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Miriama Kamo presents Sunday, award-winning investigations into the stories that matter, from a team of the country's most experienced journalists.

Primary Title
  • Sunday
Date Broadcast
  • Saturday 22 August 2015
Start Time
  • 19 : 00
Finish Time
  • 19 : 30
Duration
  • 30:00
Channel
  • TV One
Broadcaster
  • Television New Zealand
Programme Description
  • Miriama Kamo presents Sunday, award-winning investigations into the stories that matter, from a team of the country's most experienced journalists.
Classification
  • Not Classified
Owning Collection
  • Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
  • Television
Languages
  • English
Captioning Languages
  • English
Captions
Live Broadcast
  • No
Rights Statement
  • Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Tonight on Sunday ` the evidence that ties a South Island freezing worker to an Al Qaeda kidnapping. The Invercargill meatworker who signed up with Al Qaeda. He was the one with the Kalashnikov, so he was definitely intimidating. The Kiwi wife he left behind can't believe it. Surely, if he was this alleged person that he's being portrayed as, like, there would've been some sort of signs. A terrorist and kidnapper? You're afraid for your life, so that's a very scary situation. The world is a better place when he's been taken out. No, I don't want to talk about it. I'm finished, please. I'm going to go now. It was your husband. I don't want to do this any more. A one-in-24-million chance. So after Micah, Emma released two eggs, then two more, after that two more eggs, and finally, against all the laws of probability, Emma released two more eggs. The Kiwi family with twins times four. Baked beans on toast. Oh, kids love it. Spaghetti on toast. Love it. JACKSON 5'S 'I WANT YOU BACK' In here for you, cos you couldn't join us. Oh, hi. Mwah! Mwah! (SNEEZES) Oh, God bless you. Take the very young, take the very old. What's most precious than that moment that we're interacting together? Is this is the secret to celebrating life? # Oh, baby, I need one more chance. # Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015 Kia ora, I'm Miriama Kamo. How did a seemingly kind young man with a good job in Invercargill end up fighting with Al Qaeda in the Middle East? Well, we know Christopher Havard and Daryl Jones of Christchurch left NZ to become jihadis, but until now, there's been little known about what they got up to until they were killed in a US drone strike. Tonight, we follow Christopher Havard's trail from husband to terrorist and kidnapper and reveal the remarkable strand of evidence ` a single hair ` that led to his identification. Janet McIntyre reports. In the summer of 2012, Christopher Havard, a freezing worker from Invercargill, left his job, and without a word to his wife, boarded a plane to the Middle East. Two years later,... ROCKET WHOOSHES, BOOM! ...he was killed in a drone attack. Who was he? Why did he leave? Why was he killed? This young man was married for four years to Latifah Keen. Just kind and caring and very considerate. His striking features now etched in her memory. Nice big red beard and long hair. Hair colour? Um... sort of like a blonde-y, reddy sort of colour, but I had noticed it had started to go a bit darker, like, getting some... of a browny sort of tinge in it. Latifah Keen could never have imagined her husband's hair would hold the key to an international mystery, a mystery that would remain unsolved for two years after Christopher Havard disappeared. That hair ` reddish and long ` was noticed by others in a faraway land. I was able to see that he had this, uh, quite long, sort of, I'd say... chestnut hair. The colour was more or less chestnut. Whereas the... Atte Kaleva of Finland has revealed a terrifying encounter with the former Invercargill meatworker Christopher Havard. He was dangerous, and the world is a better place when he's been taken out. But that's not the Christopher Latifah says she knew and loved. He wasn't violent to me, and I've never seen him violent, so I prefer to not think of him as a violent person. How do you see him? Just a loving, kind, giving man. They married in Dunedin in 2009, Latifah joining her husband converting to Islam, rarely going outside uncovered. Do you feel comfortable wearing this outfit? Yeah, definitely. I don't like some of the attention it gets sometimes, but... I definitely feel comfortable like this. What attention do you get? People telling me to go back to my own country. Latifah's husband, Christopher Havard, grew up in Townsville in Queensland, apparently a troubled boy who'd done a stint in prison for car theft before his conversion to Islam in his early 20s. Changed his whole life. Yeah, it changed his whole life. His parents, Neill and Bronwyn Dowrick, in Townsville, last year spoke to Australia's ABC. His outlook on life. Yeah. He gave up the drinking, gave up the smoking, everything. He` That's because he believed in what was in the Koran. He made a fresh start, moving to NZ, where he met Latifah. They set up home in Christchurch, Christopher commuting to an Invercargill abattoir each week, producing halal meat for the Islamic community. He used to like slaughtering, cos he used to say it was like he was getting double paid ` he'd get paid by his employers and reward from Allah for slaughtering. A reward from Allah. One weekend in February 2012, Havard didn't come home to Latifah ` no phone calls, no texts. A week later, he emailed from the other side of the world ` Yemen, in the Middle East. < Did you ask him what he was doing over there? No, I didn't need to ask him. < Why? Because I was already` He'd already told me he was going over there to teach English, so I have no reason to second-guess him. You were OK with that? I was fine with that. I just... Would've been nicer if he had told me before he left. His plans to go to Yemen, you know, a Muslim country, uh, seem plausible as an English teacher. Of course, we now know that was a ruse, that was a cover story. Auckland-based Paul Buchanan is well versed in terrorist tactics. He was formerly a counterterrorism expert working in Washington for the Pentagon. He believes the path Havard chose to take began in Christchurch at the mosque where he worshipped. What Al Qaeda recruiters do ` and it's a pattern that we see throughout the Middle East ` is they look for the shy, they look for the vulnerable, they look for followers, not leaders. So the guys in the front leading prayers are not good recruiting material. The guys who are quiet and sit in the back, uh, who nod their heads silently, that's the recruiters' material. The Christchurch mosque has denied Havard was radicalized in NZ. The last email he sent to Latifah from Yemen was in May 2012, three months after he'd flown out. What did he say about what he was doing over there? Didn't actually talk about what he was doing there. Weren't you curious? No, I have no reason to be curious. I didn't doubt him. But others were curious. Christopher Havard had journeyed to one of the most dangerous places on Earth, Yemen, in the grip of a vicious civil war, home to some of the world's most feared terrorist groups. His every move, according to Paul Buchanan, monitored by Western spy networks. Intelligence services are not just interested in the individual. They are interested in the process and the network that takes an individual from NZ and deposits him in the war zones of Yemen. They would more than likely allow him to exit so they could follow that network to get the bigger picture. How would they monitor him? I think that many times, uh, these recruits don't realise that even throwaway cell phones are trackable. And, uh, that, again, we have technologies ` I say 'we'; the Five Eyes partners have technologies ` that sometimes are beyond the imagination of many of these recruits. Within three months, Havard's passport had been cancelled by the Australian government. There was no more contact with his family. What was he up to? The answer would come from a most unlikely source. After the break... Was he frightening to you? Sure, he was, yeah. Because he was the one who had the Kalashnikov, so he was definitely intimidating. A respectable middle class European couple kidnapped while visiting Yemen. Y-You are afraid for your life. So that's a very scary situation. PEOPLE CHATTER, DANCE MUSIC PULSATES They've been on the sauce. They've been on the sauce. Your party! They've been on the sauce. Your party! That's Mary's boy, isn't it? Yeah. Maybe you should say something. Maybe you should say something. Nah. I'm crap at that kind of thing, Barry. Yeah, but they're just kids. If we don't say something... (GROANS) Hey, boys? Boys? Why don't you get a lift home tonight? Oh, whatever, mate. I've only had a couple. No, no, no, no. It's too late now. I've spoken to you and I know your mum, so that means our fates are aligned. You get into that car and you get yourself killed or you kill someone else, I become part of it too. How? How? Well, it's like, um, my balls are in your hands. BOYS LAUGH, SNORT BOY: Oh, you want the balls! BOY: Oh, you want the balls! Nobody wants that. Hey, how about I drive you? What? Oh. What? Oh. BOYS LAUGH, DANCE MUSIC PLAYS ON RADIO (SWITCHES RADIO STATION) (SWITCHES RADIO STATION) YODELLING MUSIC PLAYS I like it. 9 What happened to Christopher Havard? The answer would come from this unlikely couple, Finns Atte and Leila Kaleva from quiet, comfortable Helsinki, found themselves plunged into the war on terror,... PEOPLE CHANT ...held hostage for four and a half months by one of the world's most feared terrorist groups. What did you think when you realised you were being held by Al Qaeda? It was a terrible situation. Yeah. Because you know the reputation of Al Qaeda. That's` That's the worst information you can receive. Late in 2012, Atte, an ex-Finnish military officer, had travelled to Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, to complete his PhD. The subject ` radicalization of Muslims by terrorist groups. MEN SING What happened to Atte and his wife was never in the curriculum. Such a risky place to venture into. Were you concerned about that? Sure, I was concerned. Of course. I mean, Yemen, it's not a place where you normally go on a holiday as a tourist. But I was... I was closely observing the travel warnings. Leila joined him just before Christmas. And the day after she arrived, in central Sanaa in a shop, they were confronted by men pointing Kalashnikov rifles at their heads. We hit the ground, and I thought if there was going to be some shooting, it's better to lie down. But then I saw that the guys took Leila into the car, and then... then I realised that we were going to be kidnapped. But everything happened very quickly. They and a friend, Austrian Dominik Neubauer, were bundled into a car. They don't want to reveal all the details, but the gunmen were thugs who quickly traded them to Al Qaeda operatives. The three were held together at a facility ` they don't know where ` in a desert. How many people held you hostage? Uh, there were a number of them. Several individuals. And were you able to look at them? Could you see their faces? Uh, no, they had a scarf, a Yemeni-style scarf around` wrapped around the head, so they were not showing their faces. I was only able to see their eyes. Which was a relief for me, because obviously I didn't want to see the faces. That would've` I thought that might, uh, somehow jeopardise our release. And were they with you all the time? Yeah, they were. Two months after they were taken hostage... ...on the 21st of December 2012 by Yemeni tribe, they want ransom... The Austrian was forced at gunpoint to plead for the kidnappers' demands to be met. ...to give them what they want. Otherwise, they will kill me seven days after this video is published. Y-You are afraid for your life. So that's a very scary situation. At any point of time, you can't know if you are going to get back alive. So in that way, we were threatened all the time. One of their kidnappers stood out, a Westerner who spoke English in what they thought was a NZ or Australian accent. It was clear that he was from this corner of the world. Did he tell you anything about his life? Yeah, we spoke about his life` Of course, he didn't go into details. I mean, he said that he had` that once you embrace Islam, then all your sins will immediately be forgiven. And this is something that he held up quite high in value, and I think it, uh` I made the assumption that he probably had a lot of sins to repent. For him, it was a very important thing. It was an important aspect in becoming a Muslim. Was he frightening to you? Sure, he was, yeah, because he was the one who had the Kalashnikov. So he was definitely intimidating. Yet, there was another side to their kidnapper. He went out of his way to make the hostages a Finnish breakfast. He made some oat porridge for us. I'm not a fan of oatmeal porridge myself. I never eat it because I've had my quota in the military, but it's... it's true that it's a very common breakfast here in Finland. So he was trying to do these, sort of, little things to make it more endurable for us. One day the scarf that covered the man's head and face came loose. I was able to see that he had this, uh, quite long, sort of... would say chestnut hair. The colour was more or less chestnut. Whereas the Yemenis normally have really thick and completely black hair. Then another discovery. The kidnapper had given them some books about Islam. What did you find in one of them? There was a hair between the pages. A single strand of long red hair. When did you realise how significant that might be? Straight on. Yeah. I mean, it's obvious that you can detect DNA from the hair, or it's possible to do it. So we thought that if we were able to somehow smuggle the hair out, if we were ever going to be out, then probably it could help in identification of this, uh` or identifying this individual, who he might be. How did you keep it? Well, we were able to bring it back, so... We wouldn't like to go into details. Yeah. You must have hidden it somewhere. Yes, that's correct. Yeah. In May 2013, after four and a half months in captivity, Atte and Laila were released after intervention by Oman. ...the situations in our training are quite unlike what I went through, especially in the moments when I thought that I was going to be executed or my wife was going to be executed. There are unconfirmed reports $20 million changed hands to secure their release. It seems obvious a substantial ransom must have been paid. As you said, you said 'obvious', but we can't know. Yeah. That's the situation. What did you do with the hair? We handed it over to police in Vienna and in Finland and... for further analysis. Tests on the hair led to the Australian Federal Police being alerted and starting their own investigation. Heavily censored documents obtained by Sunday show that in September 2013, DNA from the red hair strand was identified as belonging to Christopher Havard. Atte and Leila Kaleva's kidnapper was the Invercargill meatworker, described by his Kiwi wife as kind and caring ` even now in the face of the new evidence. Surely, if he was this alleged person he's been portrayed as, like, there would have been some sort of signs. I've spoken with two of the people taken hostage in Yemen. They say one of their kidnappers was your husband. I don't know. Nothing to say about that. I need to tell you, though` I need to tell you how they know it was him. It's because` ...of hair that they found in a book. And, like, how did they, like, hide this piece of hair for a month? No, I don't want to talk about` I'm finished, please. I'm gonna go now. < It was your husband. I don't wanna do this any more. (SNIFFLES) Once the DNA match was made in Australia, as these documents show, a warrant was issued for Havard's arrest. But just three weeks later... ROCKET WHOOSHES, BOOM! ...he was dead, killed in Yemen in a US drone attack alongside another suspected terrorist, NZer Daryl Jones, and three unidentified Al Qaeda operatives. Do you think Havard was targeted? I don't think that the confirmation of his identity led to the drone strike. Former US counterterrorism expert Paul Buchanan says Christopher Havard just ran out of luck. Those fellows were in a very bad place at the wrong time. And so anyone in that theatre who was suspected of being an Al Qaeda member or affiliate became, in the minds of the Americans, fair game. The Australian Federal Police claim they had no prior awareness or knowledge of the counterterrorism operation that caused the deaths, including that of Christopher Havard. I'm not a huge fan of the capital punishment myself, let alone when it's dealt out indiscriminately. And I can see why the Americans wanted to do this. And... no matter how it happened, I believe that the West is a little bit safer without Christopher Havard. Well, Atte Kaleva has established a consultancy in Helsinki, hoping to help others withstand hostile environments and situations like the one he and his wife endured. Austrian Dominic Neubauer was also released to safety. Well, later ` what do the very young have to teach the very old? We find out what happens when you mix a nursery with a nursing home. But next ` we meet the most extraordinary Kiwi parents, Emma and Loma, and their very special one-in-24-million family. Met her in November, got engaged to her in February, had Micah in October, and then got married in the following year, and then twins and then twins and then twins and then twins. Yeah. CHILDREN EXCLAIM, GIGGLE 1 Welcome back. Twins ` they're irresistible, mysterious, captivating. But what happens when you have more than one set? In fact, what happens when you have four sets?! It's a one-in-24-million chance, but West Auckland parents Emma and Loma have just welcomed their newest bundles. Levi and Mia join Ava and Lily, Isla and Eden, and Indi and Emme. With older brother Micah, they're nine kids under 7 years old. Tonight, we meet the extraordinary Uhila family. Boots on, guys. Go. OK! Get your boots. Put 'em down there. These ones are ready to go. BOTH: Bunny got shot by a UFO. ALL SING INDISTINCTLY The Uhila children are pretty excited. (WAILS) They're going to visit Mum in the hospital. She's just done something incredibly special and incredibly rare. But first, some introductions. What's our song? One, two, three. Hi, my name is Micah. My name is Ava. Hello, my name is Lily. Hello, my name is Isla. My name is Eden. I am 3. Then there's Indie and Emme. And if you think you're seeing double, you're absolutely right. That's three sets of twins, all girls. All naturally conceived and delivered. Now their mum Emma has just given birth to their fourth consecutive set of twins ` a new baby boy and girl. Hi, girls. > BABY CRIES Who is that? Your sister and your brother. It just happened. (LAUGHS) Definitely weren't planning any of them, really. It was nice, though, knowing that there was a boy for, you know, Micah, and even the odds slightly. We've got our netball team and then, you know, two brothers. And Micah, what are we gonna call your brother? Did you decide? Which name do you like ` Eli or Levi? Levi. You like Levi? Oh, there you go. So, the time frame ` met her in November, got engaged in February, had Micah in October, and then got married the following year. And then twins and then twins and then twins. And then twins. Yeah. How do you feel, looking at the entire family in one place? Oh, a little bit overwhelmed. But at the same time, it's one of those moments where you kinda go` you fast-forward 10 years from now and I'll never have to cook again. BOTH LAUGH Surprisingly, twins don't run in either Emma or Loma's families. Now, I've actually got twins of my own, and they can be a handful at the best of times. So I'm hoping to get a few parenting tips from the experts. We do have a lot of rules, I guess, in our house. Um, and I think they are really important because it's how we keep controlled chaos. That's what we try` like to call it. In case you're wondering, all these twins are non-identical twins. So what's the difference? Well, with identical twins, there's one egg that splits. With non-identical twins, there's always two eggs. So after Micah, Emma released two eggs. Then two more. After that, two more eggs, and finally, against all the laws of probability, Emma released two more eggs. Now, if you're watching this and thinking you'd like to have just a single set of twins, of course, there are no guarantees. But the statistics tell us that you'll have a one in 90 chance, and it helps if the mother is above-average height and eats a lot of dairy. Emma's four consecutive sets of twins was roughly a one-in-24 million chance. And for reasons that no one can explain, one in five twins will be left-handed. Go figure. CHILDREN SHOUT MUSIC PLAYS Conveyor-belt dinner. (CHUCKLES) With Emma still recuperating in hospital, Loma's taken the week off work as a high-school youth worker. Now he's on his own to enforce that controlled chaos. Routine, routine, routine. So, when dinner comes it's basically put on a track. They can just dance and be silly and go crazy while dinner's getting sorted. By that time, they've exhausted all that energy. What happens if you don't eat all your dinner? KIDS: You don't get dessert. You don't get dessert, no. What's your favourite vegetable? Carrot. Carrot? Carrot's good. Strawberry. You know what carrot's good for? What's carrot good for? Seeing? (GASPS) Micah, spot on. Carrot's good for your eyes. A crucial part of the routine is everyone has their job to do and everyone helps out. How's that bathtub? Yes. You have to go in the shower. Bath time. Bath. Ava. Ava, Lily, Isla and Eden, you're in the shower next door. Go, quickly. Hurry up. Water's ready. Hurry up, hurry up. Let's go. Thumb. Hello! Hey, what are you doing? GIRLS LAUGH Get into bed. Bed. Bed! GIRLS GIGGLE (GROWLS PLAYFULLY) Who hasn't got socks? Shh. You gonna go to bed? I'm exhausted. You're not even my children. ROOSTER CROWS LOMA: Who wants warm breakfast or cold breakfast? CHILD: I want cold breakfast! The morning routine is get up, breakfast, Weet-Bix, It's Weet-Bix a lot of the time. Toast is, like, one whole loaf is gone. Baked beans on toast. Oh, kids love it. Spaghetti on toast ` love it. Did you guys make your beds? > KIDS: Yes! Are you sure? > Yes! Go and check. > O-OK. OK. And then from there, let's say, quarter to 6 to about 7.30, kids should be all ready to go. No, it's hers. You're all right. Turn. You're all right. One more. One more. One, two, three. Do their hair, make sure that everybody's got water bottles. < Say 'Bye, Micah.' < KIDS: Bye, Micah. That's the morning routine. Finally, it's time for the newest twins to come home, and their older brother and sisters can't wait. Hello! KIDS SQUEAL, GREET MUM Cuddles. Where's Mummy's cuddles? Girls. When was the last time you had a romantic night, just the two of you? Uh, 2001, I guess. No, no. I'm willing to offer to baby-sit the kids. Oh. Are you? Aw. Jeez, choice. So, what, we'll put them to bed or you'll put them to bed? < No, I'll do the lot. You'll do the lot? Wow. Almost wanna go, 'Can you baby-sit for the weekend?' Yeah, not just for two hours. Yeah. Good evening. Are you ready to order? Yes, thank you. With this many children, money's always tight, so this is a rare treat. Can I have the pork belly, please? BABY CRIES BOTH: Cheers. Yeah! It's so quiet up here. It is. BABY CRIES LAUGHS: Emme, what are you doing? You're killin' me. QUIRKY MUSIC Cheers. KIDS YELL, LAUGH So, what's the best part about having so many kids? The best part's yet to come. The retirement plan, remember? (LAUGHS) I'm gonna have dinners in every household, I'm gonna have son-in-laws competing who's got the top job. 'You're gonna marry a builder, you're gonna marry a plumber, you're gonna marry a doctor.' 'Don't marry any TV reporters.' LAUGHTER Have you ever lost any of your children? Yes, once. At Wendy's, of all places. Trying to keep them all sitting down, and then Loma came out of the toilet, 'Where's Lily?' 'I don't know.' (LAUGHS) And we're looking around and looking around. And then other people were, like, 'Oh, we saw a kid go out the door.' And, yeah, it was every parent's worst nightmare. With a home routine now well and truly established, Emma and Loma have decided it's time to finally take the whole family out to lunch. Walking, girls. Keep going, keep going. ALL: # Thank you, Lord, for giving us food, # Thank you, Lord, for giving us food. # Thank you, Lord, for giving us food # right where we are. Amen. # Eat. How expensive is the weekly shop? It's about 250 to 300 a week just on meat, veggies. Nappies is about $200 a month. (LAUGHS) It's only gonna get more expensive. Although, I guess in some ways we're lucky we've got girls. But you are lucky that you don't have nine little Lomas running around cos you wouldn't be able to feed them. > No. (LAUGHS) Here she comes! > You ready? Yes. Set. Go! Aah! Let go of me! PIANO MUSIC I was just saying to Loma last night, even though I'm finished having a family ` we're done ` but you look at them and it's` you know, if we had endless and copious amounts of money... < But that's it? Official? Right now you're saying 'no more'? Yeah. Yeah. My body needs a break. Yeah. Yeah. < Loma? (LAUGHS) That's what she said after the first set of twins, and the second set. You'd go for twin set number five? Yeah, potentially. So if there's any sponsors out there... ALL LAUGH Oh, they make it look so easy! What a gorgeous whanau. And if you would like to help in any way, as you heard, Emma and Loma would love to hear from you. Contact us here at Sunday, and we'll pass on your messages of support. So, from the very young to the very old. What happens when you put a nursing home together with a nursery? Well, the results of this remarkable experiment are extraordinary and life affirming. Wait till you see this. She was a knockout. (LAUGHS) I was 17, and she was 16. High-school sweethearts. Absolutely. Those moments that Dorothy has with the children, < you're a doctor, how do you explain those? MAN: Now, tell me what you see in this image. Uh, my new shoes? OK, and this? (GASPS) Oh, my phone bill. Right, OK. Uh, this? My... tickets to Fiji. Hmm. If your credit card balance is playing on your mind, switching to an ANZ low-rate MasterCard could make a world of difference. Talk to us today. 1 Hello again. This is an extraordinary experiment, and the results will amaze you. It's what can happen when you mix a nursery with a nursing home. So, what do the old have to teach the young, and what do the young have to teach the old? Well, as Denham Hitchcock discovers, a lot, and in the most remarkable ways. GENTLE MUSIC Dresses to pick. Which one do you wanna wear today? I'll comb your hair. That's right. Looks beautiful. Make that choo-choo sound. > Lift your feet up. Yes, that's good. Make it snap. There. Beautiful, Dorothy. MUSIC CONTINUES This is a special place... You're her helper today. > ...where those with a rich history interact with those who have none. Call your name. Viv Shazam. There are moments of tenderness,... (SINGS SOFTLY) ...moments of patience. Viv knocked over three. What are we doing here? Here? Three. How many? Three. 30? But somehow, amongst all the confusion, it works. What's your name? Max. Huh? Max. Mack. Max. Mack. Max. Oh, Matt. Max. Max. Matt? Max. Oh, Mack? No, Max. Max? Max. It seems like an impractical experiment. Two age groups that couldn't be further apart ` one in aged care, needing 24-hour supervision; the other, toddlers and babies in daycare, requiring just as much attention but for different reasons. What happens when you merge the two together? LYRICAL PIANO MUSIC They looked around at how to create more of a home-like environment here. And they'd done a lot of physical changes, but then they looked around and said what's missing is children. In a home, in a family, we have children and all the ages interacting together. And we needed children to bring a little more life and joy to the community. You needed some of the chaos that kids bring. (CHUCKLES) Yes, yeah. Chaos and joy. > Chaos and joy. Do you wanna join us? Want to join us? Huh? Want to join us? What did you, uh`? What? WOMAN: Real loud. Use your recess voice. Do you want to, um, do our project? Well, my painting arm is sore today. Go ahead. Oh, what is it? Up, up. There you go. Stand up straight, now. Stand up straight. Bob, I get the feeling that you remember very well the first day you laid eyes on Dorothy. Oh yes. Oh yes. Uh-huh. Well, I'll tell ya, she was a knockout. (CHUCKLES) I was 17 and she was 16. High-school sweethearts? Absolutely. Only one. The only one. Right? I hope it's the only one. (CHUCKLES) (LAUGHS) Yeah. Yes, sir. And it lasted. Bob and Dorothy had earned their retirement. Bob had been a doctor, and even as she reached 80 years of age, Dorothy was in perfect health. That was, until July 2013. When did Dorothy start showing the first signs of Alzheimer's? Uh, inability to maybe finish the more complex procedures. Um, and, uh... < Paperwork and... Paperwork, yes. < ...numbers. The greatest problem that affected us was our handicapped son, David, whom she literally was the mentor for and raised him, you see, she stopped recognising him. It was tearing the family apart. So Bob made the difficult decision to place his wife in a home. Dorothy is 82. How are you, Dorothy? Oh... (CHUCKLES) Over there is picked up now, so I have to get... 'In the time we spent with her, Dorothy was confused and she didn't make sense.' And I don't have every friends except all of 'em. They're all... Then in this room, something extraordinary happens. Look who's here. (GURGLES) So cute. You're just so cute. (GURGLES) Are you just on your own? (BABBLES) Oh, would you like this? I like the colour. (CHUCKLES) Would you like to have it? I saw something amazing today with Dorothy. When she was in the room with the children, she was lucid and forming completely perfect sentences. I know. (CHUCKLES) I know. I know. Oh, wait a minute. Let's go back` Go back to your mommy. Mama. OK. > It's amazing. It is amazing. You're amazing. I'm um... You're amazing. You're ama-ma... Amazing. Amazing? I should've had your hearing aids put in. (CHUCKLES) Oh, what a sweet colour on you. OK... Those moments that Dorothy has with the children... < You're a doctor. How do you explain those? Well, you're playing into her suit. I mean, her whole life has been devoted to taking care of the children. Spending time with the babies just brings you back to` particularly for those who were mothers, to a time when they held a child. And how we explain that ` I don't know. Is it magic? Is it a grace-filled moment because of that human connection and love that's present? Or a past experience that is triggered? But we know that our job is to help make that happen, because for the experience of the resident and the child, and especially for the family member, that they can witness their loved one fully present again, what a gift. A gift we witnessed in every corridor, every room. Nice! < Nicely done. Good job! Wow, it really is a gift, isn't it? Next we meet Betty. How will she respond to the children? Betty, you're were a good-looking woman. (LAUGHS) Well, thank you. I` I hate` I hate... having to struggle to say... It's OK. It's OK. You got a daughter and some grandchildren, and I'm sure they come in. And everybody here` Everyone here loves you. Everyone's taking care of you. Yeah, I know. Thank you. I appreciate it. (CHUCKLES) Thank you. GENTLE MUSIC What a gift. A gift we witnessed in every corridor, every room. < Nicely done. Nice! Good job. Oh, I see eyes and a mouth. > And a nose. And a nose. > WONDROUS MUSIC Betty, when were you born? What's your birthday? > Um... July 30th` > July 30th. Yeah. 1942. Right. Yeah. I've seen some of those photos, especially the ones from the 1960s. Betty, you were a good-looking woman. (LAUGHS) Well, thank you. Yes, she was. This is her daughter, Sarah. So, the photos were from when you were in college. Finlay College. Yes. You went for two years to Finlay College, I think. Mm-hm. Then I went back and got my degree later. Yeah. Yeah. > Yeah. I'm glad you're helping me do this. (CHUCKLES) Yes. BOTH LAUGH Oh golly. So what was the degree that you got, Betty? > I don't know. Not too long ago, Betty had the answers. At school she was a straight-A student. She went on to achieve a Bachelor's degree in English. Later, she married and divorced, her husband leaving her with two small children. Do you like it here? Yeah, I do. It's, uh, very good, you know? People like each other, and that's a big, important thing, I think. There it is. There it is! Where'd you go? (CROONS) That's a big smile. Betty is a fighter. But Alzheimer's is in the family. How long have you been here? Um, been... at a certain place, or...? Yeah, in this place. How long have you been here? Yeah. Oh, golly, I don't know. I don't know if you know where I am, because I can't remember myself. Yeah. You're at the Mount, which is a lovely place` The Mount. Yeah, yeah, yeah. ...which is taking care of you. And have you got family that comes to visit you here? Yeah. Not` They` Well, they come a little bit, yeah. Um, I have... two brothers that are out of` Can't remember where they live. And my... my daughter and a couple of, um... I hate` I hate having... (VOICE CRACKS) to struggle to say... It's OK. It's OK. You've got a daughter and some grandchildren. I'm sure they come. And everybody here loves you. Everyone's taking care of you. Yeah. I know. I know. We love seeing you here too. Thank you. Appreciate it. (CHUCKLES) Thank you. GENTLE MUSIC We saw her in with the babies, and, uh,... (CHUCKLES) she didn't have a care in the world. > Right. How` What a blessed moment. It's a time of remembering where we all came from. And Betty clearly is tapping into that. They're really hard to put in. OK. Thank you for telling me that. < WOMAN: I think if you work together, you can get it. Look how good you did. Yay! How is it that this connection works so well with one age group that's at the end of their lives and the other age group that's right at the beginning? It is interesting that we can take those two groups and put them together. They're very special times of life. Can you do two? You do two, I do two, OK? OK. One right here. And I think that both the children and the residents are highly, highly skilled at just being present in the given moment. And when you think about it, what's more precious than that moment that we're interacting together? Try to roll them. What's 11? Try to roll them. Try to fold one? Try` Yeah. Yeah, like that. And then` Push the sides. Yeah, yeah, like that. And then roll it. Yeah. Good job, Wally. GENTLE MUSIC Oh, I love that ` mixing the old and the young in an environment like that. Ah, it should be the norm, shouldn't it? Well, that's our show for tonight. Do join us on Facebook and Twitter, Sunday TVNZ. And thanks for joining us this evening. Nga mihi nui, hei kona.