Three Extraordinary New Zealanders Awarded

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

15 October 2009

Age is no impediment to one's zest for life, if the three New Zealanders who received awards at last night's Osteoporosis New Zealand You Deserve a Medal ceremony in Parliament are any indication.

The awards - open to all New Zealanders aged 65 and over - aim to encourage older people to stay physically active – a key contributor to maintaining bone health.

At 86, Mr Robin Smith of Musselburgh in Dunedin leads a very active lifestyle beginning with a 1000 metre swim each weekday morning at 6am. His involvement with University of the 3rd Age, as a committee member of Otago Alzheimer’s Society, and member of the Knox Church Social Justice work group is supplemented by weekly Tai Chi classes and running Age Concern’s Steady as You Go exercise group. Working in his garden, he grows fruits and vegetables and also participates in weeding and planting activities at the Orokonui Eco-Sanctuary as a member of the Otago Natural History Trust.

Robin is in his second year of learning Te Reo Maori at Te Wananga o Aotearoa. He attends weekly lectures at the Otago University Club, as well as film, theatre and musical events, and maintains his interest in the arts. Nominated by Age Concern in Dunedin and the St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool, Robin Smith is the recipient of the Fonterra Anchor Xtra Medal.

A shining example of the benefits of an active lifestyle, Lillian Langton, 97 of Auckland, has suffered both a fractured pelvis and hip, but her exercise programme enables her to maintain her balance and reduce the risk of falls, thereby reducing her risk of future fractures. She continues to work as a co-ordinator for Meals on Wheels – a role she has performed for 30 years - for those less mobile than herself.

Lillian lives independently in her own home, plays indoor bowls, drives a car, and attends fitness classes. She enjoys entertaining and being entertained, and has also been known to enjoy the odd flutter at the Sky Casino. Lillian Langton is simply full of the joy of life, and a worthy recipient of the Pharmac Medal.

90-year-old yoga teacher Lyndsay Nichols trained with the Russell Kerr Ballet School in Auckland, and just four years ago was dancing a principal role in a production at Auckland University's Maidment Theatre. Lyndsay teaches yoga, her weekly classes comprising an equal number of men and women and, having given up her car 25 years ago, walks on a daily basis around the steep hills of her home in Russell.

Lyndsay has a deep concern for environmental issues and a passion for her community. She loves a philosophical discussion, paints in oils, writes poetry and prose, and joins community groups – whether for a winter theatrical stage production, a poetry reading or the Russell Writers' Group – with an enthusiasm that defies her age. Described as a 'beacon of light' by all who know her, Lyndsay Nichols is not only an inspiration to her community, but to Osteoporosis New Zealand in awarding her the Osteoporosis New Zealand 10th Anniversary Medal.

"It is essential that we recognise these inspirational individuals who make an effort to stay physically active and look after their bones," says Claire Mackintosh, Chair of Osteoporosis New Zealand. "The awards evening is a tribute to their success, with a real feel good factor felt by all on this momentous occasion.

Our You Deserve a Medal awards take place during Osteoporosis Awareness Week and it is amazing that year after year we continue to receive such inspirational nominations for the awards – testament to the many older Kiwis who make it a priority to stay fit and active. We would love to be in a position to present a medal to each and every one of the amazing people who were nominated this year."

Executive Director of Osteoporosis New Zealand, Julia Gallagher says, "A bone healthy diet and regular exercise offer so many benefits to our health from an overall improved sense of wellbeing to helping prevent falls through improved balance and muscle strength.

Keeping fit also helps slow bone loss and reduces the risk of osteoporosis – a disease that affects about half of Kiwi women and nearly one third of men over the age of 60 years."

The awards were presented in Parliament last night by Osteoporosis New Zealand's 'bone ambassadors' Caroline Evers-Swindell and Georgina Earl and the event sponsors Fonterra Brands and Pharmac.

To view a photo that accompanies this release please visit:

http://mediacom.nzpa.co.nz/attachments/12381_md13018%20pic.jpg

L-R: Caroline Evers-Swindell, Lyndsay Nichols of Russell, Robin Smith of Dunedin, Lillian Langton of Auckland and Georgina Earl.

ENDS

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