Community spirit

Our kaimahi are super privileged to work alongside some amazing people. And actually, our kaimahi are also pretty amazing! Kaiako Tariaiwa Dean Wilson was recently part of a team that walked alongside a whānau suffering the ongoing impacts of a stroke. Below, Dean shares the story of the unstoppable Barney Wilson.

Barney Wilson is back on the road!

“In 2021 Barney suffered a debilitating stroke at home in Nelson. He was immediately flown to Wellington Hospital where the specialists had to put him into an induced coma so they could stem the internal bleeding. It was touch and go and a time of huge stress for the whānau. As things were looking up, two weeks later as they were flying home, Barney woke up and had no idea where he was or what had happened. The stroke had caused some short-term memory loss and he was also unable to read or write.

“Over the next few weeks, he and his partner Maureen put a plan together to start reading early childhood books, and begin the process of learning to read and write again. Barney also loves music and over the years had collected many songs in print, which he used when he was playing in a band. Unfortunately, he struggled to read them because the words were all jumbled, however, he discovered if he colored every other line, his mind could keep up with the words and he could read his music charts.

Dean, Barney and Sonny Alesana with the new wheels.

“After some time in recovery, Barney and his partner Maureen made the decision that Barney would hand in notice at his workplace, Lineage Logistics in Richmond. They thought he would no longer be able to keep him on because of his condition. They were taken by surprise when the managers questioned why he would be leaving and said they were sure they could work something out that would allow Barney to keep working in some capacity until he was back on his feet. Barney and Maureen could not believe it—Barney had always been a hard worker and the thought of not having a job had been really tough.

“Over the next few months Barney continued to suffer from seizures, and that also meant losing his driver license, which left him with the problem of how he would get to work. Then one day he bumped into an old rugby mate, Sonny Alesana, who works for Te Tauihu Māori health provider Te Piki Oranga. Sonny was able to utilise community funding to organise a bike for Barney, and within a few days he was back off to work.

“But a couple of months later, and the seizures had not stopped. Barney realised the 40-minute bike home was taking its toll on his recovery, which is when I caught up with Barney. He told me what was going on. I told him I could potentially access further community funding to help him get an electric bike, but it wouldn’t be a lot and yup, when we went to look at the bikes in our price range, there wasn’t anything available.

Barney and Mitchell Cooper from My Ride Richmond.

“Sonny got wind of Barney’s latest dilemma and was able to access some extra funding. Sonny and Barney were soon at My Ride Richmond bike shop, where Mitchell Cooper gave them a great deal on a bike which Barney and Sonny accepted, but Barney would still have to pay the balance off.

“When Barney went back to work the next day and told his workmates and managers what was going on they jumped into help, offering a koha, which meant Barney could completely buy the bike without owing anything on it as well as buying the necessary bits and pieces to keep him safe and comfortable. What an amazing gesture!

“So, why tell this story? Well firstly, I wanted to acknowledge the spirit of Barney and Maureen, who showed a willingness to never give up. I believe their strength and attitude sets an example for our entire community – to keep fighting and aspiring, even in the darkest moments.

“The second reason is to show the incredible community spirit we have in Te Tauihu and how four organisations were able to come together to support a couple in their time of need and show the true spirit of our beautiful country and its people.

“I send so much love and appreciation to Barney Wilson and Maureen Ryan, Te Piki Oranga, Lineage Logistics My Ride Richmond and, of course, Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu Trust. Ngā mihi ki a koutou.”

Barney and his Lineage Logistics crew.