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NEWS<br />
14 <strong>Ashburton</strong> <strong>Courier</strong>, <strong>September</strong> <strong>24</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Info sign at Chinese settlement<br />
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
Covid actions praised<br />
Ahuge information sign has been<br />
erected at <strong>Ashburton</strong>’s Ng King<br />
Brothers Chinese market garden<br />
settlement telling people about its<br />
historical importance.<br />
The <strong>Ashburton</strong> District Council,<br />
working with descendants of the<br />
family and Heritage New Zealand,<br />
plans to restore the old buildings<br />
and open it as acommunity<br />
reserve.<br />
The site, on Allens Road, is<br />
considered nationally significant<br />
and arare example of the Chinese<br />
market gardens that were once<br />
common across the country.<br />
LOCAL LISTENING<br />
Peter Mac l 1pm to 6pm<br />
MICK.JENSEN<br />
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
NewZealandhad done well<br />
withits response to Covid19<br />
and was dealing with it better<br />
thanany of theOECD<br />
countries,Sir David Skegg<br />
told agathering in <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
on Tuesday.<br />
The renowned<br />
epidemiologistwas aguest<br />
speaker of U3A <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
and is the Emeritus<br />
Professor of Preventive and<br />
Social Medicine at Otago<br />
University.<br />
ProfSkegg told an<br />
audience of over 100 that<br />
Asian countrieswere largely<br />
doing the best in managing<br />
Covid19 andthe likes of the<br />
USA, theUKand Western<br />
Europe were doingtheworst.<br />
‘‘Taiwan has apopulation<br />
of <strong>24</strong> millionand has<br />
recorded just 500cases and<br />
onlyseven deaths,’’hesaid.<br />
New Zealand and Scotland<br />
had similar populationsof<br />
around five million,but in<br />
NewZealandthere had been<br />
25 deaths compared with<br />
between 4000 and 5000 in<br />
Scotland.<br />
New Zealand had a<br />
number of advantages over<br />
other countries, he said.<br />
It was an island, had closed<br />
its borders early,had a<br />
smallerpopulation and<br />
people here were not reliant<br />
on public transport.<br />
Ironically, NewZealand’s<br />
lackofpreparedness to cope<br />
withapandemichad<br />
prompted it to go earlyinto<br />
lockdown, he said.<br />
New Zealand waswell<br />
downleague tables when it<br />
cametothe number of<br />
intensive carebeds and<br />
resources,and that fact had<br />
forced the government’s<br />
hand ‘‘to go early’’.<br />
Sir David Skegg with U3A <strong>Ashburton</strong> chairperson Edith Smith<br />
ahead of his talk at the <strong>Ashburton</strong> Trust Event Centre.<br />
The government had<br />
listened to scientists,<br />
adopted an elimination<br />
strategy and had provided<br />
excellentcommunicationto<br />
the country.<br />
Therehad been buy in<br />
from the populationand New<br />
Zealand had also ‘‘been<br />
lucky’’, saidProfSkegg.<br />
That luck ran out on August<br />
11 when border restrictions<br />
were lifted and it was<br />
inevitable that there would<br />
be more cases.<br />
There had been both<br />
humanand systemic errors<br />
at the border at the<br />
beginning and three recent<br />
incursions.<br />
Prof Skegg said thecountry<br />
could not afford to be<br />
complacentand needed to be<br />
prepared for the next relapse.<br />
Thereneededtobe<br />
improved surveillance and<br />
targeted testing, enhanced<br />
contract tracing to include a<br />
bluetooth function and<br />
appropriate wearing of<br />
masks.<br />
Covid19 could evolve to be<br />
less dangerous than it was,<br />
but there were not signsof<br />
that yet.<br />
More reliable screening for<br />
travellers could be developed<br />
to enable future travel again<br />
and treatmentofthe virus<br />
was also improving.<br />
In terms of avaccination,<br />
there needed to be<br />
considerationsofhow<br />
effective it was, howlong it<br />
would last, howsafeitwas<br />
and what proportion of<br />
people would acceptit.<br />
Prof Skegg said Covid19<br />
was notthe only pandemic<br />
affecting the world. Tobacco<br />
smoking was abigger killer,<br />
and was manmade and<br />
preventable.<br />
He was also very concerned<br />
about obesity, particularly<br />
here in New Zealand.<br />
‘‘The prevalence of obesity<br />
has trebled heresince the<br />
late 1970s. New Zealand<br />
childrenand adolescents<br />
have the secondhighest<br />
prevalence of obesity<br />
worldwide at the moment,<br />
only behind the USA.’’<br />
2304059<br />
206 Club marks 30 years<br />
Members and volunteers of<br />
the 206 Club celebratedthe<br />
club’s longevitythisweek in a<br />
lowkeyaffair withfruit cake,<br />
coffee and conversation.<br />
The club was founded after<br />
membersofthe Mid<br />
Canterbury Aged Persons<br />
WelfareCouncilsoughtto<br />
start aday care centre for<br />
elderly.Itwas to providea<br />
place for members to go and<br />
be active with others. It then<br />
included keeping members<br />
active and mentally<br />
stimulated too.<br />
The 206 Club openedin<br />
<strong>September</strong> 1990 as aone day<br />
aweekprogrammefor<br />
membersofferingactivities,<br />
entertainment and<br />
companionship over atwo<br />
courselunch.<br />
206 Club volunteer Rosa<br />
Bennett has been<br />
volunteeringfor the group<br />
since itsinception andas<br />
cook for the past 28 years.<br />
It may have grown from<br />
small beginningsbut it was<br />
popular from the start, she<br />
said. Oneofthe first meetings<br />
on its inception was held at<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong>College’s<br />
Holyoake auditorium and<br />
was attended by people from<br />
various groups including Dr<br />
Ron Bakerand then<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong>Collegeprincipal<br />
Owen McDowell.<br />
She said such was the<br />
206 Club volunteer Rosa Bennett flanked by Shirley Patterson<br />
(left) and Anne Fleming, cuts the cake to celebrate 30 years of<br />
206 Club.<br />
popularity of setting up the<br />
club that only one person<br />
from each representative<br />
organisation was able to be<br />
present.<br />
She startedcooking<br />
alongside the late Nancy<br />
Bullock and was full of praise<br />
for the 206Club,which was<br />
full of caring,considerate<br />
people and had beenan<br />
integral partofher life.<br />
‘‘If you have apassionyou<br />
will do it at the best of your<br />
ability,’’ she said.<br />
Over the years the club’s<br />
popularity has grown so<br />
much it now meetsthree<br />
times aweekatthe Senior<br />
Centre on CameronStreet.<br />
Age Concern <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
presidentJan McClelland<br />
said over theyears there had<br />
been many people in therole<br />
of director of dayservices.<br />
They includedJennifer<br />
Audeau (12 years),Sharon<br />
Ross, Leslee Clarke,Karen<br />
Bishop (six years), Mary<br />
Harrison (sevenyears)and<br />
AdairPethig,who has been<br />
director since 2017.