Thursday, November16, 2017
BEN Skipper has been adapting to life in a wheelchair since a quad bike accident earlier this year. Supporters at the Matawai School Ag Day include Dean Quinn, Duncan Carmichael, Jesse Palmer and James Redpath. Photos supplied
A MATAWAI teenager adapting to life in a wheelchair and his family were overwhelmed when a school’s annual agricultural day doubled as a fundraiser last week.
The annual Gisborne Motors Matawai School Ag Day celebrates rural kids and their farm animals and pets.
This year, the traditional country celebration drew bigger crowds than normal as residents and businesses jumped on board to support 16-year-old former student Ben Skipper.
Ben came off his quad bike earlier this year and has stunned everyone with his positive approach to each new challenge.
The Gisborne Boys’ High School student still helps out on the family farm with docking and mustering as well as driving diggers, quad bikes and trucks.
“I’m really grateful to my old school,” he said.
Ben expects to be trialling callipers early next year in an effort to stand on his own.
Matawai School senior students know Ben from his time at school and they have been raising money by selling cakes and doing chores this term to help out.
Businesses have also jumped on board.
Year 7 student Annabel Hustler says she couldn’t believe it when a Ford Mustang roared onto school grounds.
“Boy it was loud,” said Annabel, who went on to win Supreme Champion Pet during Ag Day with her hunting dog Tip.
Gisborne Motors’ vehicle sales consultant Dean Quinn organised for the V8 Ford Mustang to be at the school.
“Helping the kids support a former student was a no-brainer,” he said.
“We saw what the senior class was doing raising money and we thought Mustang rides in Matawai might be another fun way to raise funds.”
The Skipper family’s animal health supplier Veterinary Health Services also threw their weight in behind the fundraising by donating an outdoors raffle prize.
Gisborne Helicopters and Hansen and Tomlinson also made donations.
As part of a long-standing tradition, Rural Fuel donated lunch for the day.
Affco representatives judged animals and contributed a meat raffle.
Ben’s father Dave Skipper says Matawai School and the kids have always been behind Ben and the family.
“Right from the day after the accident the school has been in touch asking what it can do to help,” he said.
“Principal Glenn Knight came and visited Ben in hospital in Auckland and that, as well as the individual efforts of kids, means a lot to us.”
Mr Knight said he knew the local community would help out but, “no one could have predicted the overwhelming spontaneous response from businesses”.
“Suddenly we had a bumper raffle prize up for grabs,” he said.
“It serves as a reminder that the school is the centre of a community like ours, and we still like to look after each other and lend a hand when needed.”
Mr Knight predicted around $3000 in total could be raised for Ben if all the raffle tickets, on sale through Matawai School and at the Matawai Hard Drive Cafe, are sold.
Next year Ben will take part in GBHS’s Gateway programme. He will study mechanical engineering spending one day a week at the Eastern Institute of Technology Tairawhiti.
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be good,” he said
Ben Skipper’s parents, grandparents and great-grandparents are of the Opotiki Gebert and Skipper dairy-farming families.
Raffle tickets in support of Ben are on sale until November 24 at Veterinary Health Centre Opotiki.