Headway
Newsletter: February 2003
Editorial
At
the risk of being accused of harping on about the heat and humidity we’re experiencing,
I report that we were compelled to alleviate the unbearable conditions in the
Admin Office this month and buy an air conditioner. It really had become impossible to work in
this little room and, although “Wish Lists” had been sent out with the purchase
of a small portable air conditioner itemised (and marked “Urgent”), no
financing had been forthcoming. It was a
case of a pre-emptive purchase and a fervent wish that somebody (or bodies)
will put up the cash eventually.
The
difference in our work output in the office has been noteworthy and the fact
that this (rather ugly) contraption is sucking a litre of water out of the atmosphere
every hour vindicates this decision.
Let’s hope some kind benefactor(s) comes to our rescue soon!
Enclosed
with your newsletter this month is a renewal form
for you to remain a Friend of Headway. We have not increased the cost of membership
as we prefer to make it affordable to everyone so that most of you will continue
to support us.
Veronica
Welcome to - the Headway Family this
month: Robert Wooldridge, Bradley
Radloff, Wolganathan Govender, Harry
Mansingh, Neil Vallabhjee and Ballaram Chetty. We wish it were happier circumstances that led you to
us but assure you of our fervent wish that we can be of help to you in some
way.
Condolences
We extend our deepest condolences
to the Madikizela family on the loss of
their beloved Xolile who passed away on
Saturday 15 February. Our thoughts and
prayers are with them all.
Erratum!
Our humble apologies to Liesel Labaschagne who was congratulated on the
birth of her baby boy last month.
The little bundle of joy was actually a girl – sorry Liesel!! (Editor: Must say
the name Erin did sound a little unusual for a boy!) We spoke to Liesel recently
and she is enjoying motherhood in spite of being short of sleep.
That Was the Week that Was!
The week commencing Monday 17
February was not a good one for Headway.
The worst news of all on that Monday morning was that our Headway
attendee N’du Madikizela lost his brother in the
most tragic circumstances.
Xolile was assaulted and killed on his way home
from his part-time job on Saturday 15 March and we mourn this senseless loss
of a precious young life. Xolile had just completed
matric and was about to start university and had a promising future. He was well known to us as he occasionally
accompanied N’du to his therapy sessions and sometimes helped with our outings.
On that same Monday came the news
that there had been a break-in at our Outreach
Project in
the Valley of a Thousand Hills. An estimated R4 000’s worth of items had been
stolen from the Zimele Molweni centre including blankets, chairs, stored basic
foodstuffs, crockery and cutlery and valuable beads for a self-help project.
Just to complete our bad week, the
Headway Venture Van was broken into on Thursday morning whilst
Lesley, who does the morning lifts, had briefly gone into The Workshop to find
our attendee Zanele who was not waiting outside as expected. The thieves had barely five minutes to break
the locks and hotwire the car.
Fortunately the vehicle was recovered minutes later (the thieves were
not apprehended) but of course we had to go to the expense and inconvenience of
replacing broken locks. That very same
day, Tim, son of Lionel and Rose McArthur (our manager and receptionist) came
out of his house to drive his children to school and found his car had disappeared during the night!
February
General Meeting: Report Back
We started off the General Meeting programme for the year
with an out-and-out winner! Ari Searlis exudes vitality and colossal drive in, despite being
wheelchair-bound, and to give comprehensive credit to this remarkable man and
his achievements would take a whole newsletter all on its own.
As pointed out in the pre-notification about this speaker,
Ari is a friend of Christopher
Reeves and was the only non-US citizen to be invited to Superman’s 50th
birthday party last year. Not one of the people present at the General
Meeting on 12 February was surprised that Ari was honoured in this way when we
heard of his accomplishments. It is
difficult to know where to begin in giving a report back of that meeting and
how to keep it brief enough for the space allocated. In August 1985 at the age of 23, Ari broke his neck whilst working as a part-time model doing some promotional
work for Water World. He says the
cameraman saved his life and at the time Ari was not sure whether he was lucky
or not as he was left as a quadriplegic.
Ari had been one of those Action Man types, running
Comrades, doing The Dusi as well as “seeing action” in the army. He came from a privileged background, had set
up his own business and had everything going for him.
After six months in the HF Verwoerd Spinal Rehab Unit (the
only one of its kind in the country at the time) where he challenged the staff
on certain aspects of rehab which got him expelled (!) Ari was ready to take on
the world. Like most people discover when they become disabled, some of his
friends dropped him but he did not let this discourage him. Recognising that it
was important to retain a friend base even if it was changing, he found his friends again learning new skills. A book on
umpiring tennis got him back on the tennis court in a new role, and taking over
the management of Hillcrest Rugby Club ensured that he retained many of his old
friends. Ari says he has used this lesson throughout the 18 years he has been
confined to a wheelchair – focus on what you can do, not on what you cannot do.
As part of his bid to find ways to be as functional as it is
possible to be with his limitations, Ari regularly consults with his
Occupational Therapist and does the necessary therapy on his own, under
guidance. Readers are encouraged to adopt this method of
coping with recovery after disability – our therapists will work out a regimen
of home exercise for you as part of the service offered by Headway.
So functional has Ari become, that he has a fleet of
wheelchairs which perform different functions, paddles a canoe, rides a
4-wheeler motorbike, plays wheelchair rugby and basketball and has even become
a keen fly-fisherman! Three years ago
Ari became National Director of
the Quadriplegic Association in SA
and he has turned it into a thriving organisation making far-reaching
improvements in the lives of quads through some bold business moves. The best
part of all this is that employment opportunities for quadriplegics have grown
enormously and the numerous campaigns to improve recognition and funding for
quadriplegics (such as TakkieTax, Quad
Squad and Supercap Day)
as well as accident prevention drives, have resulted in huge support from the
South African public and even some encouraging interest from beyond our
shores. Yes – Superman IS coming to visit this country and can you imagine how much publicity he will
stimulate for the disabled!
There is so much more that could be written about Ari but
the inside information he has on Superman is worth a mention. Christopher Reeves vowed that he would walk
again and although this is no longer an option, the funding which has been
poured into attempting to help him realise this dream has resulted in many positives
for similarly injured people. Extensive stem cell research continues and many newly paralysed people have a better
chance of walking again.
The Power
of the Mind has been given new focus and many disabled people are listening to Superman and are
getting back into the gym and the pool again in the hope of stimulating the “numb zone”.
We all came away from Ari’s talk feeling a sense of awe and
renewed belief in man’s ability to overcome adversity. Ari told us “…. my wheelchair doesn’t take
anything away from me but is part of me – it propels me and helps my dreams
come true.” We salute you Ari – our very own Superman (and thank that cameraman!).
Monthly General Meeting
By the time you get your February Newsletter it will be too
late to remind you about the next General Meeting on Wednesday 12 March but we
hope you have got it firmly implanted in your memory bank that every second Wednesday evening of the month is devoted
to our General Meetings. Details of this month’s meeting were given in the
November/December 2002 newsletter which was distributed in January 2003. The topic is “Driving After Head Injury and Stroke”.
Details of our April General Meeting were also given in
January but here is your official invitation: You are invited to the General
Meeting at Headway House on Wednesday the 9th April 2003 at 6:45 for
7:00 pm. The speaker is Wanda Boshoff who will speak on Anger and Post
Traumatic Stress follwing an accident. Tea, coffe and biscuits will be served.
A reminder that Wanda is an MVA survivor, confined
to a wheelchair but employed as Head of Treatment at Westville Hospital Centre
for Behavioural Health.
Headway Happenings
Valentine’s Day
It has
been a tradition at Headway House to have a celebration on the day marked on
the calendar specifically for the expression of love. At Headway LOVE has a more distinctive meaning
than it does for the rest of the population and this year was
no exception. In fact, it would be true
to say that LOVE took on a whole new dimension on Friday 14 February 2003! Caring, nurturing, affection, friendship, kindness, consideration and
thoughtfulness would be the words to describe how we celebrated
this special day.
OT Debbie and OTA Zipho
planned a real “Happening” which involved transporting all the 26 physically
and mentally challenged children and their teachers from Zimele in Emolweni down
to Westville for a day of fun and games.
The children were divided into groups with our Headway guys as team
leaders, and games and activities filled up a very happy morning. There was music and art and hopscotch and
ball skills but it was difficult to keep the children in their teams as most of
them had never been in a pool before and the ball game in the water was the
most attractive to all. Red hearts and
colourful balloons, and red and white themed food (hotdogs, red juice and pink
and white ice creams) added to the carnival atmosphere and the noise and
excitement was almost overwhelming!
The
happy morning finished off with the exchanging of tokens of caring and love –
heart-shaped chocolates for the Zimele people made by our guys in the Headway
kitchen, and cards (made by the children) and roses for our Headway folk.
Monkey Business
In our
continued efforts to make our Activity Programme more varied and interesting,
this month we called upon a well-known local environmentalist to give us a talk
and slide show on a topic of her choice.
Jean Senogles is
passionate about saving the world and her talk on the Vervet Monkey
focussed on the need to protect this animal from extinction. Jean pointed out that the Vervet and we
humans are both primates and should live together in understanding, and in her
talk frequently compared our lives to theirs.
She encourages monkeys into her indigenous garden, ensuring that it is
conducive to their lifestyle and feeding habits and gave us a fascinating
insight into their lives.
Some facts about the Vervet that may be new to
readers: When monkeys groom they are not looking for fleas
but for salt and dead skin to help recycle sweat. Vervets
will spend an hour at a time grooming and touching and this need for closeness
is common to all primates. The Alpha
male (the boss) is recognisable by his large size and well-developed shoulders
and by the way he holds his tail up in an arched shape. The gestation period for a Vervet is 3 months
and a single baby must be born by December so that the abundance of food in the
summer months can be capitalised upon.
Like humans, the Vervet baby needs to be with its mother and will only be weaned at 5-6 months until which time it is black in
colour. We were surprised to hear that
the lifespan of a Vervet in the wild is only 5 years or so and the longest
living monkey is estimated to have lived for 23 years.
Jean
concluded her talk by answering questions from our attendees and convinced us
all that the only way to prevent further decline in the Vervet Monkey
population is to provide good nature
reserves and educate people.
We thank Jean for taking the time to provide some thought-provoking
information and for livening up our activity programme.
Headway Angels
Our
husband and wife team of volunteers, Stan and Rose Paterson, are once again worthy of
gratitude. Rose, a Pre-Primary teacher,
is no longer running her After Care service in the afternoons and has found
time since the beginning of the year to give more time to Headway and use her
considerable creative skills for our benefit.
On Wednesday mornings after teaching sewing to our attendees, she has
been doing a series of fabulous crafts, from making paper roses for Valentine’s
Day to printing colourful fabrics destined to be turned into tablecloths and
tray cloths.
Stan, a
handyman of note, continues to look after all our maintenance problems and has
spent much of his time lately sorting out our new air conditioner and making it
function more efficiently. However, his
best achievement this month has been the completion and installation of our new Headway
House sign at no cost.
Our original donated one was stolen (value R800) and the empty pole on
the grass verge at the entrance has been a bit of an eyesore. All who remember the old one agree that this
hand-crafted effort by Stan is far superior.
It is great that
people can now find number Headway House with ease!
This
month we had a big scare when our most devoted and talented Volunteer, Peter Deighton,
had a series of black-outs and had to go into hospital. Thankfully, although now fitted with a
pace-maker, Peter is back
at Headway giving his all as usual – we are doing our best to make him slow
down, but it’s difficult!
We also
thank Volunteer Helen Lynn
who has been doing a great job on Wednesday mornings in reception
Personality of the Month
Last
month we focussed on Kevin Hollinshead and many
people enjoyed getting to know a little more about this wonderful Headway
character.
This
month we introduce you to a larger-than-life personality well known to many who
have been involved with Headway for a number of years. Like Kevin, Paddy Dunn features in our “Executive
Brochures” which we use when making appeals for funding. In the brief story which accompanies Paddy’s
photograph, the words “Paddy continues to fight for acceptance from the
community” perhaps sum up what this indomitable person is all about.
Just
before the Christmas holidays of 1972, at the age of 20, Paddy was involved in
a serious motor vehicle accident which left him in a coma for 4½ months, severe
paralysis down his right side and with no speech for well over a year. Before his accident Paddy had been a talented
show jumper and led a full and exciting life.
His rehabilitation was a lengthy and frustrating process but this man
has spunk in spade-loads! Not only did he eventually learn to walk and talk
again but the list of jobs he took on, in spite of his disabilities, is
mind-boggling.
Paddy
worked in Parks and Gardens, in a textile shop, as a lab technician and even
sold Security Systems door-to-door to mention just a few. This was not easy for a man who was often
taken for a drunkard with his slurred speech and rolling walk. Needless to say,
his sense of humour and determined spirit got him through many a difficult
situation. More recently, because of the constant strain on his joints, Paddy
had to abandon his crutches and take to a wheelchair, which was bad news to all
his friends at Headway. Predictably,
this did not last for long and we were delighted to see his smiling face when
he visited us last week back on his crutches.
Paddy wrote his life story some years ago and we have a copy in our
library. He would be proud to know that
people had read his story and we would like to let our readers know that it is
available – just ask Rose at reception. Paddy has a fervent desire to motivate
others and believes that our minds are very powerful and can achieve miracles
in a damaged body. He has a strong faith
and believes in the power of LUCK (Paddy Dunn style - “Labour Under Correct Knowledge”) – in other words keep trying,
remain positive and don’t forget that a smile adds to that luck!
Outreach – Within Reach!
In May
last year we announced in the newsletter that we had received a grant from
Wesbank specifically for supporting Zimele Molweni. We swung into action almost immediately and,
although experiencing immense frustration at times at how slowly things happen
and how difficult it is for consensus to be reached on any decision, we look
back on what has been achieved with justifiable pleasure. Since receiving the grant we fund a transport service to
enable the disabled children to get to and from the centre, provide the
finances for the children to receive a substantial meal each day and
reward the hard work of the staff and volunteers with moderate gratuities.
This
input has had positive effects in other ways.
Our OT Debbie is working closely with OTA Zipho to put together a meaningful and well-structured activity
programme and the reinstatement of home visits has resulted in an
increase in the number of disabled children getting to the centre each day. The
Caretaker’s Cottage
next to the old workshop which houses Zimele is about to be renovated and made
habitable and the fencing for a vegetable
garden will soon be installed.
All
this is very exciting and we are thrilled to report that, in addition, we have
received news that the application sent in last March to The National Lotteries
Fund has borne fruit. The grant has not
yet been received (so we won’t announce the amount just yet) but it means that
the work at Zimele can continue to grow and flourish.
Donations
We are
so fortunate to have regular donations from a handful of Trust Funds and we sincerely
thank TT Cradock Trust (R1
900) and WL
Hancocks Gift Trust (R2 200) this
month for their ongoing support on which we have come to rely.
Community Chest have
for the past year generously contributed a monthly amount of R1 000
towards our operational costs and we thank them for this.
Francis and Barbara Hanauer
kindly donated R1 000
and, because they like to have their donations allocated to something concrete,
we asked them if we could put the money towards the air conditioner we had
purchased. We acknowledge with gratitude
the other donations received this month: Shirley Warne (R100), Dain
van der Reyden (monthly
stop order of R50), Lance Goodman (R24), Shirley Coetzee
(still paying the wages of one of our gardeners) and “Anonymouse”
(R180). (Thought you might
like to see a picture of Anonymouse since he seems to be a regular feature in our
Donations insert!)
The
support we receive is always so heart-warming and this month we thank Wally Blom who
again donated photocopy paper
to Headway and Illovo Sugar
who continue to provide sugar
to Headway, and this year also to Zimele.
Fund Raising
Street Collection
The
date for our first Street Collection of the
year has been fixed so PLEASE
DIARISE SATURDAY 12 APRIL. This collection will take place in the Westville Shopping Centres and,
as this is the location of Headway House and we need the local community to be
aware of our existence, we need it to be a big and successful day. If you have not already been contacted to
collect on the day we urge you to
get in touch with us – you only have to stand with a tin for
just an hour
if that is all the time you have to spare!
Income from Fund
Raising
Collection
Tins yielded a total of R438
this month, thanks in no small part to Mndeni Meats whose
well-filled tins contained R250 (Mndeni Meats is also supporting our feeding
scheme at Zimele Molweni). Book, Jumble and Diary Sales (R169), Raffle
Ticket Sales (R436) and Shop Sales (R782) gave
us lots of cash to count and helped boost our income.
Headway Back Page Smalls
Web Site News
Rob
Fisher is continuing to develop the Headway website (address at top of newsletter)
and we are looking forward to our very own Headway Chat Room one of these
days. Log on and see how the website is
shaping up! (And if you are reading this then you have found the web site!
Please tell everyone about it!)
Stop Press
Pottery Assistant still
needed!!
