V/O: Today’s episode of Attitude is a celebration. Welcome to the 3rd Annual Attitude Awards.
6 awards will acknowledge the achievements of people who live with a disability.
Group: Haka.
Simon Dallow: How fabulous was
that, Tena koutou tena koutu tena koutou katoa good evening and welcome to the 3rd Annual
Attitude Awards and I’d like to extend a very warm welcome to Your Excellences, The
Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Susan Satyanand and His Worship the Mayor
of Auckland Mr Len Brown the Super City Mayor welcome. It is an honour, a privilege and
a pleasure for me to be back again as we celebrate the achievements, the contributions, the spirit
of some remarkable New Zealanders who just happen to be living with a disability.
Tonight we meet three finalists for each of 6 awards, we meet the second inductee into
the Attitude Hall of Fame, and of course at the end of the evening, we find out who wins
the biggie, the Attitude ACC Supreme Award and we have a wonderful show lined up for
you this evening.
Before we get to the first award though, I have to say there’s an old saying in show
business that you should never work with animals or kids. Tonight I have both.
It’s an enormous pleasure thought to have young Jaden Movold with me tonight he’s
been a part of the Attitude family for the past 6 years, come on up Jaden. Now you had
a really good go and stealing the show last year didn’t you.
Jaden: Yes.
Simon: Yes. You’re going to flash that great smile of yours to everyone are you?
Jaden: Yes.
Simon: He’s been winding me up earlier, saying all I’m going to say is yes just
to annoy you is that true?
Jaden: Yes.
Simon: Well not content to have a tear-away kid up here with me, Attitude boss Robyn Scott
Vincent decided I needed even more help, from a dog.
Helen: Hi I’m Helen and this is chance he’s Mobility Dog’s Ambasser Dog.
V/O: Tonight Chance has an important job to do and he’s well prepared for it, he’s
a trained specialist in helping people living with disabilities with everyday tasks, like
picking up wallets and credit cards, he likes taking calls, pulling off socks and undoing
zips. Just some of the many tasks Chance will happily help with, he’s so clever, he’s
opened a new door for himself, landing a job on the Podium with Simon presenting our Awards.
It’s one he’s taking very seriously.
Simon: He takes his role seriously Chance’s job tonight, as you’ve just heard, is to
bring me the envelope of the winner’s name for each award in a kitti, so as my next line
says, what could go wrong?
Well without any further ado, ladies and gentlemen to tonight’s first award and it is one of
two with a sport theme; the Attitude Courage in Sport Award. As the name suggests this
award recognises a person who has strived to lead an active sporting life despite considerable
hurdles in their way.
Joining us now is Sue Foley from Westpac, who are generously supporting us again for
the third time in 2010.
We’re delighted to also welcome a footballing legend in this country, the captain of the
1982 All Whites Steve Sumner.
Sue Foley: For me it’s an absolute privilege to be here tonight representing Westpac at
the Attitude Awards. As to me attitude is absolutely critical to all of us to achieve
any dreams we may have. We all see people with similar skills but it is an individual’s
attitude that will see them either lead or stay at the back. Can I congratulate all the
finalists of the Attitude Courage Award. Thank you.
Steve Sumner: And indeed it’s a pleasure and a privilege for me to be here this evening
as well and thank you Robyn for the invite and something I think that we all need in
our own walks of life whether it be work or on the sports field is courage and I’ve
seen plenty of it here this evening already, out in the greater audience and here on the
stage.
The finalists in the Attitude Courage in Sport Award are..
V/O: Jess Hamill’s skill in shoot put earned her a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games
in Delhi.
Jess: It was just you know incredible, it was really satisfying.
V/O: But it was her courage that got her there in the first place. This is a young woman
who doctors predicted wouldn’t live beyond the age of two. Jess was born with cerebral
palsy, she’s faced discrimination, when she applied to study Sport’s Massage, she
was told she couldn’t do it from her wheelchair. But Jess finds her own way to do things; she
is now on her way to becoming a qualified Massage Therapist.
V/o Jayne Parsons moves along in life with a huge amount of drive and confidence, doing
things with purpose, yet without sight. Blind in both eyes as a result of domestic violence,
she’s channelled any negative energy into excelling at sport.
Jayne: I lost my sight in my right eye, as a result of a beating and I was also pregnant
and I lost one of my babies as a result of that as well. I wasn’t going to give up,
I either could keep going or I died and I wasn’t going to do that so I got on with
it.
V/O: Shakti Krishnan is heading to the top of the mountain, in more ways than one.
Shakti: Having a disability doesn’t slow me down at all.
V/O: From a young age this 12 year old has taken every sporting opportunity suggested
to him.
Shakti: When you’re in a wheelchair all the time, in sport you can go out there and
do things for yourself more independently. I guess it’s just the feeling of being almost
free.
V/O: Shakti’s entered triathlons, training in wheelchair racing and recently in the Para
Table Tennis Nationals, he took home gold.
Steve Sumner: And the winner is Jayne Parsons.
V/O: It’s now more than 20 years since domestic violence robbed Jayne Parsons of her sight,
but it’s only in the past 6 years that Jayne’s been working towards her sporting goals. When
Attitude and Jayne first met in 2006 Jayne had just been given her first tandem bike.
She now hurtles around the streets of Wellington at speeds of up to 80 kms per hr and at those
speeds the risks are enormous. Jayne takes the spills in her stride after all she can’t
see where she is about to land.
Jayne: Went round the corner and the wheel came out and we come off the bike, but the
thing was I mean you know it didn’t scare us or anything because I didn’t even know
I was down until my head was scooting across the ground you know.
V/O: Right from the outset Jayne’s been determined to ride well and get her message
across to other women in violent relationships. Later that year Jayne chose to ride in the
Round Taupo Races Training. The event was also raising money for Heart Children, a cause
close to Jayne’s heart.
Jayne: I had twins and I lost one and my one that’s alive now, Natalie, she was in intensive
care and she was really well looked after with the heart monitoring team.
V/O: As Jayne and Michelle headed toward the 100 K mark, they were right up with the main
bunch, but just around the corner, they hit a problem.
Jayne: My chains actually completely snapped off, I don’t know what we are going to do
now.
V/O: It looked like the race was over but Jayne remained positive and came up with a
plan.
Jayne : We could go walk it up and go down without the chain aye and then the support
crew will meet us at the end.
Jayne : I’m absolutely honoured to get this tonight and I’d like to thank the sponsors
and Attitude and of course the Para-Olympics for being behind me in all my efforts yeah
I’m absolutely humbled to accept this and thank you very much and on goes my track training
now and move on and get on with it thank you.