And completed......

The last assignment has been handed in for marking, the three-hour exam has been sat and the very large celebratory glass of Central Otago Red wine has been savored.   I have now formally completed all of my Post Graduate Diploma studies and await the final grade. Next step, find a job or look at further study..... There are some interesting opportunities out there, more so following Monday's 7.5 Kaikoura Earthquake.  I have to admit it's been very frustrating wanting to help and get involved, however, a much-needed break and relaxing holiday in New Plymouth was underway when the quake struck.  Followed by severe weather, flooding and landslides in the Wellington Region that made driving impossible, so I decided to stay put.  The recovery from the quake is going to be a long process that will take years, so energy recharging and pacesetting will be vital before I jump into the next thing.

https://www.facebook.com/NewZealandDefenceForce/

I have however come up with a unique way to support the disaster recovery efforts, despite my lack of available cash.  I have decided to auction off three of my hand-knitted shawls to donate all the money to the Red Cross Kaikoura earthquake appeal.  This way my skills can be monetised to support the local kiwi's and visiting tourists affected by the disaster.  The Red Cross do an awesome job on the group of supporting the victims both through making sure they receive the psychosocial support and physical support they need.  Money is the best way to donate as that allows the right items to be purchased locally, removing issues of transporting goods, duplication of goods or goods that are unsuitable and supporting the local economy.  Many victims being airlifted from the Kaikoura area are leaving with just a carrier bag of items.  The Red Cross can then provide vouchers for them to buy clothes and hygiene products and support them in the coming weeks with accommodation and other welfare support.  Admittedly they are not the only group that does such excellent work on the ground, The Salvation Army are another international aid group that assist.  At the time of writing the Red Cross appeal is the main fundraising appeal, others will undoubtedly be set up in the coming weeks to support residents over the coming years.

I will do a separate post giving more details of my #disasterknitting initiative and set out my vision.  Hopefully, with time on my hands, I will be able to continue to blog in the coming weeks and share some of the many valuable aspects of emergency management I have learned in the last nine months.