South End school Garden update - 8 April 2013:

After all the work and all the money that was put into establishing a garden to feed the children at the South End school, and teach them self sustainability, support at risk and vulnerable children, deliver our powerful and effective suicide prevention strategy, and other vital social services, the latest actions of the Board of Trustees of the South End school continue to destroy the efforts of so many people for the profit of one or two.  Members of the small nasty spiteful and vindictive group running the school have now put two sheep into our garden to destroy the few remaining plants left there and cheat the reopened Ombudsmen's inquiry!  

These photos were taken on 7th April 2013 after we received more complaints from parents of children at the South End school about the ongoing bullying and general dysfunction of the governance and administration of the school.  We found these sheep locked in the garden - heartbreaking and grossly insulting for the children and adults who worked so hard to establish a great vegetable garden, with three big peach trees, raspberry bushes and many other edible plants - destroyed by people like Ray Craig - new chairman of the BoT apparently - a local farmer who thinks grazing a couple of sheep is more important than allowing Friends of the Gardens to resume teaching the children gardening, self sufficiency, confidence, the value of consistency and hard work, good nutrition, numeracy and literacy, music, swimming, first aid, and so many other things.  Behind the sheep can be seen the compost bin which is never used, another waste of money.  Trees and other plants dead because nobody bothered to look after them.  What a waste of time and money.  It is in the public interest for the community to be informed of these matters, and for the individuals involved to be held accountable, and the organisations involved, such as the Board of Trustees of the South End school, and the Carterton District

Council, scrutinised transparently, and that they also held accountable.  The South End school, like the Carterton Community Centre Gardens, obtained a lot of funding from government and corporate sources as well as private trusts etc, and it has all been wasted and ripped off - AGAIN.  The previous Community Garden was the subject of a community petitions calling for an inquiry into the fraud of the funds from the ten bank accounts being controlled by the committee of the former Carterton Community Centre, a group of people mainly associated with the Carterton District Council.   It's all very well to start a school garden or a community garden, it's easy to apply for a lot of funding and then waste it all or quietly rip it off, leaving the children with nothing but a lot of weeds, locks on the gates, slanderous letters, serious breaches of privacy, etc.

When the small group involved in the illegal take over of the Carterton Community Centre by violence and illegal activity (such as theft of the mail, and funds and assets of the Centre) wound up the affairs of the CCC in the High Court they claimed that the reason given for their application to wind up the Carterton Community Centre Inc was because:    "The Society has since its creation in 1991 been the provider of social services to the Carterton Community.  However in recent times the Society's role in the Community has changed as a result of the changes to the way the Government delivers social services.  Many of the ociety's traditional activities are now undertaken by other organisations and as a result there has been less need and interest i the Society by the community in recent times."

This isn't social services, this is a rip off.  The Carterton Community Centre was replaced with the Carterton Event Centre, in order to further indoctrinate the public with political propaganda, and the same sort of politically aspiring bullies are continuing to unlawfully bully those who ARE providing the social services!

The Board of Trustees needs to honour the final paragraph of this letter!

There never were any charges involving a child!  This website is full of evidence of a corrupt campaign of harassment and blatant criminal attempts to pervert the course of justice by certain members of the NZ Police, Court staff, etc.

According to the final paragraph of this letter from the Board of Trustees, if the charges are withdrawn or I am found not guilty this would "remove [the Board's] problem" and the Board hopes to be in a position to resume my work at the school in the near future because they appreciate the work and enthusiasm I have brought to the school garden.

What nonsense this is - that FOUR YEARS LATER this bullying is STILL going on and the Board refuses to admit they were wrong and honour this letter and give me back my job at the school, while all these taxpayer funded 'investigative' organisations are covering up incompetence and corruption on a massive scale!  No wonder we have such high rates of suicide locally!

The two latest ERO reports on the South End School also document the dysfunction and poor governance.  It's all very well to talk about feeding the kids - the FOCKCers are teaching them to grow their own kai (food) and other vital life skills, including the virtues program and important suicide prevention programs like Let's Get Growing, Circle of Love, and other initiatives with proven success.  Why are these sheep in our garden?  They are destroying the raspberries, peach trees, rhubarb (which is poisonous), etc.

Meanwhile, here's the fob off from the Ministry of Education - which is utter nonsense because as we've informed them, the school and the BoT simply ignores any attempts to communicate with them, correspondence is ignored and phone calls result in the phone being abruptly hung up as soon as I identify myself - other parents of children at the school have complained about these matters and been fobbed off in similar fashion - it has to stop - this is a clear indication of the intention of the Minister of Education to abdicate all responsibility for the governance of schools and give up any last pretence of holding school Boards of Trustees accountable.

Flynn and his friends at the South Wairarapa Veterinary Services:

Update on Flynn (the horse with nine lives):   Flynn has had his operation and is doing very well now, thanks to the kind, compassionate, professional team at the South Wairarapa Veterinary Services.  I am delighted, and very grateful indeed, as are all the local kids (and grown up kids) who love Flynn and his fellow FOCKCer horses, Brutus, Patrick, etc.  They've been mates for many years

Friends of Caring Kiwi Communities (the FOCKCers) own three horses in Carterton, Flynn is the eldest.  He developed a tumour on his sheath a while ago, so of course I contacted the vet, who examined him.  Since arriving in the Wairarapa over eleven years ago I've used the services of South Wairarapa Veterinary Services, and always been impressed by their professionalism.  Peter Morriss examined Flynn.  Peter upholds the impeccably high standards set by the legendary Rodger Gillett, who recently retired.  The vets confirmed that although the growth was unsightly, it wasn't causing him any immediate harm, any apparent pain, or any significant discomfort, and that he was in otherwise tip top condition and had a very good quality of life for the time being.  We were all aware that the growth was growing and that action had to be taken in the fairly near future but there was no need to euthanase the horse.  Peter invited his colleague who also specialises in equine surgery to give a second opinion, and after some deliberation it was decided that it was feasible to attempt to remove the tumour.  Furthermore, the SWVS kindly offered to perform the operation free of charge, in the interests of educating junior veterinarians and gaining experience.

On 22nd November 2012 Jane, Peter and Emily successfully removed the tumour in a challenging two hour operation, with others observing for educational purposes.  

Jane carefully examined him, listening to his heart for a long time, measuring him to estimate his weight in order to calculate the correct dose of the sedative.

It was touch and go a few times, there was a lot of blood, Flynn decided he had to lie down half way through the operation, after all the sedative we had to give him, which wasn't part of the plan (the vets had hoped to perform the operation with him standing up, sedated, using local anaesthetic.  The team moved on to Plan B and just got on with the job.  Blood spurted from all the blood vessels as Peter and Jane worked fast to stitch them all up, with Emily handing them instruments flat out and providing great support.  It was amazing to watch the speed at which they worked, it seemed to take forever.

Flynn stopped breathing a few times, Jane told me to lift up his head, and I give him a jolly good speaking to, telling him to pull up his socks and do his bit and BREATHE.  Finally he'd take a breath again each time, and finally, after what seemed like hours (the whole thing took a couple of hours) the stitching was all finished, and Jane administered the antidote for the sedative as they worked flat out to clean Flynn up and wash and put away all the equipment.  In a little while Flynn woke up, got to his feet, neatly avoiding the big mass of clotted blood on the ground, and started eating the grass as if nothing had happened.  I felt like all my Christmases had come at once.

Flynn and his two fellow Community Garden horses provide a great service to the community, providing riding for the disabled, the bullied, the abused kids, the ones with funny lumps growing out of them, and big scars (some you can see and some you can't), and all the other kids round here who think hanging out with horses is a better idea than going off and committing suicide or something.

Spending time with horses builds confidence, empathy, respect, relationship skills, communication skills, it's a great thing, and Flynn, Brutus and Patrick benefit the kids round here more than they benefit me.  We'd like to establish a fund to enable the SWVS to do other operations for animals in the community like this.  The SWVS do other work they're not paid for too, such as when people bring them animals who have been hit by a car and the owner can't be found, people who can't afford to put their pets down but don't want them to suffer, and other things to help people and animals in the community.

Please support the work of the South Wairarapa Veterinary Services, they do a lot of work in the community for which they don't receive payment, and the fact that they offered to do this operation for Flynn free of charge says a great deal about their commitment to the community, their high ethical and professional standards, and the character and calibre of the vets who work for their practise.  They have looked after Flynn and his mates for over twelve years, and they've always provided absolutely top quality professional services to us, and to everyone we know.

It's good for kids to learn that just because you're old and you've got a lump doesn't mean you should automatically be thrown on the scrap heap.  Flynn's always loved taking little kids for rides, he's made it his mission in life and his specialty.  I told him years ago that if he looked after the kids, I'd always look after him.  And he always has, and it's just wonderful that Peter and Jane offered to operate on him so he can carry on his good work, showing kids how to have fun, make friends, learn to trust, build confidence, etc.

People who care about animal welfare should consider making a donation to the SWVS to enable them to set up a little fund to perform other procedures on animals in need, for the benefit of the vulnerable in the community (like a lot of the people who enjoy spending time with Flynn), for educational purposes, humane purposes, etc.  This is a really good way to provide direct assistance to animals in need, and recognise all the work that these veterinarians do in our community that people don't always know about.

Jane and Peter removed Flynn's stitches yesterday, he's looking as healthy (and handsome) as ever

Donations (fan mail, etc,) can be sent to South Wairarapa Veterinary Services, 8 High Street South, Carterton  5713.

Let's Get Growing NZ

Let's Get Growing NZ, in co-operation with Friends of Caring (Cultivating) Communities, is part of a holistic community health initiative which aims to establish Community Gardens, and Community Resource Centres, in every community in NZ.  Kai for Kids and Mahi Mara work to establish vegetable gardens and frut trees in every school, particularly low decile areas, and teach kiwi kids to grow their own kai, cook it, preserve and store it, and trade it.

Imagine a big pot of soup and a big bowl of fruit for hungry kids, food they've grown themselves and taken pride in preparing.  This is primary health care in the community, teaching basic life skills, building self esteem and all sorts of other virtues.  The first day I went to the South End School I took a big basket of peaches off the tree I grew from a stone planted two or three years earlier.  The kids all came running outside into the afternoon sunshine and gobbled up the peaches, then we planted the stones.  Those same children are now eating the peaches from those trees they (we) planted, and the raspberries, etc, it's like magic to them, watching a tiny seed grow to something so amazing and colourful and delicious, then you remind them that it wasn't just magic, it involved a bit of commitment and care, watering and weeding, but that really, when you consider the size of the whole universe, and you look around at our beautiful planet, it really is a little bit magic, the magic of seeds.  By giving seeds and plants to children in schools we can encourage the establishment of gardens in homes, we facilitate tool libraries, time banks, and community markets, teaching values, morals, mathematics, communication, commerce and so much more.

Teaching them about the food value of sprouted seeds, brings in another bit of "magic", as in how the food value increases exponentially to such a hich degree when the seed is sprouted, just add air and water, and abracadabra!  You're teaching them good nutrition.  It's good physical excercise too.

Teaching kids to grow kai is fun, they love it, it addresses a lot of the problems they are facing today, and the value of our gardens and programs cannot be underestimated.  These community gardens are vital for the health of our communties, physically and spiritually.

Establishing these gardens in schools will also provide a sanctuary, and a physical presence in schools to address such things as bullying, depression, child abuse, youth suicide and other problems facing young people (and old) in our communities today and in the future.

Facilitators are trained in suicide prevention, identifying vulnerable children, victims of abuse, or bullying, etc, and trained in addressing those problems effectively and appropriately, listening, referring, advising, sharing information in a positive, constructive and lawful manner to achieve the best outcomes for individuals, and the community as a whole.

We run a holistic community health program, including holiday programs in schools, because the main gardening season is over the summer holidays and school gardens need tending over the summer.  Too often we are seeing schools, kindy's etc, start gardens in October or November in the southern hemisphere, and then when the holidays start they are pretty much abandoned, or tended in a bit of a haphazard way.  We want to fill the gap and maintain the consistency and the maintenance of the school gardens throughout the holidays and provide this stable, consistent, basic, natural, place of rangimarie, peace.

As well as gardening, and the skills associated with growing kai all year round, and preserving and cooking it, we teach additional things like basic first aid, cycle maintenance and safety, swimming, music, art and other useful life skills, as well as facilitate other activities, sports and games, networking with other approved organisations where appropriate to provide these services using new and existing resources.

We also conduct and facilitate Pet Therapy, Riding for the Disabled is widely recognised as being thereapeutic, and Pet Therapy extends the benfit to the wider community.  The link between animal abuse and other forms of abuse has been established, and the benefits of forming relationships with animals and learning about the psychology of those relationships helps build confidence, emotional maturity, self discipline, and other virtues, as well as alleviate boredom, depression, anxiety, etc.

We started here in the Wairarapa, in Carterton, eleven years ago, and had huge success in the community with these community gardens, and it's been good to see it catching on throughout the country in recent years.

There's a huge opportunity here to bring the whole community together, and address issues like vandalism, bullying, youth suicide and depression, child abuse, hunger and poverty, boredom and poor self esteem, and turn these things around in a totally postive way, rewarding on so many levels, to everyone involved, and the community as a whole.  Kai for Kids, Mahi Mara and our other programs are beneficial to all communities, so Let's Get Growing NZ.