Western News: January 09, 2018

6 Tuesday January 9 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
News
Ballet star blitzes exams
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
WHEN JACK Cusack, 9, first
started ballet he couldn’t even
skip.
But hard work and discipline
has paid off with the young
dancer, who attends the Sharon
Howells School of Dance, walking
away achieving the highest
exam results in his ballet class.
Jack, of Avonhead, achieved
two gold medals and a distinction
in both grade one and two
in Royal Academy of Dance New
Zealand ballet exams recently.
His mother Dale Cusack
said Jack hopes to one day dance
for the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
She said her son struggled to
skip, he went home and practised
all week until he could.
Liking ballet so much, Jack
then decided to study two ballet
exams simultaneously.
“He was nervous at the beginning
as he was the only boy
in his class but the girls have
warmed to him and love the
opportunity of dancing with a
young prince for a change,” Mrs
Cusack said.
Director Sharon Howells said
taking a boy into ballet is very
special and Jack’s mind and
heart is in dance.
“I said to his father: ‘Do you
realise he may be the only boy
amongst all the girls?’ But it
didn’t worry him, he really
wanted to dance,” she said.
She said because there is a
stigma about male ballet dancers,
she tells all her male dancers
“if you are going to do this you
DISCIPLINE:
Hard work
has paid off
for ballet
dancer Jack
Cusack who
achieved
two gold
medals and
a distinction
in both
grade one
and two in
his Royal
Academy of
Dance New
Zealand
ballet
exams
recently. ​
have got to be good.”
Miss Howells said Jack’s
dreams are out there and he
wants to work hard.
“He couldn’t skip. He was
uncoordinated. The next lesson
he was skipping. Every lesson he
improved,” she said.
A TRUST has donated more
than $3000 to Community
Patrol Riccarton for
radiotelephones.
The patrol applied to the
Canterbury Masonic Charitable
Trust for the funding to provide
extra security to members when
patrolling in vehicles.
The group had previously
approached Unity Lodge and
obtained funds which helped
with the purchase of a portable
automatic defibrillator.
Patrol treasurer Joan Pearson
said they were really grateful for
the money as their security was
“somewhat slim.”
She said members needed the
phones to communicate with
each other when they separate.
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THANKFUL: Worshipful master of Unity Lodge 271 Geoff Cain
(right) presents Community Patrol Riccarton representatives
Ivan Jonasen (left), Joan Pearson and Dave Gillett with two
radiotelephones. ​
Patrol receives radiotelephones
The gifting was followed by
a meal and time to learn more
about the brothers, their regalia
and their building on 84 Totara
St, Riccarton.
The land for the Riccarton
Masonic Centre was purchased
in 1925 for 285 pounds and the
Lodge building as it was then
known, was constructed and
then dedicated in August 1929.
Originally the home of
Lodge Riccarton 276, it subsequently
combined with Lodge
Cashmere due to falling membership,
and was renamed Unity
Lodge 271.
An entrance hall and vestibule
area were designed and added in
1967 and membership grew to
87 by 1975.
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