficiently use various screening methods to pinpoint
deficits and determine how they affect a client’s daily functioning. Screening Adult Neurologic
Populations guides occupational therapists through the entire screening process in an easy-to-use
format. This updated edition provides detailed steps for cognitive, functional visual, perceptual,
sensory, motor, cerebellar function, cranial nerve function, neuropathy, peripheral nerve function,
and dysphagia screening in addition to a new section on mental status.
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EMOTIONAL AGILITY, BY SUSAN DAVID, 2016
Emotional Agility is a four-step approach that allows us to navigate life’s twists and turns with selfacceptance,
clear-sightedness, and an open mind. Drawing on her extensive professional research,
her international consulting work, and her own experiences growing up in apartheid-era South
Africa and losing her father at a young age, Susan David shows how anyone can become more
emotionally agile and thrive in an uncertain world. Written with authority, wit, and empathy,
Emotional Agility will help you live your most successful life, whoever you are and whatever you
face.
ADMISSIONS: A LIFE IN BRAIN INJURY, BY HENRY MARSH, 2017
Dr. Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm, retired from his position at a hospital in London.
But his career continued, taking him to remote hospitals in places such as Nepal and Pakistan,
where he offers his services as surgeon and teacher to those in need. Now, Marsh considers the
challenges of working in those difficult conditions, alongside the challenges of putting a career of
fifty years behind you and finding further purpose in life and work.
In Admissions, Marsh offers a thoughtful, perceptive consideration of medicine and the pursuit
of a meaningful life that will appeal to readers of Atul Gawande, Jerome Groopman, and Oliver
Sacks.
JOURNALS
Dynamics in Human Health: http://journalofhealth.co.nz/ Vol. 4 Issue 2, June 2017
Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine Vol. 49 Issue 6, June 2017
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America Vol. 28 no.2, May 2017
This issue: Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation
MAGAZINES
Forward: Life After Spinal Cord Injury No. 139, June 2017
Nadia: Lifestyle Magazine Winter Issue 5, June/July 2017
New Mobility: Outdoor Recreation Vol. 28 no. 285, June 2017
These items, and much more, are available to borrow for free! Not a member? It’s free to join; just phone the library
on: 03 383 9484 (Ext. 99484) or email us at abclibrary@nzspinaltrust.org.nz.
Contact Bernadette Cassidy for information at bernadette.cassidy@nzspinaltrust.org.nz or, 03 383 9484.
Available in the library are: laptops, printer, books, magazines, journals, DVDs, talking books. We also hold free
computer classes.
Library Hours: Monday to Friday, 1:00pm - 4:30pm
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NZ Spinal Trust & Melrose Wheelchairs
Motor Racing Experience
AT HigHlANdS MoToRSpoRT pARk
Calling all adrenalin junkies! Here’s your chance to
experience the thrill of driving a Mustang at the
Highlands Motorsport Park in beautiful Cromwell.
On the 18th November – 1 week after the GT502 Race there will
be an opportunity to race a Mustang on the international racing
track at Highlands Motorsport Park. The Highlands Mustang has
built in “Push-Pull” hand controls, a harnessed racing seat and
a Hans neck brace and helmet. Your time on the track will be
spent with an experienced racing car driver, who will take you
around the circuit and show you the ropes.
The team at Melrose Wheelchairs are keen for everyone to
experience this one off opportunity (please note there are
limited spaces available) at a reduced price of $177.
Contact Brett Ladbrook at the New Zealand Spinal Trust for
bookings and more information. Phone: 03 387 1305 or email:
brett.ladbrook@nzspinaltrust.org.nz
Just like the racing Mustang, our Scorpion has gone
on a diet to remove weight resulting in a frame and
upholstery package that weighs less than 4.00 kg.
Contact us to trial the new Melrose Scorpion.
108 Sawyers Arms Road, Christchurch
Phone: 03 354 5616
Email: sales@melrosechairs.co.nz
www.facebook.com/melrosewheelchairs • www.wheelchairs.co.nz

Thank you to our
FUNDERS & SPONSORS
THE NEW ZEALAND SPINAL TRUST APPRECIATES THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE FOLLOWING
FUNDERS OF THE ORGANISATION. WITHOUT THEIR KIND SUPPORT, THE TRUST WOULD NOT BE ABLE
TO DELIVER THE VARIETY OF SERVICES TO ASSIST CLIENTS TO LIVE INDEPENDENT LIVES RIGHT NOW.
NZ COMMUNITY TRUST
AUCKLAND SKY CITY
COMMUNITY TRUST
RATA FOUNDATION
MAINLAND FOUNDATION
CHRISTCHURCH CITY
COUNCIL
INFINITY FOUNDATION
FOUR WINDS
FOUNDATION
OSTLER VINEYARD
NZ PUB CHARITY
CENTRAL HEATING
NEW ZEALAND
THE SOUTHERN TRUST
CANTERBURY DISTRICT
HEALTH BOARD
LOTTERY GRANTS BOARD
HARCOURTS
FOUNDATION
UMBRELLAR
B A LEWIS FAMILY TRUST
REHABILITATION
WELFARE TRUST
THE ELIZABETH BALL
CHARITABLE TRUST
ARE YOU A MEMBER?
It’s easy to join the New Zealand Spinal Trust and it only costs $30 a year.
Your membership fee helps with the printing of the Spinal Network News magazine and supports the work we do
assisting people with spinal cord impairment find their future.
Go to our website home page and click the green Membership Button www.nzst.org.nz
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