Beth Sizemore is the Creative and Administration Support at the Radius Fulton Care Center in Dunedin New Zealand. She told me the story of how the home got flooded out earlier in the year and how some of the residents had to be evacuated to other sites. About the same time as this was all happening, the residents there entered a national competition, and the first prize was to have members of the New Zealand National Rugby Team, The All Blacks” visit them. They won the competition.
Darren Robinson TasmanianRepresentative, Diversional Therapy Australia
Below, Beth tells how it all came together.
In Champions Field
“The All Blacks are coming! The excitement in the room was immense. None of the Residents could believe the news!
“Yes, when we’ve won the All Blacks to the nation video competition” I replied.
The excitement was dampened down at that revelation; however the spark was still there. We were all prepared to give it a go. Playing on the strengths of the Residents – poetry, history and the love of rugby (of course), it was decided we would compose a poem using the rhythm of” In Flanders Field”. That served two purposes, it was written during the Great War which was the time our composition was to be based on and half the poem was already composed, we only needed to come up with the message.
Having a rhythm to work with, we needed a first line, a line that would capture and set the tone for the rest of the poem. Our clever healthcare assistant Barbara Tuhura burst into the room-
“In Champions Field where All Blacks grow” and from that line, within twenty minutes after tossing a figurative rugby ball off each other, the poem was completed. More surprisingly, everyone agreed on it.
Once again the excitement was contagious, word throughout the building was spreading, visitors were caught up in the passion and whirlwind of activity bringing this entry together. We were going into uncharted waters, entering a nationwide competition with an entry that demanded attention! Did any of us think we would be chosen as a winner? We didn’t think so, but we were going to give it a darn good try!
We made a backdrop of black and white poppies and a silver fern for the corner of the screen.
The end of a Wing became a makeshift film studio, with daring H.C.A’s holding blankets over a glass door to darken the set. After much calling out of “quiet on the set” we began putting the poem on film. Worried about only having half the residents due to the recent flood, I hoped there would be enough residents wanting to appear on film. Happily, the prize was too big a carrot for the residents to ignore. I am always amazed at the ability of the Residents of Fulton to rise to a challenge and this time was no exception. The Residents didn’t read any of their lines, they patiently said them, over and over again. They delivered their lines with pride, dignity and feeling.
The timeframe from the beginning of composing the poem to uploading the video to the competition was one week. A simple idea, carried along with passionate enthusiasm and an entry so different to any other ensured we were chosen as a winner. On national television, Liam Messam called the Residents inspiring, and they are! Those Champions of Fulton had done it!!! They have shown the country that being in residential care does not define who they are or what their limitations are. It can, and does open a new colorful, full and exciting chapter in their lives.
The media interest was phenomenal. The NZ Woman’s Weekly dedicated one page to the story, it was the magazine’s favorite entry. Every type of media covered the story from the moment we were announced as winners until after the big day itself. The All Blacks who paid us the visit were Ben Smith, Ben Frank and Kieran Read. A great day, but the best part of it was bringing the evacuated Residents back to enjoy the prize. The heart of our entry’s success was the human story behind it, and a demographic not normally seen in the public eye this way. I like to think, that in a small way the Residents of Radius Fulton have smashed down a wall, allowing the public a glimpse of the empowerment that being “in care” can give. What a fantastic ride! The prize was a truly magical experience but the journey to it was pure gold.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/plkfa6c9olispfr/all%20blacks%20final%20ever.wmv?dl=0
Use the above link to view the winning entry from the Radius Fulton Care Centre.
Beth Sizemore
Creative and Administration Support
Radius Fulton Care Centre, Dunedin New Zealand.