Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer.

First All Black honoured

After nearly 100 years our very first All Black – number one, by the record books – is finally going to have a headstone to adorn his grave in Hāwera. James Allan played for New Zealand from 1881 up until the 1886 and although the All Blacks name wasn’t given to our national men’s rugby team until 1905, Mr Allan is considered our first All Black. Now a group of volunteers are going to ensure his grave is properly marked.

“The New Zealand Remembrance Army, a group of volunteers dedicated to restoring and documenting the final resting places of veterans, discovered the grave while looking through cemetery records for graves of All Blacks with service records. Despite not being a service member, the group decided to place a headstone due to the significance he had on the game growing in NZ.

“Founder and former Army Major Simon Strombom told Stuff it was a privilege to be able to place the headstone, he was hoping it could be done by April 24 or 25. ‘At the end of the day, we just want to do the right thing. This guy should be acknowledged,’ he said. ‘We’re just doing what they deserve, which is the respect of the nation.’ The group were fundraising for the headstone, which would cost around $1500. (Source: “New Zealand’s first designated All Black is finally getting a headstone,” by Karanama Ruru, February 256, www.stuff.co.nz).

5 stars – a fantastic project and a long time overdue. Great stuff!

Largest coral colony discovered

A mother and daughter have recently discovered the world’s largest coral colony, in the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia.

“It spans about 111 meters (364 feet) – roughly the same length as a soccer pitch – and covers around 3,973 square meters (42,765 feet), according to a statement from conservation organization [sic] Citizens of the Reef Tuesday. This means it is ‘among the most significant coral structures ever recorded on the Great Barrier Reef,’ and ‘the largest documented and mapped coral colony in the world,’ according to the organization [sic]. The coral was found late last year by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope, marine operations coordinator at Citizens of the Reef, and her mother, Jan Pope, an experienced diver and underwater photographer.

“Michael Sweet, professor of molecular ecology at the University of Derby, England, told CNN that this colony ‘is bigger than any coral I have personally seen. What makes this discovery even more special is that in a time where many corals are really struggling due to disease, bleaching, physical destruction from land reclamation and pollution, that individual genetic entities like this Pavona colony surpass all expectations and not only survive but flourish,’ he said.” (Source: “World’s largest coral colony discovered off Australian coast by mother-daughter team,” by Jack Guy, February 24, www.edition.cnn.com).

5 stars – an incredible find and marvellous that such beautiful creatures are flourishing, despite the odds!

Voucher makes woman richest person on the planet

The headline to this tale is totally disingenuous but the story itself is a real beauty. A woman in the UK got the surprise of a 100 lifetimes recently when she used a voucher to buy a cup of coffee. When Sophie Downing left the cafe and checked her receipt she discovered she had a balance of £63 quadrillion. One wonders how that many zeroes could even fit on a receipt.