Latest news with #APL
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Climate crisis message shared
A Wānaka teenager is touring New Zealand to encourage other students to help those in need after he spent 40 hours in a cage and kayaked the length of Lake Wānaka to raise funds for World Vision. Former Mount Aspiring College student James Watson travelled to the Solomon Islands with World Vision recently and saw the devastating impact climate change has had on children and families. The 18-year-old is now sharing the stories of those he met as part of his role as a Youth Ambassador for the World Vision 40-Hour Challenge. He is visiting more than 100 schools in the lower North Island to inspire students to go 40 hours offline and raise funds to support children affected by hunger in the Solomon Islands. Mr Watson was moved by the daily struggles of Solomon Islanders, who do not get enough to eat each day due to the climate crisis. He recalled meeting 9-year-old Polyne, who had big dreams of playing football and becoming a nurse but faced challenges. "Polyne has the heart and determination to make these happen, but she faces a huge roadblock — lack of food. "Even the giant taro that once could feed an entire family is no longer growing in her community. It broke my heart to see how this severe lack of food has become normal for them." Spending this valuable time in the Solomon Islands gave Mr Watson perspective and left him feeling New Zealand society could be very self-focused. "We have an inclination to be all me, me, me. We forget that there are young people in other parts of the world who can't follow their dreams because they are struggling to get enough to eat each day," he said. As a result, he encouraged peers to view the world as their one and only home. Mr Watson has a long history with the World Vision 40-Hour Challenge and has tested himself with some big challenges, namely kayaking the length of Lake Wanaka and living in a cage for 40 hours to help raise funds for the campaign. "I am excited to be carrying on with this kaupapa to make a difference for rangatahi who aren't being afforded basic human rights, like getting enough food. I hope New Zealand students will get behind the campaign this year so tamariki in Solomon Islands can follow their dreams just like we can here," he said. "By giving something up we learn to connect with others, and we learn to be grateful for all the privileges we have in life." Mr Watson's challenge this year will include going offline for 40 hours while he films 40 conversations about hope. "In Solomon Islands we saw how much the people valued connecting with each other face-to-face and back here I saw how we have lost some of that ... I will be asking 40 people to share their stories of hope. I want to show that everyone has a story to tell, and that's what makes us human. Just like Polyne has a story and hope." The World Vision 40-Hour Challenge runs from June 13-15, with sign-ups and donations via the website. — APL
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Book collaboration reaps grand prize
The front cover of Look Out, the award-winning book by Euan Macleod and Craig Potton. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED Painter Euan Macleod and photographer Craig Potton have won a $2000 grand prize at the New Zealand Mountain Book Festival set to take place in Wānaka and Queenstown next month. The pair won the Nankervis/Bamford NZ Mountain Book of the Year award for their book Look Out. The prize is awarded for a book that brings the mountain experience into the hearts and minds of the reader and leaves people with plenty of knowledge and respect for the mountains' role in the human and physical worlds. Look Out is an artistic collaboration that celebrates the sublime nature of the Southern Alps, created by two New Zealand artists. Mr Macleod and Mr Potton were both drawn to the high mountains around Aoraki/Mt Cook in the centre of the Southern Alps. "We have both gotten more than we will ever know from the Southern Alps and even at our advanced ages we find ourselves at Aoraki," Mr Potton said, describing the mountains as the throne room of the gods. Photographer Craig Potton (left) and painter Euan Macleod. Mr Potton explained that the award had a special meaning for him. "It was our hope that our art might convey something of that connection to the mountain wilderness and your nod to our book has vindicated that hope," he said. "Here is a mountain art book that is not over-endowed with words though there is a long introductory essay to set the scene," explains judge Marjorie Cook. "...One moment the mountains and the mountain men look murderously scary, deathly and cold. "Next, they appear soft, warm and comfortable." The NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival will run in Wānaka from June 20-24 and in Queenstown June 26-27. The films will be online in NZ and Australia throughout July. The festival's literary events include guest speakers, author readings, signings and book launches. The full festival programme and tickets are available on the festival's website. — APL
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Animal Protective League rescues 72 animals
The Ashtabula County Animal Protective League recently rescued 72 animals after receiving a tip from a concerned person. APL Shelter Director Diane King said the tip brought them to a property in Ashtabula, where they recovered 44 animals May 15. The APL and its humane officer was assisted by the Ashtabula Police Department's animal control officer, King said. The county humane agent works with the APL and has the authority to enforce provisions of the Ohio Revised Code relating to animal cases. King said they got a tip the property owner had a second home outside the city, which they responded to May 27. 'We removed another 28 animals,' she said. King said she could say where the second property was located. The 72 rescued animals consisted of 69 cats and three dogs. 'We are trying to work with other shelters, rescues, anybody that's able to pull animals from us at this time would be helpful,' she said. King has been the shelter director for around a month, she said. 'I've been involved with working with animals for 25 years,' she said. 'I came from Trumbull County as the Chief Humane Officer and Program and Outreach Director. So, I have a pretty extensive background in animal care, and cruelty and neglect [cases].' King described the conditions she saw during the recent rescue. 'Entering a home like that, it's difficult to navigate,' she said. 'It was dark and you're hit with an overwhelming smell of fecal ammonia. Your eyes burn. Your throat burns. We had to wear respirators. You're walking on uneven ground, because there's several inches of urine and feces caked throughout the entire home.' King said the floor was squishy beneath her feet because of all the urine and feces. Animal hoarding houses have a distinct and overwhelming smell, she said. 'You typically see a lot of flies outside,' she said. 'You can smell it on the front porch.' King said Ohio residents who want to leave a tip about a property they suspect of hoarding animals can reach out to the county humane society. 'A lot of cat hoarding cases, sometimes it's due to mental illness, but other times it's due to a population explosion,' she said. 'It's very important that you spay and neuter your animals.' People can learn about mobile clinics available through and 'They are traveling [spay and neuter] clinics,' she said. 'They're able to look up different dates and locations.'
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Repaired Blue Pools bridge reopens
The renowned Makarora and Blue Pools bridges near Wānaka will reopen today, in time for King's Birthday weekend, after comprehensive upgrades. A small group of Makarora residents and conservation groups met to admire the bridges and upgraded Blue Pools Track walkway on Thursday. The track is located 70km north of Wānaka. Department of Conservation operations manager Charlie Sklenar said the occasion warranted a royal celebration after a two-year slog involving engineers, contractors, specialists, geotechnical consultations, unexpected complexities and a lot of hard work. The Blue Pools bridge is set to reopen today. PHOTOS: DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION "In May 2023, engineering reports on Blue Pools and Rob Roy bridges showed they needed to be upgraded for public safety, while Makarora's swing bridge had to be completely replaced. "We closed all three to get the work done," he said. "In peak summer season, 550 people a day cross the Blue Pools and Makarora bridges. "At times, 75 people would cross the bridges each hour, and visitors were regularly exceeding the signposted 'safe number of people to cross' advice. "We needed to ensure these structures were safe for the public." The Blue Pools, located near Wānaka. Upgrades included a new longer Makarora swing bridge with higher capacity, a 160m-long elevated boardwalk, and extensive upgrades to the Blue Pools bridge improving experience for visitors. "We are so fortunate to have the stunning clear waters, native forest and dramatic alpine scenery of Tititea Mount Aspiring National Park on our doorstep." "These upgrades mean people can safely experience this special place for years to come and do so in a way that protects nature," Mr Sklenar said. "It's an investment that preserves our natural taonga species and supports our local communities who rely on outdoor recreation and tourism." The Blue Pools and Makarora bridges provide high-water access to the Young Valley and Gillespie Pass Circuit. — APL
West Australian
a day ago
- Sport
- West Australian
How sold-out decider can start A-League Men revival
The good vibes are back in the A-League Men. Now it's about kicking on from here. The most fortuitous shot in the arm, a sell-out Melbourne derby grand final, couldn't have come at a better time for a league that has struggled with crowds and publicity in recent years. "People that probably don't normally come to a week-to-week game will probably want to be here on Saturday night," Melbourne City striker Marco Tilio told AAP. "And I hope all those people that can't get tickets each want to be there for the following seasons and come support their team. "It's huge for the APL (Australian Professional Leagues) to be able to host an event like this. "I just hope all the next generation of kids and whatnot that are here and watching on Saturday night get that buzz that we all had when we were kids - and want to be in our position one day. "So hopefully we can really excel from the position we're in with the grand final in Melbourne." Teammate Mathew Leckie wryly noted: "It's amazing that the tickets were sold so fast. "It would be great if that was the case all the time.'' For Victory great Archie Thompson, there couldn't be a better way to wrap the season. Victory are chasing their fifth championship, to draw level with record-holders Sydney FC, and first since 2017-18, while City are after their second. "It's just perfect - the 20th year of the A-League, to celebrate that with a grand final of a derby," Thompson told AAP. "When it gets sold out like that, you know it's going to be great." Incredibly, had the APL kept the grand final in Sydney until the end of this season under its deal with Destination NSW, instead of replacing it with Unite Round, this game could have proved an absurd situation. "I'm so happy that they made that decision, and we've got a Melbourne derby," Thompson said. Victory captain Roderick Miranda believes a second grand final in two seasons shows how the club has recovered from the derby pitch invasion of December 2022, one of the darkest nights in Australian sport. "In the end, I think we bounced back really quickly about with that," Miranda said. "Now we have the chance here to try to not make this event forgotten, but to make sure that we are here in the present, to show that football here in Australia is a big event, and hopefully we can have some light as well from other places." Now the attention will turn to the action on the pitch, and the latest enthralling encounter of a bitter rivalry. "You look at some of the matches over the time: there's always been late winners. There's always been dramas," Thompson said. "It was Timmy Cahill's welcome to the league when he smacks it from 40 yards out, Eric Paartalu's header, Leroy George scores a winner. "Back when it was early days, I got one just before Christmas. "So all these little dramas just add up to make it really special."
