On a sunny afternoon at a little school that could, Onepoto Primary pupils are treated to a memorable visit to thank them for helping the Pacific's blind people. Rebecca Blithe watches on.
Vuki Muna's eyes light up as Michael Jones enters a colourful classroom of enthralled children. "I thought I was going to faint when I saw him. He looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger, you know, from The Terminator," gushes the 11-year-old as the former All Blacks and Samoa superstar smoothly high-fives a group of grinning kids.
"Far... your hands are massive," marvels one pupil, reaching out from the gaggle that swarms around their hero.
When Vuki's teacher told his class that "the Iceman" would visit them, they "couldn't believe it", says classmate Elani Marsters, also 11. "The girls," he says, stifling giggles, "they were all blushing."
Welcomed with a powhiri into the small decile-one school in Northcote, Jones shares lunch, a game of basketball and some wise words with the class of Year 5 and 6 pupils who raised more than $1000 for the Fred Hollows Foundation, which supports doctors in the Pacific Islands working to restore the sight of thousands of people blinded by cataracts. As Lea Folau explains, the money he and his classmates gathered will be a big help. "We've raised enough to fix 43 people's eyesight."
Jones, an ambassador for the foundation, says the children's outstanding efforts won the interschool "Make a spectacle of yourself" challenge.
"These kids, they don't come from much, financially, but they give a lot.
"It's low decile but it's a school with a huge heart and compassion for others. That's the wonderful story of Onepoto Primary."
Jones has a close connection with the foundation's work. "It's very close to my heart, as a Kiwi Samoan. My wife's grandmother had cataract blindness. She was blind for 20 years. It's very real for our family."
And for a school in which 90 per cent of pupils are Pasifika and Maori, the issue also resonates with the children. Assistant principal Fay Norman says after the plight was explained, many pupils came forward with similar stories. "It was interesting the number of children who said, 'I've got an uncle,' or 'My grandad's like that.' When you're a decile-one school you get a lot of help. I thought it was a really nice way to give back."
Mrs Norman guided the class's efforts as they washed cars and hosted movies, a disco, a school concert and an art auction. The amount raised far exceeded the foundation's expectations from a school of 120 pupils. "For a school of this size [with] a donation of $300, we would have thought that was pretty good. They've given far more than we've ever had from a primary school. It's a remarkable donation," says the foundation's marketing and fundraising executive, Gillian Moore.
As the excited yet impeccably mannered children vie for a spot next to Jones at lunch, he shares some words of wisdom: "My mother told me, if you reach for the moon, you'll end up among the stars. Choose your friends wisely. You want to run with the cats, not the rats."
Eyes right
The Fred Hollows Foundation was established in honour of Professor Fred Hollows, a New Zealand opthalmologist renowned for his work in developing countries helping people with curable blindness. To find out more, see: www.hollows.org.nz
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Aucklander
What have we learned from the Auckland floods?
OPINION: There have been changes to warn city residents to get to higher ground.