Ashburton Courier: November 07, 2019

Page 16, Ashburton’s The Courier, Thursday 7 November 2019
Local news at www.starnews.co.nz
Social skills, fun, bring group back
Enjoying social skills in
fun and supportive ways
keep members of the
Ashburton Mackenzie
Group returning year
after year.
The group, which has
20 members with amix
of intellectual disorders
and some physical, has
been running for 30
years, getting members
together twice a week
for events,activities and
outings.
Member Michele
Collis enjoys being
involved. She has been
attending the sessions
andmeeting up withher
peers since the group
started ­her mother was
afounding member and
father took up a committee
role astreasurer.
Ashburton Mackenzie
Group co­ordinator
Lynda Tayles said the
group was initially set
up by carersand parents
wanting a respite care
option intown but it
has grown from there.
It’snow abig partof
the members’ week
and they are happy to
be there.
‘‘It’s a happy and
fun group,’’ she said.
The group isrun by
ateam made up of two
paid staff and five
volunteers who are
able to keep the
engines running with
the support of local
and national sponsors
offering funding or
donations.
The Mackenzie
Charitable Foundation
and County Lions were
among some of those
groups, businesses and
organisations hosted
during a sponsors
morning tea event earlier
this week at the
Doris Linton Room at
the Ashburton RSA.
Mrs Tayles said it was
achance to thank sponsors
whohad helped the
group continue their
service offering social
support to its members.
Also thanked were
the Ashburton RSA,
Lions Foundation,
COGS, Rotary, Ashburton
Vintage Car Club,
CMP, Talleys,Ashburton
Courier, and Lotteries
New Zealand.
Photo:Mary Ross (pictured
from left back),
Lynda Tayles, Lois Hill,
Colleen Inwood, Sue
Green and (front)
Patrice Ansell, Don
Church, Ian Rankin and
Michele Collis were
among the sponsors, volunteers
and members
gathered for anAshburton
Mackenzie Group
morning tea event.
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Council CEO Hamish Riach comments
Preparingfor an emergency
Earlier this week, Council
staff and representatives
from our local
emergency services hunkered
down for aday of
training on responding to
an Alpine Fault magnitude
eight event. The
purpose was to give staff
the chance to test their
skills and get afeel for
the emergency operations
centre environment
they’d be working
in. It got me thinking
about the importance of
everyone coming
together and working as
one, from services and
volunteers right through
to you, our community.
Major events, whether
they be floods, snow
storms, earthquakes or
other emergencies can be
unpredictable and chaotic.
We can’t always be
sure when they will happen
or their severity, but
we can prepare ourselves
as best as possible to
manage the situation.
Preparation can happen
at all levels, from our
qualified emergency
services keeping their
training up­to­date, the
Council having detailed
plans in place ready to
action when something
happens, and residents
having their emergency
survival kits and getaway
kits sorted.
Through all of us
playing our part before
and during these
events, we can try to
minimise the effects
these emergencies will
have on our community.
Many of you may
have already been in an
emergency before and
have made yourselves
as prepared as possible
for any future events.
For others, there may
be a sense of apathy
that anything could happen.
But, as a civil
defence campaign once
pointed out, what never
happens, happens.
Has your family got
their survival and getaway
kits ready? Do you
have the essentials sorted
to look after yourselves
for three days? Do you
know what to do if power
is lost and you can’t
access the internet or TV
for information? Who is
collecting the kids from
school? Where will you
meet or leave amessage at
if you can’t contact each
other? These are all issues
that can be prepared for
now to avoid added stress
when something happens.
There are great
resources available online
to tell you how to make
your emergency kits and
what items you’ll need.
You’ll also find aHousehold
Emergency Plan with
checklists and spaces to
put important contacts and
phone numbers. Simply
visit getthru.govt.nz.
Although we never wish
for emergencies to happen,
we can all do something
now to make sure we
can get through if and
when it does. If you need
to update or make your
emergency kits, why not
take the time this weekend
to get prepared? It really is
time well spent.
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