TA stepped out for fundraisers

DANCING STAR: Nicky Wise, winner of Te Awamutu Primary School’s Dancing with the Te Awamutu Stars event with her dancing partner Lee Soti. PHOTO BY MARK GIBBS.

BY GRANT JOHNSTON

Te Awamutu Events Centre hosted back-to-back fundraisers at the weekend — and both the Cure CanTeen event on Friday night and the ‘Dancing with the Te Awamutu Stars’ event on Saturday night were hugely successful. They both attracted massive crowds and raised impressive funds for young people.

Life Education Trust educator, Nicky Wise was recently devastated by the arson of the trust’s mobile classroom, but she has ‘bounced back to life’ and took out the top prize in Saturday night’s Te Awamutu Primary School event with a dazzling display of dancing (see full story page 2).

If boxing great Ali had been at Friday night’s Cure CanTeen fundraiser, he might have described it as ‘the greatest’. The event, which centres around an unusual mix of sponsored head shaving and boxing bouts between ‘newbies’ to the sport, had a battle on its hands to beat last year’s successful inaugural event run by Central Region Prisons Service staff. But pumped up by even greater community and business support and a bumper crowd, the event certainly rocked the Events Centre.

There was great entertainment, with an array of musicians (including prisons staff, Fred and Lovey and The Grey Haired Daddies, as well as the Cook Island Dance Group from Hamilton) to complement the other events, but above all there was a strong sense of unity and community spirit— rising together to aid a great cause, helping teenagers living with cancer.

Sef Bourke, of the organising committee, says around 1000 people packed into the event this year from near and far. Also in the mix were staff from Police, Henry Bennett Centre, Waikeria, Tongariro/Rangipo prisons and Spring Hill Corrections Facility.

RIVALRY SET ASIDE: typical of the actions of boxers involved in the Cure CanTeen fundraiser, Crystal Pevreal (left) and Tamsin Jones embraced each other straight after their torrid and well-matched bout. PHOTO BY AISHA ROBERTS.

‘‘A huge thank you to those who helped out on the night — boxing judges, referees, entertainers, bar staff, waitresses who waited on the corporate tables, people who donated/sponsored money, bought tickets (corporate tables or $20 tickets), prepared food for the corporate tables, mucked in and helped out with the cleaning, drove the courtesy vans, boxed (18 people) or trained/supported someone to box, cut or shaved their hair (24 people), organised/persuaded people in their respective organisation to take part, local businesses who bought corporate tables or donated goods, sold tickets — the list goes on.’’

Mr Bourke says they hope to at least match last year’s total raised of $21,500.

Tamsin Jones, who was involved in what was probably the ‘fight of the night’ with Crystal Pevreal, says she was blown away by the atmosphere on the night and how well organised everything was.

‘‘I would like to say a massive thankyou to all those who took part, from the boxers themselves, our trainers who donated many hours of their time, to the organisers and the greater community for getting in behind and supporting such a great cause. The organisers put in a lot of hours of hard work and did a wonderful job in organising the event. The boxers all received a sports bag with our own towel and bucket which made us feel special, right through to the layout and the official judges and ref, the TV camera and screen. I found the experience really awesome.’’

Tamsin enjoyed huge support from family, friends and Police colleagues.

‘‘The support was huge and I really felt it. Crystal is a lovely young lady and we have already talked about a possible rematch.’’

Crystal Pevreal says she is rapt she was matched against Tamsin.

‘‘We were of equal skill and in it for the same reason. What happened in the ring stayed in the ring. A few people seemed to want to get their photos taken with us afterwards.’’

Crystal also enjoyed outstanding vocal support from her fans— which included family, friends, members of Zero Limits Health and Fitness Centre and The Church @ Te Awamutu. Some in the crowd grimaced when Crystal had to replace her dislocated shoulder several times during the bout —and she assures them she felt it. Overall she rated the whole experience as overwhelming.

‘‘To enter a sport you have never attempted before and have all that crowd support, and know you are taking on a challenge for a great cause, was the opportunity of a lifetime.’’