Winter, New Year & Mick

It’s been a while since my last BLOG, September last year in fact.

 

I began putting thoughts together as winter concluded. It had been a long wet winter where at times the ground was so wet we couldn’t drive the farm bike into paddocks without getting bogged down, even in four wheel drive. The net result was that pasture and gardens became quite neglected. But something remarkable happened.

 

For several weeks of the early spring the rain stopped and the wind, which normally starts when the blossoms are coming out, didn’t arrive. And the garden was ablaze with the beautiful spring colour of magnolia, rhododendrons, camellia, fuchsia, plus spring flowers and foliage. It was one of the best displays for years. This all inspired me to start writing about the new and fresh start, how people emerge from the winter feeling more positive. Perhaps, I thought, this would be a better time to have New Year.

 

Then life took off at pace and I simply never got any further. So here we are in the real New Year with me attempting to get back into the habit of regular writing. Usually when I start to think about the BLOG there is no shortage of ideas often helped by readers having sent their interesting news and reflections prompted by something I have written.

 

I was about to start assembling my thoughts when I read an email which arrived overnight from the UK. It was from Mick Hubbard’s sister, Jill Lawson. Mick managed Security and Civil Defence for the now Counties Manukau Health (DHB) and was killed in a tragic accident last year. I say accident and use the word advisedly, more on that later. But first let me talk a little about Mick and my connection with him.

 

During the holidays I managed to get in a little reading and noted this in an article entitled ‘8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees’ by Jeff Haden in Inc. Magazine.  “Great employees follow processes. Remarkable employees find ways to make those processes even better, not only because they are expected to…but because they just can’t help it.’ Mick was one of those remarkable employees.

 

In the late 90s I arrived at what was then South Auckland Health (the predecessor of CMDHB) as the GM for Patient & Staff Safety and Human Resources. My portfolio included security and South Auckland Health was still recovering from having had a baby kidnapped. Whilst I had security experience back in my industry days, this was clearly a much more significant responsibility.I asked one of my colleagues to find a consultant to do a complete review of security, imagine the future and make recommendations.

 

Mick arrived as the consultant and set about in a very workman like way to examine critically how our security worked (or more particularly didn’t work) and produced the kind of report I like - clear, practical, plain language and to the point. Long story short, I retained Mick to help us implement his plan and then hired him as the Security Manager. His role expanded to include Civil Defence and he became a significant influence in not only Auckland Health CD, but also Regional CD Planning.

 

Mick’s maturity and experience was a superb addition, making a great team greater. 

 

Mick was killed on his way to work just out of Waiuku and not far from where I live. Although I knew there had been an accident I did not know it involved Mick and unfortunately I never learned that until a couple of hours before his funeral. Staff at ProCare rallied round to cover appointments so I could attend and speak.

 

Jill’s email was to advise me they were notified just before Christmas there had finally been a verdict reached for the driver who caused Mick's death and the injury of another driver. As a result Jill and her sons and a family friend will be travelling out in February to attend the sentencing in the Pukekohe Court. I shall look forward to meeting and spending some time with them. I was fortunate to spend time with others of Mick’s family last year when they came to NZ to finalise his affairs and prepare the house for sale.

 

I mentioned earlier the accident. This happened on a stretch of road on which there have been a number of fatalities, usually accompanied by headlines, ‘Road claims another life!’

 

So called accidents are in reality poor choices of chance, like deciding to drive when tired and subsequently falling asleep, or driving through a stop sign in the face of oncoming traffic, causing an accident resulting in death and or injury, usually of completely innocent parties.

 

On this stretch of road there is an intersection which crosses a main road. There is clear visibility however drivers still make a decision to move off into the path of oncoming traffic. More lives have recently been lost and the net result is the intersection on the ‘killer’ road is being turned into a round-about at a cost in excess of $1million. After the last accident it was good to see that letters to the editor started to express differing views to the road killer group think. People began saying there are no killer roads, only killer drivers.

 

Whilst the driver of the vehicle that killed Mick did not set out to take Mick’s life the fact remains that Mick did not deserve to die and his death was entirely preventable…it’s just not fair!