Disabled Chch man gets national award

Press, 24 July 1984, Page 12

Disabled Chch man gets national award

A man who has contributed much towards the employment of the disabled has received one of two national awards. He is Mr Patrick Boyle, who is himself disabled, of the Disabled Persons Centre, Christchurch. The other Fletcher Challenge award went to the individual employer who identified or created employment opportunities for the disabled. This was Zip Industries of Lower Hutt. Zip Industries employs eight disabled people out of a total staff of 80. The company’s manager, Mr Alan Simpson, said they were employed on their merits and were particularly diligent workers. Mr Boyle has helped a large number of disabled people to achieve a better standard of living through employment and social outlets. He created the Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied Association in Christchurch which works towards the integration of people with physical disabil- r ities into the community' through recreational and social activities. He is prime mover in the Disabled Persons Centre and a committee member of the .Crippled Children Society and Co-ordinating Council. Both organisations are in Christchurch. Ms Sonja Davies, vicepresident of the Federation of Labour, who presented the awards in Wellington recently, said that Mr Boyle was originally employed by a life insurance company as new business officer and had given up this security to work on behalf of the disabled. “This ceremony today is an example of growing public awareness of the needs of people with disabilities,” said Ms Davies. “Fletcher Challenge is pleased to be able to contribute in this t way to the promotion of public aware-

ness of the needs of disabled people,” said Mr Hugh Fletcher, managing director of Fletcher Challenge, in opening the ceremony which was attended by representatives of a number of groups with physically or mentally handicapped members. “When we established the awards three years ago we. did a stocktaking of our own position,” he said. “As a result there has been a noticeable improvement in the level of awareness throughout our own group. The same can be said of a great many other companies in New Zealand who are making a conscious effort to further the employment of people with disabilities. “This type of caring attitude is in keeping with our

New Zealand tradition of assisting those who are disadvantaged in order that they may play as full a part as possible in community life, and we are proud to be part of it,” said Mr Fletcher. Mr Byron Buick-Con-stable, president of the Disabled Persons Assembly in Wellington, said his organisation was naturally grateful for what was being achieved in the employment of people with disabilities. However, he felt more would be done. “There is still prejudice out there from those who are doing the employing and from those from whom they could be working with. Disabled people should be able to compete on an equal foot-