Ashburton Courier: September 24, 2020

NEWS
14 Ashburton Courier, September 24, 2020
Info sign at Chinese settlement
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Covid actions praised
Ahuge information sign has been
erected at Ashburton’s Ng King
Brothers Chinese market garden
settlement telling people about its
historical importance.
The Ashburton District Council,
working with descendants of the
family and Heritage New Zealand,
plans to restore the old buildings
and open it as acommunity
reserve.
The site, on Allens Road, is
considered nationally significant
and arare example of the Chinese
market gardens that were once
common across the country.
LOCAL LISTENING
Peter Mac l 1pm to 6pm
MICK.JENSEN
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz
NewZealandhad done well
withits response to Covid­19
and was dealing with it better
thanany of theOECD
countries,Sir David Skegg
told agathering in Ashburton
on Tuesday.
The renowned
epidemiologistwas aguest
speaker of U3A Ashburton
and is the Emeritus
Professor of Preventive and
Social Medicine at Otago
University.
ProfSkegg told an
audience of over 100 that
Asian countrieswere largely
doing the best in managing
Covid­19 andthe likes of the
USA, theUKand Western
Europe were doingtheworst.
‘‘Taiwan has apopulation
of 24 millionand has
recorded just 500cases and
onlyseven deaths,’’hesaid.
New Zealand and Scotland
had similar populationsof
around five million,but in
NewZealandthere had been
25 deaths compared with
between 4000 and 5000 in
Scotland.
New Zealand had a
number of advantages over
other countries, he said.
It was an island, had closed
its borders early,had a
smallerpopulation and
people here were not reliant
on public transport.
Ironically, NewZealand’s
lackofpreparedness to cope
withapandemichad
prompted it to go earlyinto
lockdown, he said.
New Zealand waswell
downleague tables when it
cametothe number of
intensive carebeds and
resources,and that fact had
forced the government’s
hand ‘‘to go early’’.
Sir David Skegg with U3A Ashburton chairperson Edith Smith
ahead of his talk at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre.
The government had
listened to scientists,
adopted an elimination
strategy and had provided
excellentcommunicationto
the country.
Therehad been buy in
from the populationand New
Zealand had also ‘‘been
lucky’’, saidProfSkegg.
That luck ran out on August
11 when border restrictions
were lifted and it was
inevitable that there would
be more cases.
There had been both
humanand systemic errors
at the border at the
beginning and three recent
incursions.
Prof Skegg said thecountry
could not afford to be
complacentand needed to be
prepared for the next relapse.
Thereneededtobe
improved surveillance and
targeted testing, enhanced
contract tracing to include a
bluetooth function and
appropriate wearing of
masks.
Covid­19 could evolve to be
less dangerous than it was,
but there were not signsof
that yet.
More reliable screening for
travellers could be developed
to enable future travel again
and treatmentofthe virus
was also improving.
In terms of avaccination,
there needed to be
considerationsofhow
effective it was, howlong it
would last, howsafeitwas
and what proportion of
people would acceptit.
Prof Skegg said Covid­19
was notthe only pandemic
affecting the world. Tobacco
smoking was abigger killer,
and was man­made and
preventable.
He was also very concerned
about obesity, particularly
here in New Zealand.
‘‘The prevalence of obesity
has trebled heresince the
late 1970s. New Zealand
childrenand adolescents
have the secondhighest
prevalence of obesity
worldwide at the moment,
only behind the USA.’’
2304059
206 Club marks 30 years
Members and volunteers of
the 206 Club celebratedthe
club’s longevitythisweek in a
low­keyaffair withfruit cake,
coffee and conversation.
The club was founded after
membersofthe Mid
Canterbury Aged Persons
WelfareCouncilsoughtto
start aday care centre for
elderly.Itwas to providea
place for members to go and
be active with others. It then
included keeping members
active and mentally
stimulated too.
The 206 Club openedin
September 1990 as aone day
aweekprogrammefor
membersofferingactivities,
entertainment and
companionship over atwo
courselunch.
206 Club volunteer Rosa
Bennett has been
volunteeringfor the group
since itsinception andas
cook for the past 28 years.
It may have grown from
small beginningsbut it was
popular from the start, she
said. Oneofthe first meetings
on its inception was held at
AshburtonCollege’s
Holyoake auditorium and
was attended by people from
various groups including Dr
Ron Bakerand then
AshburtonCollegeprincipal
Owen McDowell.
She said such was the
206 Club volunteer Rosa Bennett flanked by Shirley Patterson
(left) and Anne Fleming, cuts the cake to celebrate 30 years of
206 Club.
popularity of setting up the
club that only one person
from each representative
organisation was able to be
present.
She startedcooking
alongside the late Nancy
Bullock and was full of praise
for the 206Club,which was
full of caring,considerate
people and had beenan
integral partofher life.
‘‘If you have apassionyou
will do it at the best of your
ability,’’ she said.
Over the years the club’s
popularity has grown so
much it now meetsthree
times aweekatthe Senior
Centre on CameronStreet.
Age Concern Ashburton
presidentJan McClelland
said over theyears there had
been many people in therole
of director of dayservices.
They includedJennifer
Audeau (12 years),Sharon
Ross, Leslee Clarke,Karen
Bishop (six years), Mary
Harrison (sevenyears)and
AdairPethig,who has been
director since 2017.