A LEARNERS SPEECH – names and specific details have been removed for privacy
I would like to share with you all my Te Ara Tutuki Pai journey and why I was chosen to be on this programme. I lost a close friend of mine to racing, speed and overall….bad choices.
It was a beautifulAucklandafternoon. My friend and I were trying to fish by a bridge. Over a few hours we had a little vodka, after three hours we finally gave up fishing. We decided to go back to my house. My friend and I drove in different cars. As we drove down the motorway my friend and I started to race each other getting up to speeds of around 130knh along the straights. The space saver on my friends car blew out which sent him into the median barrier, bouncing repeatedly off the barrier then shooting across the shoulder, smashing him into the barrier, hitting a transformer, killing him instantly. In a state of shock, I didn’t stop.
As a result of my callous actions, my dear friend was killed. Some days are better than others, but living with the embedded memory of that crash that took away my best friend’s life, will be my life time sentence. The ripple effect was beyond my comprehension but with support I have started to understand that it is truly extensive.
I stand here before you tonight mourning daily for my friend, but I am extremely grateful for my life, the love of my family and friends and my two beautiful daughters. I am grateful for all the support I have been given from judges, lawyers, SCU, WINZ and of course everyone on the Right Track. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to build dreams and maybe help someone else’s dreams come true.
I stand here before you tonight, not only as a graduate of Te Ara Tutuki Pai but more as an example of what you think won’t happen to you, can and did happen to me and may happen to you. If not to you personally then someone you will know. The Right Track programme is powerful, shocking, educating, high adrenaline, motivating, empowering, practical, meaningful, inspiring, nauseating, emotionally, spiritually and mentally challenging.
The Right Track programme journey does not end tonight but will continue for the rest of my life. I will be the advocate for safe attitude and driving practices. I will be the advocate against drink driving. I will be the advocate against speeding. I will be the example of what can happen, but more importantly I will use this journey to enlighten others starting with my own two beautiful girls who I have missed dearly throughout this past month.
Lastly, I would like to congratulate my fellow peers and their supporters for your commitment and input throughout this Te Ara Tutuki Pai journey. All the best for your journeys ahead and I leave you with a few words I have thought of…
Hesitate each time you think about driving “hmmm, should I do this?” making the right choices and minimising risk can mean saving more lives on our road.
Think of this message as a stone thrown into the water, it hits now and the ripple effect starts.. I want this to reach all corners ofNew Zealandand beyond. Think twice, do right, be responsible, actions have reactions.
No reira e te whanau. Ten koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
