Friday, February 09, 2007
Good morning everyone.
It gives me great pleasure to be here today to celebrate the success of the Naenae Boxing Academy and the wonderful efforts of its founder, Billy Graham.
I want to thank Billy for the invitation to say a few words to help mark the occasion.
It’s hard to believe it’s been only 12 months since the academy opened its doors for the first time to young people in our community, offering them an opportunity to turn their lives around.
Since that time, many have taken that opportunity. Billy has instilled in them a sense of discipline, self-belief and respect for others which has changed the course of their lives, made them better citizens, and will further in life help make them better adults.
Thanks to Billy and this academy there are now more young people in our community with their heads held high and their eyes brimming with hope for what the future brings.
Grateful are they, grateful are their
parents, and grateful are the government agencies which might otherwise be picking up the broken pieces of their troubled young lives.
I want to congratulate all the young people who have come along here and taken up the challenge. Your parents and friends must be very proud of the way you have taken up the task and given it a go. More importantly, you should be very proud of yourselves.
Testament to the remarkable success of the academy is how it has captured the imagination of the national media including, among other things, making it on to the six o’clock news.
The amount of positive feedback I have received from people around the city telling me about the great things the academy is achieving has been quite remarkable.
The way the community has rallied behind Billy and the academy has been nothing short of amazing.
That high level of support can best be summed up by the $30,000 raised at last year’s charity auction.
I was fortunate to be there that night and it was without doubt one of the highlights thus far of my time as mayor.
It truly was a great night and not one I will forget in a hurry.
Billy “the kid” Graham is a remarkable person, a remarkable New Zealander, and we here in Hutt City are so fortunate to have a man of his mana in our community.
Billy, in 12 short months you have created something very special, a legacy that your mentor, coach and inspiration, Dick Dunn would be proud of. I understand Mrs Dunn is with us today, which is great.
We too are proud of you. The Council, the people of Hutt City and beyond, and everyone here today appreciates your efforts in establishing the academy and for giving troubled youth in our community a chance for a brighter, more positive future.
You have made our city a better, happier, safer place to live. It’s difficult to put in terms how much of an impact you have made, but to say it is great.
So I thank you for playing your part in making Hutt City the best little city in the best little country in the world. I hope you serve as an inspiration for others in our community to follow.
I wish you all the very best for the future of the Naenae Boxing Academy and god bless you for the work that you do.
Thank you.