Profiles
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Focus on employment
Bill Theyers has been totally blind since the late 1970s. Eight years ago he decided to establish Blind Billy's Holiday Camp in Middlemarch, Otago. Covering eight acres, Blind Billy's offers accommodation ranging from motel-style to cabins, caravans or tents. As well as managing a number of staff, Bill uses a computer with the screen reading software Jaws to keep track of bookings, assemble promotional material, liaise with other establishments, hire bicycles, arrange bus and train bookings and maintain the business' web site. "With the telephone, computer and my guide dog Mitch, I have all I need to run a successful business," says Bill. "My wife Maureen also plays a big part in helping run a very successful camp." More information can be found at www.railtrail.co.nz.
Vocational employment advisors are:
Auckland - Eleanor Wicks ph 09 355 6879; Hamilton - Bob Wicks ph 07 838 7516; Wellington - Shirley Hampton ph 04 380 2149; Christchurch - Stephanie Lange ph 03 375 4319; Dunedin - Paula Waby ph 03 466 4250.
The Foundation's new directors
In the last edition of Outlook we profiled four board directors. Here we profile our other five talented and experienced directors on the RNZFB's board of directors.
Neville Bennett
Formerly on the board at the Crippled Children's Society, Neville studied at the London School of Economics and is a lecturer at Canterbury University. Appointed chair of the audit committee, Neville is also a JP and is deputy chair of the Riccarton/ Wigram Community Board. A columnist in economics and social change for the NBR and the Otago Daily Times, he is also the author of a book, Asian Students in New Zealand. Neville's wife is a Foundation member.
Geraldine Glanville
Born with vision impairment, Geraldine is now totally blind. She has a BA in Economics from Canterbury University and worked for IBM for 25 years as a computer programmer
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and systems analyst. Currently vice-president of the Association of Blind Citizens (ABC), Geraldine has been a member of its Auckland branch committee for the past 11 years, serving several terms as secretary and chairperson. From 1995 - 2003, Geraldine represented ABC on the Foundation's board of trustees.
Dr Nancy Higgins
Born in Alaska, Nancy has a masters in Education from Boston College where she studied orientation and mobility (O&M) for blind children. Nancy moved to New Zealand to become an O&M instructor for the Foundation for 11 years, until 1999. In 2001, at the University of Otago she completed New Zealand's first PhD about blind people, specifically their experiences in New Zealand's education system. She is now a part-time researcher and lecturer at the Dunedin College of Education.
Jason Hollingworth
A qualified chartered accountant, Jason also holds a masters degree with first class honours in Accountancy.
He is the chief financial officer (CFO) and company secretary of Sky Network Television Ltd and is a previous CFO and director of a number of NZ companies. He has also lectured on managerial finance at the University of Canterbury's MBA program. Jason and his wife Jennifer have three children. The eldest, Elizabeth, has been blind since birth and diagnosed with Lebers syndrome.
Dr John White
John holds the associate member position on the board of directors. He has a PhD in Chemistry and prior to retiring in 1999, John was director of the University of Auckland's computer centre. Chairman of the Auckland community committee, John volunteers each week as a driver for the St Anne's Craft Club for the Blind. Astronomy and music are among John's other interests. He is president of Auckland Astronomical Society and a member of the Bach Musica choir.
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Chairman's award winner
Foundation member and former social worker extraordinaire, Merv Reay is this year's recipient of the Chairman's award for his dedication to the blind and vision-impaired. Blind at age 13 through glaucoma, Merv has been associated with the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) since 1932. He lived at the former Blind Institute in Parnell, working in the workshops on site for a number of years before training to become a school teacher. When denied his teaching certificate because of his blindness, Merv was employed by the RNZFB to teach braille and high quality cane work. He later took up a position in 1951 as a welfare officer for the Foundation. Responsible for the Waikato area, Merv set up the Foundation's Hamilton regional office from his own home back in 1961. This home-run office served as a handcraft, meeting and service centre for many Foundation members throughout the Waikato.
"Merv's social work has left a legacy," says RNZFB chairman, Don McKenzie. "Many RNZFB members describe him as 'the person who made a difference in their lives'."
These acknowledgements continue to be made today long after his retirement, not only by the members themselves but also by their families. Merv still serves on the Hamilton Community Committee where his advice and counsel has been of inestimable value thanks to his knowledge of the Foundation. Merv continues to inspire and teach the tricks of living with vision-impairment to new and younger members.
"As the Foundation begins a new life, we salute the traditional values of service personified in Merv Reay," says Mr McKenzie.