Tony McClean Vision News

ARTS FOR CHILDREN supporting TNT

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:09:30 GMT

‘Arts for Children’ arises from the concept of selling donated artwork, with the proceeds going to children in need. At present this will mean the funds will be directed to a project that benefits children in Nepal where we will be volunteering in 2012.

What is Arts for Children?

Children are the generation of the future and there are millions around this world that do not get the opportunities that they deserve. They have the right to receive adequate nutrition, sanitation and education however due to natural disasters, poverty, conflict, social situations and many other reasons; this is not happening.

As an example – In Nepal the number of children dying before age 5 = 61 deaths per 1,000 live births (NDHS, 2006). UK= 6 per 1,000 (UNSD, 2005).

‘Arts for Children‘ was created from the idea that it would be great to be able to sell donated artwork with all proceeds going towards different projects that benefits the children ensuring that they receive the basics of life.
We want to support local projects/charities that:

engage with the community to ensure that the project is what the local people want

are implementing a development initiative that is sustainable

encourage ownership and responsibility of the project by the local people it benefits

are going to have a positive impact on children’s lives

Initially, our friends, family and acquaintances have been supporting us with supplying their own artworks, as you can see here. However, we would also like anyone that has any artistic talent who is interested in supporting this idea to contact us for further information about donating their artwork.

Current Project – Nepal 2012

The first project that Arts for Children will be supporting is the Tony McClean Trust.

Volunteering in Nepal

Gary and Brenda will be travelling to Nepal in Feburary 2012. Here they will be working with a local charity to support projects in the Himalayan region. Find out more here »

What happens with the money?

When you lovingly purchase some artwork on our website, the money is processed securely by Paypal. This is then transferred into a separate bank account. This money is then directed to a project or charity that is local, has done a needs assessment to ensure the community are engaged, and is beneficial long-term.

If you would like to know more about how the money is spent, please check out our current project. For those that would like a breakdown of the incomings and outgoings of the money that is donated, please contact us (info@artsforchildren.co.uk) and we will happily give you this information.

Can I donate money to ‘Arts for Children’ without purchasing any artwork?

Of course! Just click on the ‘Donate with Paypal’ button on the Home page. This will take you to the secure paypal website where you can donate as little or as much money as you would like.

How do I donate artwork to ‘Arts for Children’?:

If you would like to donate artwork please contact us on the details below.

Contact us:

Please email us at info@artsforchildren.co.uk

This information was copied and reproduced from the "ARTSFORCHILDREN" website with permission.

NEPAL 2011

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:09:52 GMT

NEPAL 2011

I’m writing to thank you for your support of our recent trip to Nepal and to let you know how the trip went. We made it back safely on the 20th November after spending a fantastic two weeks in this amazing country.

There were 8 of us on the team this year and I think we’d all agree that the highlight of the trip was the time we spent in the rural village of Garambeshi working closely with a local organisation on several development projects.

The projects that we had chosen to work on went really well:

1. Water filters. We did a presentation to community members about the importance of clean water and showed them how to correctly use and maintain a household based filter system. We took up 70 of these filters and distributed them all to households and schools in the village. Our partner organisation will follow up on all those who received filters to ensure that they are being used correctly and making a positive difference to the health of these villages.

2. Smoke hoods. We designed, built and installed a prototype smoke hood and chimney flue in a house in Garambeshi. In the process of doing this we trained four local carpenters in how to make these smokehoods using locally available materials. We were really pleased with how well our prototype smoke hood worked and also how quickly the locals picked up the construction process. We left the tools we used and some seed money with our partner organisation with the aim of developing a sustainable smoke hood business in the district.

3. Stationary and sports gear. We purchased much needed stationary supplies and reference books for the schools in the village and we distributed sports gear and toys to the schools and an orphanage that we visited in Pokhara.

4. Investigating areas for future involvement. The Tony McClean Trust is committed to having an ongoing relationship with the Lamjung area and with the partner organisations that we’ve made contact with. Through our time working in the village with local people we had good opportunities to evaluate future needs of the Garembeshi village and where the trust could assist in these areas too.

We were also able to complete a few other smaller projects during our time in the village including some minor plumbing work to the local Church's toilets, provide a guitar and lessons to a local kid and funding the piping to get water to a school that had had a toilet block which had been unusable for 2 years due to inadequate funding to complete it.

Whilst we hoped to also take some reading glasses and vision screening materials, this project was put on hold due to a supply issue of the particular glasses we were trying to source. For those of you that donated to the reading glasses plan we did put that money into other areas, but are more than happy to refund if you would prefer.

All in all a pretty successful trip and a whole lot of fun too. Attached a few pictures that show where your donation made its mark. The Nepalese were extremely grateful for our assistance and humbled that people from half a world away cared enough about them to donate money to help improve their lives. The water filters were an immediate change for the good, they all knew the water they drank was unhealthy but had no other option, the smoke hood project opened their eyes to other possibilities and the donated goods provided basic resources to an area that badly needs them.

Our work is by no means complete, but certainly a step in the right direction in helping out those that are way less fortunate then us New Zealanders, and also continuing Tony's legacy in the area.

The Trust and travel team want to thank you sincerely for your very kind donation and to assure you that all the money we received was put to good use in projects that will directly benefit the people of Nepal. If you have any questions about the trip or the wider work of the trust please don't hesitate to contact us we’d love to talk to you more about it.

Sincerely,

Tony (McClean) Nepal Trust and the travel team: Jono Ward/Dougal Cowan/Greg Olsen/Ben Witcher/Dave McIndoe/Sean Milnes/Shane Hutchinson/Nick Steele

Tony posthumously awarded New Zealand Bravery Award

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:30:26 GMT

Special Honours List - 2 April 2011

NEW ZEALAND BRAVERY AWARDS

The Queen has been pleased to approve the following New Zealand Bravery Awards:

THE NEW ZEALAND BRAVERY STAR

Anthony McCLEAN (Posthumous)

DECEASED: 15 April 2008, Mangatepopo Gorge

Citation

On 15 April 2008 a group of 10 students from Elim Christian College, including Anthony Mulder, aged 16, and accompanied by Anthony (Tony) McClean, a teacher, started out on a river canyoning expedition in the Mangatepopo Gorge. This was one of the activities on a school camp and was led by Ms Sullivan, an instructor from the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC). On the way back down the Gorge they became trapped by rising water in one of its narrowest points, a short distance from where the stream flows over a 7 metre-high dam.

When the party set off there was light rain falling and the stream was running at its normal volume of about half a cubic metre per second. The party did not know that heavy rain higher up in the Mangatepopo catchment area was heading for the Gorge. By the time they reached the narrow part of the Gorge above the dam, the stream was in flood and they found themselves trapped between the sheer sides of the canyon and the raging waters. With the water level rising rapidly, they took refuge on a ledge beneath an overhang, but as the water level continued to rise above knee level and the current increased, it appeared that remaining in this position was not going to be possible and they would eventually be swept away.

At approximately 3.30 p.m., Ms Sullivan, the instructor, made the decision to go down the stream. A plan was made in which she would go first and take up a position on the left bank above the dam. From there, she would throw a rope, using the ‘throwbag’ method they had practised, to each member of the group as they came down the stream. The students were told to swim to the left side of the stream and catch the rope as they came down. The instructor would then pull them to safety.

Tony McClean was to remain with the student group and would be the last to leave the ledge. As he would be out of sight upstream, he was to release the students at five-minute intervals. This would allow time for the instructor to prepare the rope for each student. The instructor and Tony McClean agreed that those students least confident in the water would be paired with and attached to a more confident and better swimmer. All the other students were to go individually. Floyd Fernandes was paired with fellow student Anthony Mulder, and Tom Hsu was paired with Tony McClean. The instructor also decided to take one of the students, Ashley Smith, with her.

Each member of a pair was attached to the other by means of a looped sling and carabiner, or similar device, with the weaker person in front.

The instructor and Ashley Smith entered the torrent first. After being buffeted and turned around in the fast-flowing water, the instructor managed to catch hold of a rock and haul the pair of them to the safety of the bank only five metres from the top of the dam. As planned, Tony proceeded to release each student from the ledge at five-minute intervals. By the time Tony McClean and Tom Hsu were ready to leave the ledge the stream was in full flood. Tony managed to catch the rope thrown by the instructor but was unable to hold on against the force of the torrent and both he and Tom were also swept over the dam.

Throughout this ordeal, Tony McClean had remained a tower of strength. He kept to the rescue plan that had been agreed with the instructor and while the group was on the ledge he inspired each one to summon their personal courage, to face their fears and to make the jump into the waters that were racing past them just a few feet away.

Both he and Anthony Mulder were competent swimmers and would have stood a much better chance of survival if they had attempted the stream on their own, even though they had no experience of the water conditions in which they found themselves. They also knew that their friends would have little chance of survival in such conditions without assistance, but if they were tied together their own chances of survival would be significantly reduced. Nevertheless, they did not hesitate in agreeing to this part of the plan and, in acts of outstanding bravery, selflessly accompanied their friends into the torrent.

Tony McClean and Anthony Mulder were subsequently discovered some considerable distance below the dam, still attached to their friends.

Anthony Walter MULDER (Posthumous)

DECEASED: 15 April 2008, Mangatepopo Gorge

Citation

On 15 April 2008 a group of 10 students from Elim Christian College, including Anthony Mulder, aged 16, and accompanied by Tony McClean, a teacher, started out on a river canyoning expedition in the Mangatepopo Gorge. This was one of the activities on a school camp and was led by Ms Sullivan, an instructor from the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC). On the way back down the Gorge they became trapped by rising water in one of its narrowest points, a short distance from where the stream flows over a 7 metre-high dam.

Each member of a pair was attached to the other by means of a looped sling and carabiner, or similar device, with the weaker person in front.

The instructor and Ashley Smith entered the torrent first. After being buffeted and turned around in the fast-flowing water, the instructor managed to catch hold of a rock and haul the pair of them to the safety of the bank only five metres from the top of the dam. As planned, Tony proceeded to release each student from the ledge at five-minute intervals. Anthony Mulder and Floyd Fernandes entered the stream some 30 minutes after the instructor and Ashley Smith had managed to reach the safety of the bank. When they arrived at the point opposite where the instructor stood they were unable to reach either the rope or Ashley’s outstretched hand and were swept over the dam and down some 20 feet to the stream below.

Both Anthony Mulder and Tony McClean were competent swimmers and would have stood a much better chance of survival if they had attempted the stream on their own, even though they had no experience of the water conditions in which they found themselves. They also knew that their friends would have little chance of survival in such conditions without assistance, but if they were tied together their own chances of survival would be significantly reduced. Nevertheless, they did not hesitate in agreeing to this part of the plan and, in acts of outstanding bravery, selflessly accompanied their friends into the torrent.

Anthony Mulder and Tony McClean were subsequently discovered some considerable distance below the dam, still attached to their friends.

Small Steps and Giant Leaps

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:23:15 GMT

Small Steps and Giant Leaps

Following the October 2010 Habitat for Humanity Everest Build in Pokara several TNT representatives took the opportunity to visit the Lamjung area and see and hear about the work of Sohadar in the village of Garam Besi. They were joined by Tony’s father John and representatives from Sohadar, Chanman and Tuk Harijan.

It started as the journey of the ‘3 Amigo’s’ Wayne, Wayne and Grant - who we also called Wayne to save confusion, and our fearless leader, the great white hunter, fresh from his jungle tour of Europe- John McClean.

John McClean and Grant McIntosh standing beside the property that Sohadar are looking to purchase for a vocational school and health clinic.

Chanman took us on a journey through the village region beginning at the rivers that fringe the lower edges of the district at an altitude of just over 400m to the surrounding hills that border the upper reaches at an altitude of approximately 2500m. Garam Besi means Low and Hot and we were not disappointed, however by the time we reached the top of the hill our little band of merry men were down graded to ‘Four Old men trekking in Nepal’.

As part of our personal gear we each had a Seychelle water bottle filter supplied by the good people at Seychelle New Zealand (they also let us sell their filters on our website at tnt.org.nz.) The filters worked brilliantly but none more so than the filter pump from Seychelle that we trialled in the village. This pump is light, easy to use and easily coped with supplying all the clean water we needed.

While only being part of the gear we carried personally, the pump is making a huge impact on the quality of water for the family we left it with. The filters are used by the U.S military and take out 99.99% of the nasties out of the water. Most people seem to have access to water; the main problem is the quality. A filter pump in each household would make considerable difference to the general heath and well being of the community.

Overlooking Garem Besi

Wayne Boyd and John McClean with Tuk’s wife and son and Chanman’s son using the Seychelle water filter pump.

We also visited various schools in the district. The classrooms are fairly basic but organisations like ‘Room to Read’ are making significant changes by supplying books and library /reading rooms. This organisation was started by John Wood while trekking through Nepal, saddened by the shocking lack of resources he made the small step of taking a load of books back to a school he visited. 10 years on they have handed out millions of books and built over a thousand schools.

Sohadar has also sponsored 3 teachers into the schools. We were very impressed with the dedication of these young men who are working within the community and schools. The Sohadar vision for the districts includes placing a teacher in one of each of the nine schools in the region.

The classroom where Chanman attended as a pupil.

The only change in the past 20 years are the seats and

desks however a new ‘Room to Read’ wing has been

added stocked full of books.

Early morning in the Village of Garam Besi

There are a number of challenges for the people in the community. Essentially a rural village there are limited job opportunities for the men and a great deal head overseas to places like India and Dubai to earn enough to send back home. Most families seemed to produce only enough food to feed themselves, and consisted mainly of Rice and Lentils.

Threshing rice

Cooking is mainly done over open fires and these are generally indoors creating smoky conditions that can permeate the whole house.

Basic medical facilities are non-existent in this community and only accessible by walking great distances and illnesses we don’t even consider anymore are still taking lives.

Whatever steps are taken to assist will need to be measured to make sure the quality of life as it exists is not compromised. My own view on this was that only small steps need to be taken to make great changes.

Things like building flues over the cooking fires and simple Water filters in every household. Most families seemed to have goats and possibly a cow but no one was using the goats’ milk for drinking or making cheese, this could easily become a suitable industry. These are just some small simple things that could make a difference.

We discussed a number of possibilities with Tuk and Chanman who despite now living away from their home village and could be living otherwise comfortable lives have returned to their home Village to make a difference. They shared their plans and dreams with us. A vision that has already been some time in the making and consisting of a number of small steps.

We were especially grateful for the friendship and hospitality offered by Sohadar and the people of Garam Besi. The TNT representatives now have a much better understanding of the Sohadar vision.

Part of the Harijan Family.

TNT supports Habitat for Humanity in Nepal

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:43:58 GMT

Two of the Trustees from TNT are heading to Nepal from 1st - 8th October, along with 150 kiwi volunteers and 250 other internationals. They are a part of the Habitat for Humanity team going to the city of Pokhara in central Nepal on a mission to build a staggering 50 houses in 6 days for Nepalese families who currently do not have a home to call their own.

You can be a part of this amazing journey as it happens. Each day they will be broadcasting videos, pictures and blogs to the Everest Build Website, also on Habitat NZ's Facebook page as well as a Twitter page.

Seychelle Top-Quality Portable Water Filtration Products

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:08:57 GMT

www.seychelle.co.nz

If you are thinking about travelling overseas it is the perfect traveling companion. The phrase "Don't Drink the Water" if not heeded, could destroy a business trip, a mission's trip or vacation. By simply adding this compact, convenient, lightweight, easy to use personal water filtration bottle to the packing list, illness from waterborne contaminants lurking in foreign waters could be avoided.

Some of the Seychelle portable water filtration products are available from our Shop. By purchasing these products you are supporting one of our Projects to supply a clean water source for a village in Nepal.

1. The Problem

Water is the most common substance on earth. This might lead us to believe that fresh water is plentiful, even in industrialized countries like the United States. But, only 2.5% of the global water supply is fresh - the rest salty. If the tiny percentage of fresh water available was clean, we might have enough for the world’s growing population. But it’s not!

Pollution and disease are dirtying our water supplies. More than 1.1 billion people lack access to clean water. And the United Nations estimates that by 2050, that number will dramatically increase.

The Pacific Institute estimates that between 52 and 118 million people will die of preventable water-related diseases by 2020. And, the World Health Organization estimates that up to 5 million people die each year from the lack of clean drinking water - that’s more than 13,000 deaths per day!

2. The Need

The need is obvious - people can’t depend upon cities, states or even governments to protect them form contaminants and pollutants finding their way into our water supplies. Even in the United Sates, the problem is growing each year. In October 2003, the EPA published a report (EPA 816K-03-007) Water On Tap: What You Need To Know. On pages 23 to 27, it listed 87 contaminants that could be found in drinking water, and their personal health effects. Many of these contaminants are specifically liked to cancer, liver and kidney disease and death.

Since our bodies are approximately 75% water, and 70% of the water we drink each day is away from home, everyone needs a potable water supply they can trust!

3. The Solution

About 14 years ago, Carl Palmer, the founder and CEO of Seychelle Environmental Technologies, Inc., came up with a new filtration system called the Ionic Adsorption Micron Filter. The new filter removes up to 99.99% of contaminants found in drinking water - and is the only one which treats the four major zones of contamination:

Aesthetic: chlorine, odor, sediment and dirt

Microbiological: Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E-Coli bacteria

Chemical: VOC’s, THM’s, DDT, detergents, pesticides, PCB’s

Dissolved Solids: lead, mercury, zinc, copper, chromium 6, arsenic, Radon 222, etc.

The Seychelle Ionic Adsorption Micron Filter is the most laboratory and field-tested filter system in the world. Independent testing has been completed in 18 countries by government-approved laboratories using EPA/ANSI protocols and NSF standards, and some of these tests are on the Seychelle web site including the SABS (South Africa) test completed in April, 2005 and the United Kingdom tests in the summer of 2005; performed by the UK Government Environment Agency where they conducted 150 tests up to 600 liters, including ones on anthrax, salmonella, benzene and hepatitis with live pathogens!

To date, over two million filters have been used by people everywhere - campers, hikers, bikers, police, UK Supreme Commandos, U.S. Marines, missionaries, disaster relief and aid workers, humanitarian groups and just every-day people who want to insure that the water they drink is great-tasting, clean and fresh!

I’ve been ruminating about….character

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:26:32 GMT

www.ruminations.co.nz

Late last year (2008) three media stories caught my attention.

Each has been well publicized in our land and they bear a common theme – great character in the face of adversity.

The first is the story of Tony McLean, the 29 year old teacher who died along with six of his students from Elim Christian College, in the flash flood tragedy that touched a whole nation.

As NZ Herald journalist Martha McKenzie-Minifie wrote:

It could have been a time of absolute terror. They were cold and trapped, and the deadly water kept rising in the swollen river. Tony McClean had already scoured the narrow section of the flooded Mangatepopo Stream trying to find a safe way out. But the group of 12 was stuck on the rocky ledge, with no option for McClean, Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre instructor Jodie Sullivan and the 10 college pupils but to get in the treacherous water and try to float their way to safety. The 29-year-old was a surfer, had run camps himself and knew the outdoors well. He must have known the immense danger they were in. But McClean didn’t panic - he turned on his charisma, reminding the teenagers of the hot showers back at base. He roused the pupils into singing silly songs, as survivor Sarah Brooks described them, allaying the screams of terror so likely in the situation and taking the time to pray with each pupil before they entered the torrent.

McClean was the last to leave the rocky post, and bound disabled international student Tom Hsu to his own fit frame before entering the water, making what many consider to be the ultimate sacrifice.

His attempt to save Tom, 16, who had cerebral palsy, would have cut his own chance of survival but the McClean family believe the thought of not helping could never have entered his mind.

The second story is closely connected to Tony McLean’s. It’s the role that Murray Burton, the principal of Elim Christian College, played in the hours, days and weeks after the tragedy. North & South Magazine, who name Burton as their New Zealander of the Year, writes about the potentially overwhelming circumstances Murray Burton found himself in upon hearing by phone of the loss of seven of his students and staff. As Burton was getting ready to leave his office in order to celebrate his 50^th birthday, he received the first of several calls that would completely dominate his life over the succeeding weeks. Still grieving from his own Dad’s recent death, Burton had to confront a myriad of challenges.

Not least of these was the huge sense of loss of not one, not two, but six students, as well as a highly valued and respected teacher. Seven families to comfort and care for, hundreds of other students, staff and families to guide through the trauma, shock and grief. A school community totally distraught. A wider community wanting answers. A swarming media perhaps looking for a scapegoat – ready to pounce on any hint of accusation from the leader of the devastated school.

Just how exactly does a community cope with a tragedy of this scale? And how does a leader help navigate his pupils, staff, parents, families and supporters through such devastation and yet still be able to also reach out and support the shattered OPC staff? Reports of Burton’s attitude and behaviour over this time are full of words such as gracious, selfless, compassionate, thoughtful, hope-full, strong, vulnerable and yet all the time refusing to entertain a blame game.

The third media story, just a few months after the canyon tragedy, is that of the heroic efforts of an Auckland insurance broker, Austin Hemmings. Upon leaving work one early evening, Hemmings heard the cries for help by a woman being assaulted by a man. He instinctively went to the woman’s aid and was stabbed in the heart by the man. A few seconds later Hemmings died in a pool of blood, just five steps from the lift to his office.

A father of three teenagers, described as an “ordinary man”, unknown outside of his own network of work, family, neighbourhood, church and community connections, Austin Hemmings’ sacrificial action resonated loud and deep with hundreds and thousands of people who didn’t even know him.

Character
All three stories display acts of great character and courage. Each one has much in common with the others. But what exactly is this thing we call “character”?

At its most basic level “character” refers to the core nature of someone or something.

Os Guinness describes character as “…the essential ‘stuff’ a person is made of, the inner reality and quality in which thoughts, speech, decision, behaviour, and relations are rooted. As such character determines behaviour just as behaviour demonstrates character.”

In this sense, everyone has character – it’s the essence of who we are at the core of our beings. However, the character of a person such as Adolf Hitler is obviously very different to that of say, Mother Teresa! Both of their characters were evident in their lifestyles and actions – it’s just that one displayed a lust for power and greed while the other revealed great compassion and sacrificial love.

However, generally when we talk about character, we are referring primarily to it in the positive sense. Character is usually associated with such traits as courage and persistence (ie “strength of character”), integrity, honesty, compassion and love.

Biblically, character is closely connected to righteousness – living and acting according to what is right and just and good. And of course, the goal of the Christian life is to become like Jesus – to more and more imbibe his character in our lives. For his earthly life was the epitome of true character. He is our model.

Interestingly, the word “ethics” comes from the Greek word ethos, which means “character”. So living ethically is all about living a life of character.

And it’s in this sense that I use the word “character” regarding Tony McLean, Murray Burton and Austin Hemmings.

Isolated act or consistent with a life of character?
Because of the instinctive nature of their displays of character, it s tempting to conclude that each act of courage by McLean, Burton and Hemmings was just that – a single display of character – unrelated and disconnected to their past actions.

However, with all three men, there is a well established history of acts of character. Their lives appear to be ones of increasing character, and character-shaping events. In other words, their courageous acts were not “out of character”.

This should hardly be surprising. For our instinctive responses are invariably an automatic reflection of the core of our being – what we really value, believe, aspire to – and even more, who we really are.

As Os Guinness notes, “A person’s core character is seen best in what he or she reveals consistently rather than in a single statement or a random act.”

For example, McKenzie-Minifie writes about McLean that:

For years, he mentored a pupil with Asperger’s Syndrome, Zac, who he met while teaching at St Thomas’ Primary in Kohimarama in 2005, prompting the boy’s mother, Michelle Blaxall-Robinson to write in tribute: “He has been a quiet hero to us in the Robinson family for some time.” She told of how she did not share Tony’s faith but he reached out and helped her family all the same. “If a saint were to walk among us in these contemporary times, what would he look like?” she asked. “I can’t help but answer [that] he would be wearing boardies and an earring.”

Similar stories surround Austin Hemmings. As du Chateau notes:

He was also quick, perhaps too quick, to help others. His widow mulls over his decision to help a defenceless woman, and accepts it as an integral part of him. “He nearly risked his life once before,” she says, “But I stopped him. A man was caught in a rip. Austin, a very strong swimmer, was about to dive in and I persuaded him to run down the beach and get the lifeguard instead.” That bought her around 10 more years of blissfully happy marriage.

In fact, reading through the stories of all three men, numerous examples are noted by family, friends and acquaintances of such expressions of character. Single acts of bravery or character don’t just appear out of nowhere. They are the direct product of ongoing character development and a myriad of small choices to do the right thing.

In these moments of extreme crisis and challenge, we can only act instinctively – there is simply no time to do anything else. Therefore our responses will most reveal our true selves. Whatever, whoever, we truly have become at the core of our being, will be displayed. Such experiences are therefore the moment of real truth, the true test of character.

What role did faith and community play in shaping such character?
It’s abundantly clear in all the articles and interviews about these three men that their Christian faith was a consistent and central theme in their stories. The way they acted was a direct result of their faith and noted by all and sundry.

How gratifying and refreshing it was, for a change, to have people remarking on the positive impact of Jesus-followers in our nation, rather than the more frequently highlighted displays of bigotry, judgementalism and hypocrisy.

How’s this for impact - Carroll du Chateau of the New Zealand Herald notes that:

Hemmings’ bravery and nonsensical death…had a monumental effect on everyday New Zealanders. It shook the New Zealand psyche. Those who didn’t believe in heroism thought again.

Those who had rejected Christianity long ago possibly took a deep breath and admired the guts of a man who prayed every day for the strength to do the right thing - and made it his life’s mission to be a better person.

We debated the simple virtues of kindness and goodness versus the modern “common sense” course of turning away from trouble. We mourned for the death of someone his wife calls ‘an ordinary man’, but who most of us know was a truly extraordinary one - a man who gave his life for others - yet didn’t lose his own identity in the process.

How does this type of character grow? Well it doesn’t just happen. It has to be formed and cultivated. And God’s role in this is of course, critical. He particularly uses (as we’re regularly reminded!) the trials and adversities we face to grow His character in our lives.

But so too is the community the person immerses him/herself in – and the stories such a community tells and aspires to. And this is often underrated in our intensely individualistic culture. Yet, as Benjamin Farley has written:

…the New Testament, in concert with the Hebrew Bible, emphasizes the indispensable context of the believing community, which, in this instance, is the church, the ekklesia. It is within this nurturing context of faith, hope and love…that the Christian life, as a process, unfolds. It is never a matter of the individual alone, pitted against an alien and hostile culture, that constitutes the epicenter of Christian moral action.

I’ve written elsewhere of one of the most profound examples of this – the people of the village of Le Chambon, France, who during the Second World War, rescued thousands of Jewish children, by taking them into their homes, hiding them from the authorities, and guiding many across the dangerous countryside to safety in neutral Switzerland. This remarkable rescue mission was “led” by Andre and Magda Trocme – the pastors of the Hugenot Protestant church in the village, who nurtured the stories of their own persecuted and displaced forebears and of giving refuge and hospitality to others who might come their way. Their acts of character became an automatic communal response to the needs of the Jewish families caught up in the evil web of Nazi occupation.

We cannot develop God’s character alone. We need others. When we are committed to a community seeking to retell, understand, embrace and live out the gospel story, we are much more likely to become people of character.

And there are definite hints in each of the stories of McLean, Burton and Hemmings, of the significant, ongoing role that their specific families and communities of faith played in their own character development.

Becoming leaders of character

In each of their own ways, these three men were all leaders – both formally and informally. Others looked to them for guidance and expected them to take the initiative.

For example, according to du Chateau:

People valued Hemmings’ judgment and he made a point of being available: colleagues, church members, family, friends, they all had his cellphone number - and used it. “He was a leader,” says his boss at NZI, Jo Mason. “He’d come in every day and check the mood of his staff, schedule a couple of coffee meetings. Morale was never better. And for me he was a sounding board, confidante and friend.”

And regarding Murray Burton, North & South wrote:

In the most challenging and heartbreaking of circumstances, he showed true leadership and, by his example, brought people together without anger or blame.

So what does it mean to be a leader of character?

Well perhaps it would be best to consider what a leader lacking in character might look like, as sadly our world is full of examples like this. For leaders can behave badly just as much as anyone else. They can manipulate, use power inappropriately, be self-serving, arrogant, two-faced, and operate with hidden agendas. They can be poor listeners, defensive and unnecessarily harsh in their words to others. They can covet status and influence and be motivated by what will help them to look good in front of others. They can say things behind people’s backs that they wouldn’t say to their faces, and be dishonest in their public face – lacking integrity between what they say and what they really think and do.

If character is not as highly valued as gifting and position then it is easy for poor character to be excused. (“He is good at what he does so it doesn’t matter” or “She’s the boss so she’s entitled to be so aggressive”.)

However, Christian leaders should be noted for their character. Such leaders value being transparent and vulnerable, see themselves as broken and sin-ridden needing grace and forgiveness, aspire to be people of integrity and view their role as leaders as that of stewards, not powerbrokers. They take delight in others getting the credit. They work hard at listening and respecting others’ perspectives without reducing other’s differences to an out-of-context statement. They are prepared to make hard decisions, knowing that even with the best of intentions some people will not appreciate or understand all the dimensions of the decision. Leaders of character know that the way they lead is at least as important as where they lead. (In fact, that the two are closely related.) They appreciate that if they can’t work well with others then it doesn’t matter how talented they are, their effectiveness will be deeply compromised.

More and more I am convinced that the primary role of the Christian leader is to seek to model character. Yes, competence (however we might define that!) is important. But if a Christian leader is not exhibiting character, they have little to say, and little hope in leading others anywhere worthwhile.

What about me?
And so as I read these stories I ask myself – how would I respond if I found myself in a situation similar to McLean, Burton or Hemmings? Would I have the courage and strength of character to give my life in such a way? Or would the desire for self-preservation and self-interest override whatever impulse I might have to act in the interests of others?

Put to the test in such a way, I have no firm way of knowing. I honestly don’t know how I’d respond. However, what I can be fairly confident about are two things:

My reactions have already been largely determined. My true character (good, bad or mixed) will be revealed – whether I like it or not!
There will already be some indicators from my recent past that will strongly indicate how I would respond. Patterns of behaviour (good and not so good) are already imbedded in my life so that when a crisis comes my responses are unlikely to be a surprise to those who know me well. My choice/s in such moments will be consistent with what is already earthed in my being.

So in the meantime, what is there to do? Maybe the following prayer is a good starting point for me:

Dear Lord, I want to be a person of character, just like you were when you lived this earth. And yet there’s much about me that is woefully less than who I know you have made me to be. Even though I am who I am and you love me just as I am, I also know that your intention is that I become more like you – which is so much more than who I am right now. So shape me and mold me. Use the experiences of my week to etch your character indelibly on my inner being. Help me to have the courage to make small choices each day that become steps toward being a person of real character. And let me be shaped by the stories of my faith community, as they remind me of all that is good and pure and right. In the name of the One who is character personified. Amen.