Bay News: Supervised Tooth Brushing Wall Art Contest – Northern Advocate | Candle Made Easy

Kerikeri mural art competition

The Kerikeri Community Charitable Trust recently ran a mural art competition where artists submitted works for judging. All entries were exhibited in the library.

Three winners were selected by more than
1400 people voted. They are Alex Moyse, Lance Hadfield and Logan White and their artworks will now be transformed into 2.4 square meter plaques that will be placed on the outer concrete wall of the Cathay Cinema on Hobson Avenue.

Alex Moyse lives in Whangarei and has been painting for some time. About her work, she said that using color along with the application of iconography is how she chose to best represent this, along with trying to represent the power, creativity and compassion within a community can have.

“My narrative for this piece draws on the innovative and often creative ways in which our community holds on to its history, its traditions, and the environment around us.”

Lance Hadfield (Te Aupouri and Ngati Kuri) has been drawing since he first picked up a pen and has been tattooing professionally for 15 years. He felt that nature, green (forest) with rivers (black) flowing into the ocean (blue), represents the tide pushing on the land.

“Framed by golden corners like you would see on porches of older historic buildings and infused with Māori art patterns (culture) it simultaneously creates a circle that is symbolic of the world (opportunity for all).”

Logan White said he has been making art since childhood and is a self-taught aerosol artist. He said he painted Rainbow Falls, Waianiwaniwa as it connects to the Town Basin and shows the connection where there is much cultural heritage.

“The historical weir provided early Kerikeri with the first electric power and represented innovation for a more comfortable life close to nature.”

The three winners each received $1000 in cash and $500 in Resene art supplies. The 20 semi-finalists also received prizes courtesy of Resene.

Community Health Supplies

The Russell Community Health Care Group is a team of volunteers run under the auspices of St. John. They have been delivering boxes of food and medicine to those in the community who are isolating at home with Covid or staying at home with influenza.

The group was formed late last year as a continuation of the Covid-19 vaccine program it orchestrated and managed. Coordinator Bridget Hughes said when Delta looked so threatening they decided to put in place a plan to help people who are isolating at home with Covid 19.

“We have Dr. Chris Calcott of Russell Medical Center and developed a cohesive plan to care for our community, knowing that even with the best intentions of the health authorities, this community would not be getting the care it needs if we didn’t do it ourselves,” she said.

They set up a dedicated 0800 number that is manned 24 hours a day by a group of clinically trained volunteers. Calls to the medical center come from people who need support, advice and help with food supplies. They deliver one box of groceries per family as needed and additional groceries are delivered by the local Four Square.

Patients are called daily to assess their health and together with the 0800 number, the volunteers manage to cover most if not all patient needs. There are currently an estimated 200 cases of Covid, mostly of the Ormicron variety, in the wider Russell community and the group have shipped more than 50 boxes of food, many much needed medicines and pulse oximeters to those in need.

Bridget Hughes said they are trying to stay ahead of events on the ground and have recently expanded the program to cover influenza and other winter diseases and are encouraging people to stay home if they are unwell.

Guided tooth brushing in schools

In late June, Northland DHB oversaw a tooth brushing program that began in the Far North.

It started at Pukenui School near Houhora Port, 45 minutes drive north of Kaitaia, and at Pukepoto School, a small contributing school with only 29 students on the Kaitaia-Awaroa Highway. The role is 100 percent Māori.

Northland DHB chose to start in these areas to address the higher rates of attrition among 5-12 year olds living there. The program is planned to be rolled out to all schools in Northland in the long term.

The Wellington-based philanthropic Clare Foundation funded a significant portion of the program’s costs, which are expected to total around $650,000. Funding is administered by the Northland Community Foundation through Health Fund Plus.

Each child participating in the program is supervised at school every day and brushes their teeth with their gift toothbrush, case and toothpaste. An assigned oral health coordinator provides ongoing oral health education at schools participating in the program.

Dental care is also available at Northland DHB hospitals, 18 school-based mobile dental clinics and seven permanent community dental clinics throughout Northland.

Kerikeri author wins award

Kerikeri author Vera Hua Dong has won first place in the 2022 National Flash Fiction Day Writing Awards.

Her story Golden Phoenix, Gray Hen won over Helen Waaka from Hawke’s Bay and Rebecca Ball from Christchurch.

One of the judges commented on the story that there is a seamless time warp and it seems to write a lot in the present but often stretches into the past. Vera says the story comes straight from her life in Kerikeri.

“Settling here I couldn’t feel the beauty of the Kerikeri landscape, I was dealing with my identity crisis, a guilt at not having achieved the social status expected of me and a struggle over the differences in children’s education employed .

“One day I picked up some worms and brought them back to our worm cafe and did it so naturally it was quite an accomplishment for me who had a phobia of anything slimy and fidgety and that was a revelation and I eventually found found out I was a local.”

The Flash Fiction Awards include writing a 300-word short story. Some submit multiple entries. This year, the 10th anniversary of the award, 500 entries were received. Prize money helps, $1000 for first place, $400 for second place and $200 for third place.

Other Northland writers have been successful in the competition. NFFD winners include Vivian Thonger from the Bay of Islands, Kathy Derrick and Jac Jenkins, both of whom grew up on a dairy farm near Maungatapere outside of Whangarei.

Last year Vera Dong’s story won the Northland Regional Award and this year she won the Grand Prize. Speaking of her win, Vera said she’s pleased to see others see that quality in her writing and now knows she’ll work harder to see where it could take her.