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.
Black Fern a true inspiration
Rugby World Cup winner, Ruby Tui is more than just a force to be reckoned with on a rugby field, she is an inspiration after releasing her 2022 autobiography and is now looking to secure a place in the Fern’s squad for this year’s World Cup in England.
It hardly seems that long ago that Ruby was leading the crowd in song after her team secured the World Cup at Eden Park. Now she says she will either be at the next final as a spectator, or hopefully as a player.
Ruby’s story is incredible and inspiring, surviving a traumatic childhood and adolescence to find her path through rugby and shining on the world stage.
“Tui is the leading try scorer in Super Rugby Aupiki this season with Chiefs Manawa. But she says: ‘I will be happy to run on the field with the water bottles because to make the World Cup, and end up on that Twickenham paddock, would be beyond my wildest dreams. You start out thinking your wildest dreams can’t come true. But if you work on your mind, your mental resilience, way more can come true.’
“Her eyes widen when she remembers how chapters about the abuse she and her mum withstood helped so many women and girls. ‘Oh, mate,’ Tui says, softly. ‘We’ve been on this thing called a book tour and I had no idea what that involved. I’m a rugby player so I thought maybe I’d sit in a library. But we’d go to these cities and for five hours straight I’d be meeting people [at book signings]. Five hours straight of the most amazing, heartfelt, hard-hitting life stories.'” (Source: “Ruby Tui: ‘I was trying to grow women’s rugby – I had no idea the effect my story would have,‘” by Donald McRae, March 31, www.guardian.co.uk).
Sharing her life story has enabled others to find the strength that drove her forward and there is little doubt that, if selected, she will be a star again on the hallowed turf of Twickenham.
5 stars – Ruby’s determination to succeed, despite huge odds, is truly uplifting stuff!
Aficionado creates app to find best pies
Kiwi pies are the best. I’ve sampled the wares on offer in other countries and none come close. An enterprising Kiwi has recently created an app where users can find pies all over the country, leave ratings, and filter their searches for highest ratings pies.
Wellington man, Matt Carkeek says he created the app so New Zealanders could avoid bad pies and find the best, no matter where they are.
“‘It’s taken off pretty hard. Everyone is pretty excited about it. I’ve just been making it in my spare time while I’m working full-time. I’m still plugging away, still trying to make it better. It only really launched at the start of March, but we’ve already got about 300 registered accounts and about a thousand downloads.’
“Carkeek explained the app lets users see all the pies in the country and they can then click on a pie shop and will get directions to it. ‘It’s an app to rate pies, put up a photo of a fresh pie, and then a photo with two bites to show your structural integrity and a bit of what it’s made of on the inside.’ Users can also filter the map by different types of pies, so you can search your local area for your favourite variety. You can also filter the search by rating to get the best of the best.” (Source: “Wellington man creates app to help find the best pies,” April 3, www.rnz.co.nz).
5 stars – what could possibly be wrong with a ratings site where Kiwis could find the best local pies?
Incredible English Channel swim
The English Channel is hard enough to cross on a boat – it’s an unforgiving stretch of water that can upset the hardiest of stomachs. Swimming it is a huge feat and and never an easy one. So, when I read about a blind Paralympian swimming from England to France in record time this week, I was enthralled.
Olympic gold medallist, 49-year-old Melanie Barratt is the first blind woman to swim the channel and described it as ‘a dream come true’.
“’My life has been filled with challenges because of my blindness, and it often led me to feel isolated and unsure of myself,’ said Barratt.
“Melanie, now a special needs assistant after winning two gold medals, two silvers, and a bronze at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Paralympics, said she ‘never thought it would be possible to achieve something like this. Life is incredibly difficult being blind, and it’s very limiting, but sport and open-water swimming have given me a newfound confidence and made me proud of who I am.'” (Source: “49-Year-old Becomes First Blind Woman to Swim English Channel: ‘Nothing is Impossible,'” by Andy Corbley, April 1, www.goodnewsnetwork.org).
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