Western News: February 19, 2019

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6 Tuesday February 19 2019 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi WESTERN NEWS News Longer hours for Halswell pool • By Georgia O’Connor-Harding HALSWELL residents calling for the suburb’s summer pools hours to be boosted will have their wish granted. The city council will trial extending its opening hours at the Te Hapua: Halswell Centre Summer Pool. It will be trialled on the basis the Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board will allocate funding from its 2019-20 Discretionary Response Fund towards operating costs. Last week a petition of 431 signatures was presented by city councillor Anne Galloway calling for the pool hours to be open for longer. Cr Galloway said while the hours have not been finalised yet, the pool could potentially be open from 7am-7pm. Currently, the pool hours are 11.30am-7pm. Cr Galloway said the board will look at funding up to 50 per cent of the operating costs. “The total amount city council have talked about in terms of opening the extra hours is about $35,000,” she said. She said these details will be discussed with the board and city council staff before the next season. Principal swaps Middleton for Hong Kong • By Georgia O’Connor-Harding WHEN RICHARD Vanderpyl was first offered the opportunity to become the head of a school in Hong Kong, he turned the role down. Having spent 17 years at Middleton Grange School, the chance to lead Christian Alliance International School in Butterfly Valley “came out of the blue.” The Middleton Grange principal initially said the Upper Riccarton school “had his heart” and he had no reason or incentive to leave. But when he was approached again a couple of weeks later by the same recruitment company asking him to reconsider, Mr Vanderpyl decided to investigate the role. “I think for me as a Christian, I felt this was the Lord’s calling on my behalf. I felt the Lord was really calling me to take up this position,” he said. Mr Vanderpyl, 55, will head to Hong Kong on March 4 to start a new life with his wife Linda. “It was always going to be a big change for me to do that and I think as a Christian I just felt really at peace,” he said. The timing was right for a range of reasons, he said. All four of his children have grown up and no longer depend on him. “I have always thought about it over the years – I would do some sort of work at some stage overseas,” he said. While Mr Vanderpyl has been to Hong Kong about five times to market Middleton Grange, his understanding of Cantonese is “extremely limited.” But he said while it is compulsory for students to learn Mandarin, every other subject is taught in English. “(Christian Alliance International School) is aimed at the ex-pat and overseas market . . . the teachers at the school are predominantly from overseas,” he said. His role will involve overseeing the implementation of the newly-introduced education programme, International Baccalaureate, which allows students entry to most universities around the world. Mr Vanderpyl has spent 33 years in the education sector – starting out as a teacher at Hornby High School in 1984. He moved to Hamilton Boys’ High School in 1986 and taught there for five years before he became the assistant principal at EDUCATOR: Middleton Grange School principal Richard Vanderpyl speaking at the senior prize-giving last year. Cambridge High School. Mr Vanderpyl has since been an assistant principal at Cashmere High, deputy principal at Hillmorton High and arrived at Middleton Grange as a teacher in about 2001. He has been the principal for nine years and has a very “strong connection” to Middleton Grange which his wife and four children all previously attended. Middleton Grange is New Zealand’s largest evangelical Christian school. It hopes to have a new principal by the start of term three. For Everything AUTO ELECTRIC CARS • BOATS • TRUCKS • CARAVANS • TRAILERS • 4WDS • ELECTRIC & HYBRID VEHICLES • Starter Motors • Alternators • Central Locking • Electric Windows • ABS & Airbags • Stereos/Alarms • Batteries • Tuneups • Engine Management YOU NAME IT WE FIX IT AAE Amazing Auto Electric USUALLY SAME DAY SERVICE WE ARE HERE 65 Coleridge St, Sydenham 65 Coleridge St Coleridge St Ph. 379 4250 www.amazingautoelectric.co.nz Gasson St Wordsworth St Brisbane St CAMERON BAILEY Testimonial “Heather and I would like to convey to you and your personal assistants Samantha and Lisa, our appreciation for your input and management for the marketing of the Waltham Street units. Truly a class act – the photography and descriptions were superb, we were kept informed, were given the opportunity to have input where appropriate, and ended up with a fantastic result! Thank you, sincerely, and best wishes.” Allan and Heather Burgess NO.1 HARCOURTS CANTERBURY 2012-2018 NO.1 HARCOURTS NEW ZEALAND 2017-2018 NO.1 HARCOURTS INTERNATIONAL 2017-2018
WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Tuesday February 19 2019 7 Tiny house for residential complex • By Georgia O’Connor-Harding A HALSWELL residential care and rehabilitation service is joining the tiny house movement in a bid to address the city’s housing shortage for people with physical disabilities. St John of God Halswell is planning to build an accessible small home to provide more accommodation for its residents looking to transition back into independent living. The service’s centre manager Virginia Spoors said one of the issues for the trust is when its residents are ready to move back into the community after recovering from a stroke or spinal injury, there isn’t suitable housing available. “We are over 100 per cent occupied. It is really busy. There is some urgency to find supportive living,” she said. About five people are currently waiting to find suitable housing. The tiny house will be designed specifically to cater for a person in a wheelchair with a physical disability with a ramp to the house, a wide doorway and an accessible bathroom with a wet area shower. It will also be single-storeyed and have a digitally operated ceiling hoist to allow a person to move from one part of a house to another. Resident Josh Caldwell, 21, is one of the potential candidates who may take up residing in the home. His life changed dramatically nearly three years ago when he was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare auto-immune disease which causes inflammation in the spinal cord. When he initially became sick, he spent five days in a coma and three weeks in Christchurch Hospital’s intensive care unit before he was transferred to Burwood Hospital for five and a half months. He was discharged to St John of God on August 9, 2016 and has been there since. Mr Caldwell has since started working for the New Zealand Spinal Trust to support people with spinal cord injury. He said options for people in Christchurch are Laura Fergusson Trust, St John of God or retirement home. “But someone my age . . . a retirement home is not a really good option,” he said. Mr Caldwell said the tiny home allows a good transition back into independent living. The cost to build the house is INDEPENDENT LIVING: St John of God Halswell is joining the tiny home movement. estimated to be $80,000 and is planned to be built by spring. “We are hoping this is a model that will be able to be expanded or replicated,” Mrs Spoors said. The tiny home will initially be trialled on the St John of God Halswell site where the resident can still receive support from staff while living in it. A fundraiser will be held on Sunday featuring jazz music from Sam White’s Quartet to raise money for the project. •Jazz in the Garden will be held at St John of God Halswell at 26 Nash Rd on Sunday from 5-7pm. Local News Now Fire rages, homes at risk Weeds beside railway line being cleared • By Georgia O’Connor-Harding ACTION HAS been taken to clean up the weeds next to the train tracks adjacent to Carmen Rd. The city council began clearing away the overgrown grass on Saturday to remove any potential fire risk in the short term. Greater Hornby Residents’ Association member Mark Peters said it was a positive outcome for the site and it is long overdue. He said hopefully KiwiRail will keep it maintained in the long-run. KiwiRail previously told Western News it has advised the leaseholder and is working with them to get it sorted as soon as possible. Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board Mike Mora has suggested keeping the area beautified with agapanthus. He said they are not a fire risk and are easy to maintain. Mr Mora said he is looking to work with the residents’ association, Keep Christchurch Beautiful and the Hornby community upon getting permission from KiwiRail. Selling your home seminar Presented by Scott MacDonald from Harcourts* Thursday 28 February, 2pm Anthony Wilding Retirement Village At Ryman villages, we host regular seminars like selling your home, that benefit not only residents, but also those who live in our surrounding communities. Learn about the current property market, smart ways to present your home for sale, how to market and list your property, and how a home auction works. It’s a great opportunity to obtain information, get advice, and if you’re interested in retirement living learn more about our village lifestyle. The presentation will be followed by complimentary refreshments. For more information please phone Susie on 03 338 7696 5 Corbett Crescent, Aidanfield *Licensed Agent REAA 2008 9121
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Western News: February 19, 2019

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