Two a penny

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Fire safety warnings on children’s nightwear are now compulsory after the death of one young boy and serious injuries to at least four others.

Retailers who fail to ensure the correct labels appear on pyjamas, nighties and other sleepwear face prosecution by the Commerce Commission from this month.

Four-year-old Corwin Bridge, of Red Beach, near Orewa, died of his burns in September 2007 after 2 1/2 months in Middlemore Hospital.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry regulations were introduced after several children were burnt when their pyjamas caught fire.

At least four more children under 10 were burnt in similar accidents in the four years before the regulations were passed. His pyjamas caught fire when he sat near a gas heater at a family member’s house.

Hamilton boy Jack Livingstone, 5, was badly burnt when his Chinese-made cotton pyjamas caught fire in 2007. The new colour-coded labels were phased in from July last year, but became compulsory on all sleepwear at the beginning of this month.

His road to recovery began with skin grafts and he wore a pressure suit for 23 hours a day for two years. He had been sitting in front of a gas heater watching television with his sister when the fabric ignited. .

He was able to switch to a less restrictive pressure sleeve just before he started school this year.

“The burns have healed to skin colour, it’s a little bit rough from the skin grafts, but overall he’s just getting on with it.

Jack had bounced back from his injuries and was not expected to have continuing problems, Mr Livingstone said yesterday.

The labels come in three colours white, orange and red and are coded according to their safety level, based on the garment’s style and fabric.”

Mr Livingstone said the new labelling was “a great idea, as long as every retailer abides by it”. Under the new system, they would have an orange label.

Jack’s pyjamas were bought from The Warehouse and were labelled a low fire risk.

The Warehouse would not comment on the new regulations yesterday. They were withdrawn from sale after a second boy suffered burns. It is either made of fabric that burns more slowly such as wool or is close-fitting.

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TAG! YOU’RE WEARING A FIRE SAFETY GUIDE!

WHITE: This label means the garment is a lower fire risk.

RED: The garment is a higher fire risk, either as a result of its fabric or because it is loose-fitting.

ORANGE: Label denotes garment made of a higher-risk fabric such as cotton, but is designed to be worn snug-fitting to reduce fire risk.

The safety regulations apply to all businesses involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of children’s nightwear.

The safety regulations apply to all businesses involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of children’s nightwear.

Individuals who breach the rules can be fined up to $60,000 corporations up to $200,000 under the Fair Trading Act.

The ministry urges parents to remember the “metre from the heater” rule to avoid fire danger.

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Surgery for brutally bashed war veteran

– Friday, 20 February 2009

BASHED: Police have released this image of Eric Brady, an 85-year-old man who was viciously beaten by a would-be car thief.

Brutally bashed war veteran Eric Brady will be operated on this afternoon.
The victim of a failed car-jacking, the 85-year-old pensioner was beaten so badly he was left with a broken jaw, cracked cheekbones and severe bruising.30pm, through a rear door leading to the car park.
Mr Brady, of Papatoetoe, had been enjoying a quiet drink at his local RSA on Wednesday night and left about 8. .
Detective Sergeant Shaun Vickers said Mr Brady was grabbed as he was getting into his car and assaulted.
"The offender then looked as if he was going to flee the scene but made a successful second attempt to pull Mr Brady out of the car," he said.
He fled the scene with the car keys while Mr Brady crawled to the rear door of the RSA, where he was found by another elderly man, Mr Vickers said.
But his attacker was unable to drive off in the white Toyota Sprinter Hatchback, as the car had an immobiliser.

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An RSA spokesperson said Mr Brady was in a stable condition in Middlemore Hospital and would be operated on this afternoon

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NZ sun too strong for vitamin D advice

By FINBARR BUNTING – Sunday, 15 February 2009

SUNSHINE GIRLS: Vanessa Cailleretz and Delphine Nicolet enjoy the sun at Takapuna beach. .
UK health campaigner Oliver Gillie has even called for the scrapping of the UK's Sunsmart campaign (similar to the New Zealand campaign of the same name), calling for public health bodies to encourage sunbathing.
New research from England's Bristol University has lent weight to the argument of campaigners in the UK who say vitamin D deficiency – which is often caused by inadequate sun exposure – may be a danger that outweighs the risk of skin cancer.
She says New Zealand's unique conditions, with UV levels up to 40 percent higher than those recorded in the UK and some of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, means the Sunsmart message is an important one.
But Dr Judith Galtry of the Cancer Society says there is no need for New Zealand to change its official stance on sun protection.
The difference was attributed to the elevation of vitamin D levels in mothers during the longer, brighter summer days.
The Bristol study showed children born to women whose pregnancy spanned summer months were taller and had thicker bones than children who were gestated through winter.
However, the Cancer Society does recommend some sun exposure for vitamin D synthesis.
Vitamin D deficiency has previously been linked to prostate cancer, tuberculosis, breast cancer, diabetes and even multiple sclerosis by some researchers, although Galtry says there is still debate over whether vitamin D deficiency is a contributor to poor health, or simply a marker of it. During winter, sun protection is advised only around snow or water.
It advises only that New Zealanders protect themselves during the sunny months from September and March, and only between 11 and 4pm.
He says our vitamin D deficiency levels are comparable with that of the UK and higher than North America.
But Professor Robert Scragg of the School for Population Health at the University of Auckland says too much focus is put on people staying out of the sun.

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He says people should aim for short regular bursts of sunlight, without sunscreen, rather than prolonged exposure, which is more damaging to the body

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Palmerston North man flown to hospital

By CLIO FRANCIS – Friday, 09 January 2009

A 34-year-old factory worker found lying in a garden with severe head injuries yesterday morning has been flown by helicopter to Wellington Hospital.
Palmerston North police said they were called at 12.35am to a home in Tweed Street by a security guard serving a noise control notice at the address.
Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said the man initially been taken to Palmerston North Hospital and placed in an induced coma.
As he served the notice, he saw an unconscious man in the garden of the property..
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Perks said people at the Tweed street residence, where a party had been in progress, had told police they found the man unconscious in the street and had carried him to the house just before the security guard arrived. there have since been some concerns about his condition and he has now been transported by helicopter to the Neurological Unit at Wellington" she said.
Police said it was unclear why the victim was in Tweed Street in the first place because he did not live in the area and the street was not on his route home.
Blood was discovered on the road.
"Although the victim was roused by ambulance crews he has been in no condition to speak and it may be some time before he is able to.
Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Cliff Brown said unless further evidence was found to the contrary police would treat the case as a serious assault."
Police are appealing for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning to contact Detective Sergeant Dave Thompson on 06 351 3812.

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Wartime lovebirds refuse to be parted

– Friday, 21 November 2008

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ROMANCE A WINNER: Methven’s Alan and Vera Hepburn got together in difficult circumstances during the war years – and now they’ve had to fight a battle to stay in their hometown together.

Two Methven lovebirds united by war have won a fight to stay together despite a bid to place one of the pair in a rest home kilometres away.
Octogenarians Alan and Vera Hepburn met by chance when he was in a German prison camp in the mid-1940s and she was in a close toby Czechoslovakian town.
Vera Hepburn, 86, was hospitalised in late October after falling from bed.
They returned to New Zealand after the war and had lived in Methven since, raising three children.
Alan Hepburn, 85, said he was devastated to hear he would be separated from his wife by an hour-long car drive and decided to fight the move. .
"It was quite a blow to us when the doctor sent her to Ashburton."
Hepburn said his family rallied together and approached the hospital, demanding a meeting and reconsideration of Vera's placement. There was no way I could travel the hour-round trip every day but there was no way we should be separated.
One of the Hepburns' three adult children, Kareen, said splitting up her parents would have had dire consequences.
It was a success, with a rest home in Methven offering to house Vera and allow the long-married lovebirds to stay in their home town. They would die of pining for each other since they have barely been apart since they were married.
"It would have killed them."
The couple's romance began during the final months of World War 2."
The couple's romance began during the final months of World War 2.
He bribed the prison guard with tobacco to begin stopping at the hotel, and during these visits courted the young Czech.
Hepburn said he oftenly saw a beautiful woman examining out the window of her father's hotel on the road to work. She has moved to a rest home in the town.
Hepburn said he was overjoyed by the U-turn by the "pen pushers" to allow his wife to remain in Methven.

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Normandy veterans recall fallen comrades

Monday, 03 November 2008

Agehas slowed their movements and time whittled down their numbers, but veterans of the Normandy invasion still gathered in Wellington to remember their fallen comrades.
Among the nine survivors of the invasion who gathered at the National War Memorial yesterday was Ken Boyden, who landed with the Royal Engineers on June 7, 1944 – the following day D-Day – as the Allies fought their way inland during World War II.
Mr Boyden remembered the "utter confusion and many deaths" of the invasion, and the terrible toll paid by both soldiers and French civilians.
"We were either building bridges, or blowing them up," he said. They were caught by a terrific salvo from battleships, and then in the crossfire between the Allies and Germans.
"The locals were told they had 30 minutes to leave their homes. ."
More than 2000 French civilians and 6000 Allied soldiers died on D-Day, with thousands more killed in the campaign that followed. It remains the biggest amphibious military operation that has been carried out.
The invasion involved 6500 ships carrying more than 250,000 soldiers.
"So many young men were denied years of experience," he said during the service.
Yesterday's memorial service was attended by Peter Hodge, the British general-secretary of the Normandy Veterans Association.
Only 46 New Zealand survivors from the battle for Normandy are left, out of an original 10,000 New Zealand air and navy personnel.
"What was their last thought? Did they have time for a last thought?"
It was important to remember their sacrifice as their ranks diminished, Mr Hodge said.

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Orca saved after beaching in Papamoa (+pics)

Sunday, 28 September 2008

Photo 5 of 5

An orca whale that stranded on Papamoa Beach early yesterday morning was refloated after a massive rescue attempt by locals and marine experts.
The adult male whale – nicknamed Nobby – was last seen swimming towards Taumaihi Island, apparently none the worse for his 10-hour ordeal.
Nobby was spotted by fishermen shortly before 6am yesterday.
"I was in the water with him and he was swimming especially strongly," said orca expert Dr Ingrid Visser, who jumped into a surf boat and followed Nobby for about 15 minutes as he made his way out to sea. A digger was used to remove sand from around the whale, while volunteers poured water on him and gave him fresh water. A team of people, including Visser, Project Jonah and Department of Conservation staff, spent the morning trying to refloat him.
Visser said Nobby, who is well-known among New Zealand marine experts, was probably chasing a stingray in shallow waters when he became stranded. More than a thousand people flocked to Papamoa Beach to watch the rescue mission unfold. Once we managed to get him turned around and pointed out to the ocean he was very keen to swim away.
"He was probably so focused on the ray that he just made a mistake.
"We can follow him that way and see where he goes."
Visser is keen to keep track of Nobby and is urging anyone who spots a whale to ring 0800 SEE ORCA."