Hone | Glen Eden
“Kia ora. Hone. Glen Eden’s my home.
Actually, I have two people to be thankful for; one was Dave. He’s a counsellor, was a counsellor, at the Bridge programme in Waitākere but unfortunately, he passed away. And Diane Turner. She was another counsellor at CADS and unfortunately, she too passed away. So, I’m here, proof of five years clean of drugs and alcohol. So, to them, I thank them and am hoping to spread their message to other young ones, and others that there is help out there. Kia ora.
I wouldn’t be here today without them. My counsellors, the help from Vision West. Waimarino in Henderson. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, doing my computer courses there, and still doing my te reo with them. Hoani Waititi Marae; they’ve all been a big part of my abstinence of drugs and alcohol.
I grew up in a little Māori town called Takahiwai, which I’m so proud of. We didn’t have much up there, but we never starved either. Whānau is everything. I help out at Vision West out here in Glen Eden. They’re quite a big organisation, and they get lots of people from around Glen Eden as well as other places. So I’m quite proud to be part of them, just trying to help the community. I work nights at Waitematā Māori Wardens on the trains keeping train managers safe, and also passengers.”
