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Nor West News : May 17th 2012
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www.aucklandnow.co.nz Thursday, May 17, 2012 With 15 years in business constructing over 880 fantastic homes - why wouldn't you let Rodney's most trusted builder buildyournewhomeforyou? 0800 42 45 46 www.gjgardner.co.nz GJ-RMTB-67-RN0412-RT Rodney office 20 Tamariki Avenue, Orewa (09) 427 9231 ShoWhomeS millwater: 1 Bonair Crescent. (09) 959 0171 Kumeu: 1A Tapu Road. (09) 412 5371 mangawhai: 24 Insley Street. (09) 423 1020 Snells Beach: Mahurangi Ridge. (09) 425 6175 FRANCHISEE 2011 Flaunty in court By IAN STEWARD THE family of a man killed in a road accident by a poli- tician say they have forgiven the councillor but opposed his application to be discharged without convic- tion. Warren Flaunty was banned from driving for six months and ordered to pay $20,000 reparation in the North Shore District Court on Tuesday for careless driv- ing causing the death of motorcyclist Blair Titmus. Flaunty, a pharmacist, Rodney Local Board and Waitemata District Health Board member, pleaded guilty but applied for a dis- charge without conviction, arguing that if convicted he would lose his position on the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. The victim s mother Erin Titmus said outside court that the family had forgiven Flaunty but as Blair s rep- resentatives we asked for justice . The family opposed a dis- charge without conviction and Judge Philippa Sinclair agreed. Mrs Titmus described her son as a young man with immense talent and energy . He was an engineer who had been working in Vanuatu getting a passenger catamaran into service, but had returned to Auckland when his father fell ill. He took the responsibili- ties of being the eldest son. He had a huge heart. He was generous with his time and his money. I grieve at the loss of Blair s future. Mr Titmus, 34, died after his motorcycle struck Flaunty s car as it turned from a stop sign on to Hobsonville Rd on April 2, 2011. The motorcycle was deflected into the path of an oncoming car and he was thrown from his bike. He died at the scene. Defence lawyer Paul Davi- son QC argued that Flaun- ty s negligence was not as great as the police made out. His view of the oncoming traffic was obscured by long grass on the roadside and there was a possibility that Mr Titmus had accelerated once he saw Flaunty moving out into the intersection, he said. He did look -- it s just that he was mistaken, Mr Davi- son said. Mr Titmus death was a matter of profound regret and sorrow for his client. The judge read a statement from Flaunty in which he said he still had nightmares about the acci- dent. I only wish it had been me rather than Blair. This is a life sentence for me because it will always be there and it won t go away. Flaunty had met with the Titmus family and had paid them a considerable amount -- $20,000 -- in rec- ognition of the hardship they had incurred. The family had offered him unconditional forgive- ness , Mr Davison said. -- Fairfax NZ News Teens throw themselves into skydive By NICOLA MURPHY Big leap: Zipporah Nuku was one of 50 lucky teens to skydive out of a C-130 Hercules on May 5. Breath-taking: The view from the the plane as young people from Project K and CanTeen prepare to take the leap. Photo: MARIA OOSTERBAAN Zipporah Nuku wasn t ner- vous as the C-130 Hercules she was flying in rose stead- ily to 3048 metres. She knew she was in good hands. The 15-year-old is one of 50 teenagers who jumped out of the air force plane and went skydiving over Auck- land on May 5 thanks to a charity event called Jump Start. Zipporah is participating in the Project K programme, run by the Foundation for Youth Development, which provides year 10 and 11 students with a variety of learning and development opportunities in the out- doors. Twenty-five teens from Project K and 25 from teenage cancer charity Can- Teen were chosen to suit up at Whenuapai airbase for a tandem skydive with civilian sport skydivers out of a C-130 Hercules. The group included five West Aucklanders from Pro- ject K. The sixth annual Jump Start event encourages young people to face fear, place trust in others and gain confidence from accomplishing a goal. Sport skydivers and members of the public help raise the money to sponsor the participants. Zipporah loved the experi- ence. It was cool. I wasn t scared, I was pretty confi- dent. The former Waitakere Col- lege student says it was a once-in-a-lifetime oppor- tunity and is one of many activities she has benefited from thanks to Project K. Programme director Jane Edwards says it s a unique opportunity. They re pushing them- selves and it s boosting their confidence. CanTeen national oper- ations manager Michelle Thomas says the skydive took the teens out of their comfort zone. Some of them have received treatment for can- cer while others are still undergoing treatment so it s something they wouldn t normally be able to do. The air force donates its time and resources for free and squadron leader Van Rjis says it s well worth it. We are delighted to see the positive impact of the jump. The event takes a massive 300 volunteers to get it off the ground. Jump Start event director Tim Fastnedge is grateful to everyone who contributed their time, especially the skydivers, some of whom took time off work and had to pay their own way to the airbase. The money raised totalled $18,000. This will cover event costs and the rest will be donated to Project K and CanTeen. TODAY Girl power E-EDITION Sport action ONLINE Blogs An adrenalin rush is what nor-west mountain bike downhill riders Sophie Tyas and Sophiemarie Bethell are looking forward to in international racing. Find out more and check out a video of experiencing downhill racing. P3 Check out stories about successful Riverhead karate exponents and our nor-west North Harbour rugby premiers team Western Pioneers in The Villain column. Sustainable living and cafe reviews are some of our blogs to catch your interest. To read about them go to nor- westnews.co.nz and click on local blogs.
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