The Star: September 15, 2016
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40 Thursday <strong>September</strong> <strong>15</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
follow us on facebook.com/riseupchristchurch<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong><br />
Centre Stage<br />
CTV News is broadcast live on Plains FM (96.9 FM) 5.30-6pm<br />
weekdays and is also live streamed online at www.plainsfm.org.nz.<br />
CTV news can also be watched live or on demand at www.ctv.co.nz.<br />
Disability no barrier at Plains FM<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> continues<br />
its monthly profile of<br />
Plains FM. This week<br />
we find out how people<br />
of all abilities and<br />
backgrounds can get<br />
behind the mic<br />
BROOK OLIVER may have<br />
cerebral palsy, but since March<br />
2012 he and his carer, Paul<br />
Rawdon, have presented their<br />
own monthly radio show on<br />
Plains FM.<br />
Through family support,<br />
patience and determination, this<br />
duo have pushed the boundaries<br />
to prove that disability needn’t<br />
hold you back from pursuing an<br />
interest, chasing opportunities or<br />
achieving a dream.<br />
“We wanted to do something<br />
worthwhile with our time,” said<br />
Mr Rawdon. “It’s important<br />
to stretch Brook. Usually he’s<br />
just responding to questions,<br />
but this experience means he’s<br />
developing his ability to ask<br />
the questions and increase his<br />
engagement with the world.”<br />
Also, on a monthly basis,<br />
Roger Marsden interviews<br />
people with disabilities as well as<br />
workers from local organisations<br />
on his programme Listen! Our<br />
Voices Count. His experience as<br />
an advocate, tutor, president of<br />
the Disabled Person’s Assembly<br />
in Christchurch (2011-2014) and<br />
as a DPA national board member<br />
all make for a broad range of<br />
connections and an in depth<br />
knowledge of current issues.<br />
“All people with (a) disability<br />
want to be treated like everyone<br />
else,” Mr Marsden said.“People<br />
with disabilities count and our<br />
voices need to be heard.”<br />
It’s not only individuals with<br />
physical disabilities getting behind<br />
the microphone. <strong>The</strong> Helen<br />
Anderson Trust, Hohepa and<br />
SPAN Charitable Trust are three<br />
local organisations supporting<br />
adults with intellectual disabilities<br />
and their clients present<br />
monthly shows.<br />
Six radio enthusiasts and service<br />
users at the Helen Anderson<br />
Trust present In Tune, a show<br />
based around music. Abra Heinrich<br />
is a support worker who<br />
assists with this. “I was worried<br />
that I would have to do a perfect<br />
job but the people at Plains FM<br />
actually enable you to do it easily.<br />
Our clients know that Plains is<br />
an environment where it’s okay<br />
to make mistakes and they really<br />
love doing the radio show and<br />
listening back to it. <strong>The</strong>y’re sort<br />
of celebrities within our community.”<br />
In another part of Christchurch,<br />
SPAN Charitable Trust<br />
ON THE<br />
MIC: Jim<br />
Cummings,<br />
Nathan<br />
Beavan,<br />
Tracy<br />
Brookman<br />
and Bruce<br />
Ritchie<br />
recording<br />
Hohepa On<br />
Air.<br />
facilitates work and education<br />
opportunities for people with<br />
mild to moderate intellectual<br />
disabilities. Broadcasting on<br />
Plains FM provides a stimulating<br />
opportunity to participate in an<br />
ongoing project and be accepted<br />
into the wider community. Skillwise<br />
has been on air since July<br />
2011, with community news and<br />
events as well as stories, music,<br />
reviews and jokes.<br />
Originally supported by an<br />
organisation, one carer, Warren<br />
Stent, believes that the benefits<br />
of broadcasting for clients are<br />
so great that when funding support<br />
for the programme ended<br />
he covered the costs himself<br />
to enable the group to carry<br />
on broadcasting. “My guys,<br />
Stephen and Kerry, love doing<br />
it. It’s developed their sense of<br />
commitment and responsibility.<br />
Commitment to the station and<br />
to each other is very strong. It’s<br />
really great seeing them getting<br />
so much enjoyment out of it,” Mr<br />
Stent said.<br />
A community sees its face<br />
reflected in the heart of the<br />
individual and the individual<br />
sees their face reflected in the<br />
community they belong to. That<br />
is fundamental to the Hohepa<br />
philosophy, agrees Jim Cummings,<br />
a house co-ordinator<br />
and social therapist, who helped<br />
form a small broadcasting group<br />
in April this year to produce<br />
Hohepa On Air.<br />
“Plains FM has given two of<br />
our people, Nathan and Bruce<br />
an opportunity to fulfil lifelong<br />
dreams of being involved in<br />
broadcasting. <strong>The</strong>se guys are<br />
completely immersed in creating<br />
the programme month-bymonth.<br />
So far we’ve highlighted<br />
different aspects of our activities<br />
like the bread-baking crew, the<br />
parents’ weekend, the musical<br />
group and the wellness centre.<br />
It’s been totally empowering for<br />
us to share our stories and profile<br />
our people,” he said.<br />
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