Nominated for their Attitude - Three Helensville Nominees for Attitude Awards!
Three local people, Dorothy Hughes, Pauline Mee and Francis Ritchie have been nominated for the prestigious Attitude Awards. These awards are for those who live beyond their disabilities or who empower success beyond disability.
Nominated for his artistic achievement, blind painter Francis Ritchie, held his first solo exhibition, ‘New Vision’, in the Helensville Art Centre in January of this year. Francis completely lost his sight three years ago but has an excellent ‘colour memory’. Beginning to paint just three years ago, it was soon evident that he was tapping into an instinct beyond sight and his works were selling for a few hundred dollars as soon as they were exhibited. Currently he has work showing in the entrance of CLC church, Malolo House, and the Parakai Tavern, and had work on the feature wall in the Art Centre’s ‘October 3 for All’. Francis is donating a proportion of current sales to Christchurch Quake victims. 
Dorothy Hughes lives in constant pain after acquiring Dystonia, a movement and nervous system disorder, resulting from a heavy fall onto concrete. Dorothy went from being fully employed outworking as a seamstress to being in severe pain, having an elbow completely replaced, living with debilitating body spasms and three years of no real diagnosis. She has turned her life around, fought body spasms which twist her body 90 degrees off centre. Effectively ‘twisting herself straight’, achieving full independence, working as a volunteer at the Citizens Advice Bureau and, through the training received there, recently achieving her dream of becoming a member of the United Nations, with whom she hopes to work (as she does at the bureau) to uphold Human Rights.
The third nominee, Pauline Mee, came to the attention of Auckland City Council’s Mary Borok. Mary works in Arts, Culture & Community sector development and was impressed by Pauline’s work in ‘Access Arts’, supporting those with disabilities in our community to achieve far beyond their own artistic expectations and to stand proudly alongside their non-disabled peers in exhibiting their work. With a professional eye to presentation, the work shows only the ability, not the disability of its creators. The Art Centre’s ‘October 3 for All’ displayed the work of 38 artists, 22 of whom have known disabilities. Although this was the case, the 118 exhibits showed a beautifully integrated exhibition, which lost nothing through its openness to difference. She worked alongside Francis when he decided he wanted to paint, her mantra being ‘we can do anything, we just have to figure out how’ - the old ‘kiwi-can-do’ approach!
The award ceremony dinner is the 1st of December. Sadly none of our nominees made it through to the last three in their categories of nomination, which were ‘Artistic Achievement’ ‘Spirit of Attitude’ and ‘Attitude Making a Difference’.