Parker’s punch-up fundraiser

 

BY JULIA WADE

An upcoming world title fight between two heavyweights will also weigh in to help a valuable community organisation knock out nighttime trouble and crime. 

Screening at The Club Mangawhai, all tickets sales for the July 29 boxing match between British man Dillian Whyte and New Zealand champion Joseph Parker at London’s 02 Arena, will support the services and volunteers of Mangawhai Community Patrol (MCP). 

Over Easter weekend The Club aired the world title fight where Anthony Joshua defeated Parker, and had such a ‘huge response’ they have decided to do it again. A boxing quiz will be available and patrollers will be serving up a cooked breakfast before the big fight. 

Funds raised will go towards an essential piece of equipment say MCP coordinators, Wayne Price and Trevor Downey.

“Our current transport has nearly passed its use-by date,” Downey says. “We’re appealing to the community for some support as we need a new vehicle – not necessarily a van – and white preferably so if someone has one at a reasonable price, let us know.” 

Launched officially in Labour Weekend 2017, MCP volunteers have travelled more than 3000km and spent nearly 250 late night hours over eight months patrolling between Kaiwaka, Tomarata, Mangawhai, the Heads and Te Arai, and filed over 160 reports to police. 

The group’s main objective is to observe and report suspicious activity and vehicles, notifying police immediately on crime-in-progress or serious incidents, monitoring trouble spots and to also help with traffic patrol in the occurrence of serious road accidents. 

However often the patrollers go beyond the call of duty and have assisted the community in many other ways: Being a calming influence in intense social situations, helping St John move patients to ambulances, aiding intoxicated people to find their way home, keeping an eye on parked boat trailers at the estuary in case boaties are overdue, averting vandalism – a non-confrontational, approachable presence for those performing minor offences such as ‘boys having a slash’.  

“We’re only supposed to get out of the van if necessary… so you’ve got to be able to read people, their demeanor and body language… and be able to stay calm,” Price says. 

To date, 17 patrollers are rostered on with each volunteer covering a four hour monthly shift but a few more are required. Training includes a large focus on health, safety and security, and patrollers are ‘vetted to the hilt’, at the same level as police. 

Downey and Price say the patrol is  generally received positively by the public as well as Police who value the extra eyes and ears in the community. 

“We have a good rapport with the police who treat us with respect and as members of their team,” Price says. “Support from community and police makes the work all worthwhile.”

 If interested in helping keep Mangawhai safe and want to find out more about the patrol, phone Tina Price, The Club, 431 5085. The Club will open on July 29 at 6am with breakfast available from 7.30am with the main fight starting at 9am. $10 per person. 

“We have a good rapport with the police who treat us with respect and as members of their team. Support from community and police makes the work all worthwhile.”
- Wayne Price

Working together to help create a safer community, from left, patrollers Trevor Downey and Wayne Price with The Club’s account manager Tina Price .