Monday Sport Blast From The Past: Jorge Sandoval
This weeks, I am using a story I wrote about cycling promoter Jorge Sandoval in 2017. I hope you enjoy it.
Cyclist Jorge Sandoval has a story that deserves to be widely known.
Recently, he was honoured with a Lifetime Service Award by Cycling New Zealand.
In the nearly quarter of a century I have been a journalist, I have been lucky to meet many interesting people.
But one person who will always stand out is Jorge.
I first met him when he came to the Hutt News looking for publicity for the Tour of Wellington.
Over time, I got to know him well and understand his fascinating story, including his time in a Chilean concentration camp.
Initially, he did not want to talk about when he was thrown into the camp by the Pinochet regime aged 19. He was tortured and saw many fellow prisoners die.
One of the few prisoners to survive the camp, he began a remarkable journey that would ultimately lead to Lower Hutt.
He fled to Argentina and in 1976 came to New Zealand as a refugee.
His first job was working in a Petone factory where the workers treated him as if he was "dumb" because he could not speak English.
Trying to blend in, he picked up some of the words his fellow workers used, including the F...word.
Much to his embarrassment, the Chilean ambassador had to explain its meaning.
Jorge found refuge in cycling and once he joined a club, he soon flourished and was good enough to represent New Zealand.
The lack of local events to ride in eventually annoyed him so much, he set up the Tour of Wellington. It would become an international event.
Jorge lived for cycling and what he regarded as Kiwis' indifference to the sport infuriated him.
When retailers in Lower Hutt and Petone complained about streets being closed for the Tour, he was blunt in his assessment that they were small-minded and lacked vision.
As I got to know him he opened up about his time in the concentration camp.
He was never bitter and his ability to move on was commendable.
Jorge deserves his recent recognition but at a time when some people oppose New Zealand taking refugees, he serves as a reminder as to why we should be generous as a country.
Forty-one years after starting work in a Petone factory, Jorge is a highly successful promoter. He has helped family members settle here, runs his own business and has organised more than 30 international cycling tours.
That is pretty good for a bloke who arrived in our country with nothing but a good attitude.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Riddle Alert! Who’s Up for Some Brain-Busting Fun?
4-letter word, always done tomorrow,
We’re out of tea, the ultimate sorrow!
Without the eye, you owe me some money,
No sugar no nectar no sweetness no honey,
4-letter word, if by chance you choose,
You can never win, you can only lose!
What is the 4-letter word?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.5% Yes
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14.9% No
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2.6% Other - I'll share below
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