Western News: October 02, 2018

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4 Tuesday October 2 2018 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi WESTERN NEWS News Turning life around through love Riccarton addiction advocate Damian Holt recently received a community award from the city council for his public artwork. The 57-year-old spoke to reporter Anan Zaki about his love of art and how it helped turn his life around ART HAS long been a cause of fascination for Damian Holt. When he was a young boy, his only interests were painting and English Football, more specifically Leeds United. He let those interests slip away in his teenage years as he started substance abuse at age 17. He let drugs take over his body. First it was heroin, then marijuana and alcohol. He used drugs until he was 38. “My addiction was directly linked to depression. “Instead of going to the doctor I was my own doctor. But I was actually making my depression worse by what I was putting into my body,” Mr Holt said. He believes his depression is just part his genetic make-up. HEALING: Painting murals helped Damian Holt recover from his own personal battle with addiction. “I think I was just born with it. I had it as a child. “I still endure depression but I just handle it a much different way instead of drugs,” Mr Holt said. Regaining the love for art was one of the different ways that helped Mr Holt recover from his addictions. But first, he had to be honest with himself and the world. “I was under-achieving and I wasn’t happy with that so one day I woke up and decided to be honest and do something to change my lifestyle. “So I went to Queen Mary Hospital in Hanmer and went through the treatment programme.” Mr Holt is in his 19th year of being sober. Art was a therapeutic way to recover due to the time it takes to paint, he said. “When someone gives up a lifetime of addiction there is a massive hole that’s there. “If you think about it, if you’re an alcoholic, it takes half an hour to buy your drinks. You drink for four to five hours and you’re hungover for three or four more hours.” Painting a mural often took about 40 hours across multiple days and that helped fill the void left by drugs, Mr Holt said. “Three of four sessions of alcohol or drug abuse equals one mural. “The drug abuse cost a lot of money with nothing to show for it, and the murals cost far less and is there for perpetuity,” Mr Holt said. He is now on “default mode” on staying clean. “It’s a habit to stay away from drugs, and I don’t think about my addiction,” Mr Holt said. He now helps others recover from addictions at the non-profit group Mental Health Advocacy and Peer Support. “I thought it was time to hand something back as I’ve obviously got personal experience in addiction and recovery.” Love the Community Brand new homes available now! At Summerset at Wigram, you can continue to live the life you choose, with the added peace of mind of living in a warm and friendly community where you’ll feel completely at home. As a Summerset resident, you’ll enjoy all the benefits of being part of a thriving Summerset community including easy access to village facilities and community spaces. And there’s support on hand should you need it in the future. Join us for Morning Tea and meet our friendly, professional team, who will be proud to show you around our beautiful village. Morning Tea and Tour Thursday 4 October 10am Summerset at Wigram 135 Awatea Road, Wigram Christchurch Bus route 100 will take you straight to our gate. SUM11239_18X8
WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Tuesday October 2 2018 5 Local News Now Fire rages, homes at risk of art recognised Art is one thing he recommends to people going through addictions but he says there are other ways. “It works for me, but what I generally do with my clientele is take them back to before they were on drugs and find out what their interests were between the ages of 10 and 15. “For me between the ages 10 and 15, I loved sketching. Art and English Football were my passions and I often sketched English football players,” Mr Holt said. He often drew sketches of his favourite player, Leeds United goalkeeper David Harvey, as he had the same initials as Mr Holt. Hobbies that people had when they were younger can help fill the void left by drugs, he said. Mr Holt made his art hobby public when he started the Brockworth Art Gallery in 2012. The gallery is along the train tracks behind Brockworth Pl, Riccarton. Mr Holt never had an interest in street art until then. International street artist Banksy that inspired him to start the street art. “I watched Banksy’s film Exit Through the Giftshop and I became really interested in street art. “But I didn’t want to cross the police lines and get into trouble for illicit art,” Mr Holt said. He met Kenyan artist Jess De Boer who was living in the city at the time. “Jess and I got permission to paint the wall of Margaret Stoddart [Retirement Village] but she had to go back to Kenya immediately after we got permission. “She gave me all the paint that she had gathered and because I lived in [Riccarton], I started painting in 2012 with about five or six paintings,” Mr Holt said. When more vines on the walls along the railway walkway were removed, he had more canvas to paint on. Mr Holt said his street art has a point of difference. “I paint with paintbrushes, not spray. “My second point of difference is I wanted to set up street art in the layout of an art gallery so that for people that walk through there it’s like an art gallery,” he said. Mr Holt felt a lot of pride in looking at his work but says they are not there to show off his talents. “It’s simply there to colour up the morning, evenings or days of whoever that’s walking there. “It’s just there to distract people from the mundane walk of life,” he said. Mr Holt doesn’t have any plans for any future public murals and likes the way it is. His last painting was in March. “I quite like having my own little spot and I like it that it’s tucked away and you kind of GALLERY: The Brockworth Art Gallery project began in 2012 and the last mural was completed in March have to look for it,” he said. But art will always remain a hobby for him at home. Mr Holt had also had some advice for people going through substance abuse. “Recovery can be achieved, two things that are key to a recovery is acceptance that you’ve got a problem and personal honesty around everything that you do in life. “Hang in there, it does get better. Sometimes people find it really hard to break a habit, but once you break the habit it gets better,” Mr Holt said. • HELP US TO HELP OTHERS • DONATIONS APPRECIATED • OPEN 6 DAYS We welcome you to come in for a chat! FREE PICK UP Can be arranged for your quality donations - Phone 349 4163 Dress Smart Goulding Ave Hornby Family Store 1 Amyes Rd, Hornby Ph. 349 4163 Lone Star Riccarton Rd WE ARE HERE! Riccarton Family Store 335b Riccarton Rd, Church Corner Ph. 341 8539 CORNER AYMES & SHANDS ROADS Present this advert along with your truck donation for a $10 credit (Conditions Apply) Hansons Lane Main South Rd Waimari Rd Shands Rd WE ARE HERE! Amyes Rd Auburn Ave 03 349 5050 free CONSULTS New Dentures > Relines > Repairs > 6 Brynley Street, Hornby, Christchurch www.betterdenture.co.nz Suffrage Series at the Arts Centre TUE 16, wed 17 & FRI 19 Oct The Great Hall, The Arts Centre The Suffrage Series celebrates the diverse range of women we have in Canterbury. A partnership series between Christchurch City Council, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and The Arts Centre. Online booking required: Eventbrite.co.nz #inspiremeCHCH FREE Women’s Suffrage - a cultural journey tuesday 16 October 7-9pm Women on Fire wednesday 17 October 7-9pm A Woman’s Voice friday 19 October 7-9pm FOR more information and updates visit ccc.govt.nz/heritageweek
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Western News: October 02, 2018

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