Songs of joy and sorrow
Red Cross still helping
The response in Aitutaki:
Aunty Dolly turns 90
World TB Day marked
Cyclone Pat moments from Aitutaki
Tyree checks into Rehab
Open Mic Nite at RSA on Monday
The WeekEnd Crossword

The wise sayings of our ancestors rang out loud and clear in the National Auditorium on Thursday night as ten new songs were presented for the 2010 Mire Atu composers’ competition.

The new songs, written by both accomplished and first time composers, were based on this year’s Mire Atu theme of ‘the wise sayings of your island/tribe’.

First time composer Travel Moeara won the coveted Mire Atu trophy with his song titled ‘E ‘uri to aro i manava’ara’ sung by Andrew George and backed up by Teata Nga and Elizabeth Pitomaki.

George’s smooth and strong voice captured the sorrow and joy of a parent sending their child to greener pastures for a better life and the Mangaia adage ‘upon all your success – remember your motherland’.

Second place went to well known singer/song writer Curly George who was first on stage with her song ‘Whotu rangaranga’ dedicated to the strength of the men and women of the northern group island of Manihiki.

Her powerful voice left no guesses as to why this young artist has three albums under her belt.

2009 Mire Atu winner Pastor Eliu Eliu was thrilled to take third place in the competition with his song ‘Te a’o o te uki’, a duet, sung by Kotrine Iro and David Tolefa. It spoke of the Mangaia warrior Kanune who killed two enemies with his bare hands.

Local dentist Tuaine Unuia sung a dreamy song titled ‘Moemoea’ and as an accomplished composer feels that there is always more to learn about composing songs which is one of his passions.

Rutaki composer Glassie Matata’s song ‘Iriiri ia mai koe’ encouraged parents to bring children up to be leaders of tomorrow.

Teariki Adams of Ruatonga based his song on the saying ‘there’s nowhere like home’ (kare e ngai meitaki atu i to ipukarea) which was sung by Takai Munokoa.

‘Without your paddle you will drift or lose your way’ was the saying that influenced Tauke Papai’s song ‘Kaveinga’ sung by Ngatokorua Tuteru.

Papa Upokoina Teiotu wrote a song telling children to be good to your mothers – for she carried you for nine months.

The song was sung by Ake Teiotu who had the crowd cheering her on as she danced along while singing.

With a Pukapuka warrior dressed in traditional garments, composer and singer Tuwunga Mataora pushed the message of holding on to your paddle in his song ‘Taku lakau mai Pukapuka’.

Avarua School teacher Poti Maeva was a breath of fresh air as he belted out his song ‘Liolio wakaleli’ which is based on his observation of seeing many of his friends die in their youth and not reach their full potential.

His song urges the youth of today to not waste their time, and to seek knowledge.

All the new songs sung in this year’s Mire Atu can be found in a booklet compiled by the ministry of cultural development.

The ministry of culture would like to thank sponsors especially main sponsor Tower Insurance. - MW

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Runner up Miss Tiare Tekea Akava entertains the Mire Atu crowd. 10032636

 

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Tuwunga Mataora sang the wise sayings of Pukapuka elders. 10032631

 

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Local dentist Tuaine Unuia sings his dreamy song ‘moemoea’. 10032616

 

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2010 Mire Atu winner Travel Moeara receives a congratulatory handshake from Atiu Enua composer Upokoina Teiotu. 10032604

 

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Ngatokorua Tuteru sang the song titled ‘Kaveinga’ by composer Tuakeu Papai. 10032628

 

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With his Pukapuka warrior on stage, composer Tuwunga Mataora recounted the old sayings of Pukapuka elders. 10032632

 

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Ake Teiotu was a hit with the crowd when she sang Upokoina Teiotu’s song encouraging children to ‘love your mothers – she did carry you for nine months’. 10032625

 

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Composer Glassie Matata (right) on stage singing his song ‘iriiri ia mai koe’. 10032614

 

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Well-known local artist Curly George was at her best on Thursday night with her powerful voice ringing out across the national auditorium – her song ‘whotu rangaranga’ praising the strength of the men and women of Manihiki. 10032620

 

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David Toleafoa and Korine Iro sang Pastor Eliu Eliu’s song ‘Te a’o o te uki’ beautifully on Thursday night. 10032629

 

Red Cross has helped more than 470 Aitutaki families through its relief assistance over the past month.

Red Cross staff and volunteers were among the first to respond after Cyclone Pat struck the island on February 10, by going door to door to talk to families and assess people’s needs. During its initial ‘rapid needs assessment’, conducted on February 11-12 in partnership with the ministry of health and ministry of infrastructure and planning, Red Cross visited 408 homes and surveyed 1498 people.

“Many buildings were damaged or destroyed, including 408 family homes, as well as schools, churches and businesses. Trees were uprooted and crops were ruined. The livelihoods of farmers, fishing communities and small traders have been most impacted. Up to 90 percent of homes lost power and although the main power system was quickly restored, many homes are not yet connected due to extensive damage. The cyclone directly affected 1,067 people – almost two thirds of the island’s population,” says Red Cross.

While Red Cross’ immediate response was the delivery of life-saving clean water, food, relief supplies and assisting and strengthening shelters, the Cyclone Pat response programme is now focused on continuing to provide drinking water for four months, breakfasts for the island’s students until the end of March, and strengthening coordination with government and all stakeholders to support the people of Aitutaki on their road to recovery.

“Red Cross is also continuing to assess people’s needs – as some people were away from their homes during the initial assessment, while others have returned to the island of Aitutaki since the cyclone. In addition, recent wet and windy weather has provided further challenges for some families.”

In coordination with local people, support agencies and governments, Red Cross will also work towards ensuring communities are better prepared for future disasters. This includes focusing on improving Red Cross processes and systems to strengthen the capacity of the Aitutaki branch, in order to support the ongoing and future needs of the island’s people.

Safe drinking water

As the cyclone damaged or destroyed water tanks, roofs and guttering, an immediate need was clean, safe, drinking water to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

To meet this urgent need, Australian Red Cross sent a water and sanitation specialist to Aitutaki with a water purification unit, able to produce 5,000 litres of clean water an hour. The unit began operating on February 17, and as at March 1, had provided 50,000 litres of clean drinking water to the island’s population. The unit will continue operating for another four months, after which it will be transported to Rarotonga. The water purification units are the property of the Cook Islands Red Cross HQ, Rarotonga, and will be mobilised for future emergency response.

The Australian Red Cross specialist trained local Red Cross and government staff and volunteers to run and maintain the water unit, as well as how to test for water safety, to ensure long-term sustainability.

On February 24, two 5,000-litre water storage ‘bladders’ from Australian Red Cross were sent to Aitutaki and one was set up by the New Zealand Defence Force. The installation of this bladder means the water unit pump needs only to be operated once a day to fill the bladder, reducing wear and tear. Community members can access water at their convenience from the adjoining tap stand.

The water unit is ideal for conditions in the Pacific, as it is lightweight and portable, and can be easily transported on a small boat – reducing the need for a deep water port.

Shelter

Red Cross distributed tents to people whose houses were unsafe or uninhabitable, as well as tarpaulins and rope to people whose houses were damaged. The tents were initially erected by the New Zealand Defence Force, but after being trained, Red Cross volunteers, government workers and community members erected the remainder of the 69 tents. Red Cross will manage the dismantling and re-assembly of the tents during future storm warnings.

Chainsaw lending and servicing

With uprooted trees and branches strewn across the island, chainsaws were needed to clear the roads and to enable people to start cleaning up their properties. Red Cross is providing a unique chainsaw lending service, where six Red Cross chainsaws are loaned to community members, who return them at the end of each day for servicing (oil, petrol and sharpening). Red Cross is also servicing privately owned chainsaws. For the first ten days, hardware store BECO Limited in Rarotonga sponsored a chainsaw technician, who serviced both Red Cross and private and community chainsaws. This service was also supported by New Zealand Defence Force technicians. Aquila Limited, in partnership with Red Cross, aims to continue this service while people are cleaning up their properties.

Ladder lending service

Another new initiative is the loan of ladders, donated by NZAID, to community members to secure the roofing of their homes. Like the chainsaw lending service, the ladders are signed out and in daily, so that all community members have an opportunity to use them. The service will continue into the reconstruction phase.

School breakfasts

Red Cross is providing daily breakfasts to students until the end of March. In partnership with the Adventist Disaster Response Agency (ADRA) and Westpac Bank, Red Cross is providing cereal, bread, fruit and milk, and supporting schools to serve healthy meals, with the help of parents who have volunteered to assist. The breakfast programme aims to boost children’s spirits as they return to normal activities after the cyclone, and provides a nutritious meal to help with concentration and learning.

Counselling and support

Red Cross is providing counselling and support for people who are feeling the emotional and psychological effects of Cyclone Pat. In partnership with the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Health and Education, Red Cross counsellors, nurses and social workers are working to support the community’s psychological needs. As well as providing support during relief distributions, Red Cross has also focused on visiting particularly vulnerable people, such as elderly people who have lost their homes and people on low incomes.

Red Cross is also visiting anyone referred to the organisation or who staff and volunteers have identified as being in need. Since the cyclone hit, Red Cross has provided counselling and support to 214 families and followed up on 50 cases, as well as providing informal support to volunteers and staff involved in the response.

Restoring Family Links

Through the Restoring Family Links programme, Red Cross has put family members in Australia and New Zealand in touch with their relatives. The worldwide programme aims to help worried family and friends find news of their loved ones during a disaster, when people may be separated and communications systems can be unreliable. The programme also assists the police to identify missing persons. This service was activated during the tsunami warning evacuation on February 27, with Red Cross registering 1274 people at seven relief centres.

Health and hygiene promotion

Red Cross and the ministry of health provided information to families about how to protect themselves against dengue, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, and how to ensure basic good hygiene to prevent the spread of diseases such as diarrhoea. This was achieved via media and home visits.

Red Cross is committed to working with the Aitutaki community to prepare for disasters, in order to reduce their impact and aid faster recovery. Training in introductory disaster management, rapid assessments, logistics and other relevant topics will be conducted with Aitutaki branch members and volunteers. A disaster risk management plan is also in progress for endorsement.

• CIRC/HG

Aunty Dolly (foreground) hits the dance floor with her girlfriends to celebrate her 90th birthday on Thursday March 18. Photo by melaniecoopercreative.com 10032637

Kate Daisy Baker (nee Estall), known commonly as Aunty Dolly, spent her 90th birthday dancing with friends at the Taputapuatea palace grounds.

Dolly was born in Rarotonga on March 18, 1920, one of Marcus Estall’s and Lindai Taripo’s eight children.

Dolly grew up in Avatiu and attended the St Joseph’s convent school in Avarua where Catholic nuns were the teachers.

Dolly worked as a staff supervisor for CITC during the 1940s.

Dolly married Maurice Baker, an Englishman who was sent to Rarotonga by the New Zealand government to re-establish the citrus industry.

Together they had four children and when Maurice retired, he received an MBE for services to the Cook Islands.

Although Dolly has lived in New Zealand, she has spent most of her life on Rarotonga.

Dolly is a regular at the Punanga Nui Market where she catches up with friends and the news of the island.

Her favourite eating and drinking place is Trader Jacks restaurant on Avarua harbour.

Aunty Dolly has a lot of colourful stories of her days growing up on Rarotonga such as catching the ‘buggy’ to town, making homebrew to pay the ‘labour’ and as a young married woman, she was one of the first people to own a car on the island – a Chevrolet.

• Matariki Wilson

the move against tuberculosis means more than learning about TB, it means creating meaningful partnerships and screening at-risk populations.

This was the message that Karmen Bennett, Secretariat of the Pacific Community global funds grants manager, emphasised to MPs, civil society organisation representatives and ministry of health personnel during the luncheon to celebrate World TB Day on Wednesday.

The celebration held at Tamarind House Restaurant was to create awareness among political leaders and community leaders about tuberculosis so that once again society can begin to ‘think TB’.

Fostering political will is a regional activity to ensure that advocacy is conducted at the highest level of decision-making to support efforts to Stop TB and therefore contribute to the global plan to Stop TB 2006-2015.

“Government supports national efforts to eradicate TB in the Cook Islands,” assured minister Wilkie Rasmussen during his official address at the gathering.

• Public Health

I can always get another $79 mobile at Telecom but the silk on my Victoria’s Secret lingerie just won’t last this tsunami. Cartoon by Andrew Rave – Form 6. 10032648

This week, Araura College students share more on their Cyclone Pat experiences through descriptive writings. English teacher Corina Ngatamariki has also included another fantastic drawing by her form 6 student Andrew Rave who this week has drawn a cheeky cartoon inspired by last month’s tsunami.

Cyclone Pat

She was fierce, she was strong

She was here for pretty long

She took us out and blew us up

She went right around

She made us scared and made us cry

I really thought I was to die

There were rattles, there was fear

She showed us all that she was near

She came along and went away

Hoping that was it for the day

The dark was to fade and the sun was to rise

Everything disappeared before my very eyes

Everything was gone, there was nothing in sight

I had a little might left that wanted to fight

By Keykore Ashin – Form 6

Turning hopes to stress

Awake in the middle of the night

To the sound of thunder fright

Making my was to the back door

To a scene where fright is more

Fighting against Pat

Feeling like a little cat

Rain pouring down

Turning our smiles into frowns

Cyclone Pat was very furious

Then things got serious

Leaving this place in a mess

Turning our hopes into stress

By Raiti Rio – Form 5

Furious Pat

As the sun is slowly wrapped in the arms of thick angry clouds

Rain starts to fall down from heaven

Wind starts to build in strength

Trees begin to sway

I move around trying to prepare

For what might be a scare

Everything is perfect

I proudly declare

I lay on my bed ready to take my leave to that peaceful place

Called sleep

Hours later

Bang, crash, slam

Windows smashing, doors banging, roofs crashing

The wind becomes stronger

The rain is pouring

My room is quickly filled with water

Leaves are spread all over the walls

I’m scared and cannot talk

I sit with my family in a little corner

All wrapped up in each other’s arms

I gaze out the window

It is dark all over

I cannot see

By Maki Arere – Form 6

Tyree with Ange Ratumu, who went into 88FM yesterday to claim a ticket to tonight’s show. “I’m a big fan,” she gushed. 10032654

Tyree of the popular New Zealand hip-hop group Smashproof is checking into Rehab tonight to perform his first-ever Cook Islands show.

Tyree, who hails from Papatoetoe, came to Raro last week for a wedding and was approached by Rehab co-owner-operator Damon Enoka, who asked him to perform at the popular beachfront bar and nightclub.

At 25, Tyree is an icon on the Kiwi hip-hop stage. His group Smashproof spent 11 weeks at the top of the charts last year for their hit single “Brother”, and spent last year touring around New Zealand and Australia – even pausing to open for American hip-hop giant Jay-Z.

Tyree has also produced a solo album for which he won Best Male Artist at the Australasian Urban Music Awards in 2007 and he has plans to release another album in June.

His lifelong interest in music landed him on the hip-hop stage, but he wasn’t always a rapper.

“Initially I was a singer but I got sick of being the dude who always sung the chorus,” he said. “So I started rapping and making my own beats.”

Together with rappers Young Sid and Deach, he smashed on to the hip-hop scene and signed with Move the Crowd Records in 2007.

Since then, Smashproof has enjoyed huge success around Australasia and will travel to Germany in May to represent Pacific hip-hop on the international stage.

He said that he and his ‘boys’ use their music as a means to reflect South Auckland culture.

“South Auckland isn’t really a nice place that people like to talk about – there’s that stereotypical description that it’s nothing but gang violence,” he said. “My music is a reflection of that, of where I grew up and what I’ve been through.”

He said that his background inspired not only the lyrics for his tracks but the name of his group, which he’s got tattooed on his forearm.

“In our neighbourhood (it) wasn’t hard to get smashed. As young dudes we always got into fights and we never lost, so ‘Smashproof’ describes us on the street and in the booth,” he said.

The group has certainly been ‘smashproof’ in the recording booth, but Tyree said that most people don’t realise that life in hip-hop is tough.

“It’s nice to get noticed. People recognise me and they show their respect but in regards to finances, it’s hard to be a musician,” he said. “When it’s good, it’s great. But when it rains, it pours.”

He said that he’s only been able to walk in the pouring rain with his head held high because of his friends and family.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my friends and family,” he said. “If you’re in hip-hop in New Zealand, you’ve gotta have that support. If you’re a rock singer or a pop singer it’s different, but hip hop isn’t (as big)”.

It’s his knowledge of the nature of the industry that gives him so much respect for fellow Kiwi rappers.

“I have nothing but love and support for my local artists,” he said. He names his musical influences as Scribe, Che Fu, PNC, Savage, Mareko and international megastars Tupac, Jay-Z and T.I.

This is Tyree’s second visit to the Cook Islands. His partner, Kerry-Ann Kaumoana is a Cook Islander from Auckland, and the pair plan to be back again.

But first, he’s got rhymes to spit and beats to drop at Rehab.

The entrance fee for tonight’s show is $3 and Enoka said the whole thing will be dedicated to road safety.

“People, be prepared for a great show. I’ll be playing new stuff, old stuff and stuff from my album ‘Now or Never’ as well as from the Smashproof album,” Tyree said.

He’s got an injured foot – the result of a road-kiss after a motorbike mishap – but his vocal chords escaped unscathed and he’ll still be at Rehab, getting the crowd moving.

• Rachel Reeves

The second Open Mic Nite of the year will open at 7 pm on Monday at the RSA.

All aspiring musicians, comedians, story-tellers and performers are welcome to drop by to showcase their skill.

Chris Musselle of Waterline Bar & Grill said that last month’s OM Nite was ‘great’ and enjoyed a ‘big turnout’ of local musicians.

Last year, OM Nite at the RSA attracted stand-up comedians in addition to guitarists and sax players, so don’t worry if you’re not musically inclined – drop in anyway.

But if you are, and you haven’t got your own guitar, Musselle said he’s in the habit of bringing two guitars – his own, and an extra “bar guitar”.

For more information, phone Chris on 22161 or Nooroa on 71216.

• Rachel Reeves