03/11/2011

Hi everyone, and greetings to you all as we surge toward Christmas. The good news is we won the Rugby World Cup and everyone can relax knowing that we have 4 years reprieve before we do it all again.

Well summer is on the way and the family and I are preparing to spend a week in Fiji at a mates wedding. He will be getting married in a village near Lautoka and there is a group of 28 of us going over and staying at the Radisson which is near Denaru. There is much excitement in the house and we will head off on Saturday for Auckland and fly out Sunday to Fiji.

Buckley Family News

Karen has started a ESOL course which is Teaching English as a second Language. She is loving it. She is taking a break from netball as she has somehow broken a bone in her wrist and the doctors have only just picked up on it. She has been busy weeding the garden and planting tomatoes, beans, chillies, and a variety of other produce to feast on throughout summer. Chloe is still in Whangaparaoa and enjoying her new life living with her Auntie. She is planning to go on a trip to Malaysia in the new year with her boyfriend and their family. Josh is currently out of work and will be heading North to join his sister and look for a job in Auckland.

Bianca is finishing up her last term of year 9 [Third Form]. She has had a great year and has settled into Tauranga Girls College after a bit of a rocky start. She will do well. Seth finished up his soccer season and since the world cup, has aspirations to become an All Black. He is so passionate about life, learning and people.

Both Seth and Ella have been going to a swim school for the last few months and will continue to do so until they can swim proficiently. Ella is doing well and continues to show interest in animals and caring for them. She tells us that she wants to become a vet and so we are nurturing that desire and encouraging her with her education.

Finally- me, Several weeks ago , I had my birthday and my wife decided to shout me for a Tandem skydive which was such a rush. I got there and realized that there was no way that I could back out of this or I would never hear the end of it from my family and all my mates, so I decided to bite the bullet and place my life in someone else's hands and take an opportunity to once again live on the edge, so to speak. I was packing my undies but when we got to 12,000 feet , the guy pushed me out.

I am so glad that I did this as I had been meaning to do it since my 40th and never got around to it. AN experience I would love to do again but for now, choose to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground.

We have a lot of great news to share so here we go

Mount Maunganui College: We have had a quieter term at Mount Maunganui College but in October, we managed to speak to approx. 450 students in Year 11[Fifth Form] as part of a full Assembly presentation before the seniors head off for exams. This was really received and we have followed up with students on a one to one basis as a result of sharing the Amped4Life message. Working locally gives us the opportunity to follow up in a more personal way.

Summerhill Youth Academy: I was asked to return once again to the Summerhill youth Academy held at a farm in the back blocks of Welcome Bay, Tauranga. This unique Academy is the dream of David and Cloie Blackley who have owned this working sheep, cattle and forestry farm in the Papamoa Hills for over fifty years.

The farm also includes mountain bike tracks, walking and running trails, BMX jump-park and even a Mongolian Ger (tent) where the Academy is based.

The Blackley's generously give back and leave a legacy for the Bay of Plenty Youth. They are truly an inspirational couple with very young hearts.

Everybody involved is very keen for the academy to make a difference in the lives of young people who attend.

The CEO Garth Collings is a chartered accountant with thirty years youth focused experience. Under his leadership, the Academy has made a solid start with 23 young people in 2010 and 19 young people in 2011 graduating from the Academy. The subjects that Summerhill Academy covers are very practical – a lot is common sense, wisdom and quite a few leadership skills that a future employer will value and can put into practice.

It has been a delight and a privilege to speak into the lives of these graduates and impart some really practical life skills and tools for their journey and transition from childhood to adulthood.

You can download and read the full newsletter here. (PDF - 1.17 MB)