“When’s the next one Mister?” That was the response from a student after enjoying a Halloween-themed Blue Light disco in Palmerston North.
Students from Takaro and Somerset Crescent Primary Schools, along with Palmerston North Intermediate Normal and Monrad Intermediate were treated to Blue Light discos on Friday (28 October) at the Queen Elizabeth College Hall.
The discos, one for primary and the other intermediate, were organised by Feilding Blue Light and supported by Youth Aid, Highbury and Feilding Community staff along with Raukawa Māori Wardens, Takaro and Makino Rotary Clubs, Rapid Relief Team, and local Ryan Barrow who helped with IT.
DJ Weeps dropped the beats while the students boogied on down.
Feilding Youth Aid Constable Allan McLean MC'd the discos and says it’s the first time in over a decade that the Blue Light discos have been held in Palmerston North.
Clockwise, from top left: Constable Te Ani Saunders, Senior Constable Allan Wells and DJ Weeps.
“Promoting the discos with the selected schools was interesting as they had no idea what we were talking about and were confused as to why Police wanted to put discos on for them,” says Allan.
“But when they understood why we were doing it, they were excited about the opportunity.
“We had heaps of positive feedback from parents about the disco. They told us it was awesome and some of them even remembered going to them as children. The kids were on a high and had a tonne of fun – their smiling faces said it all.”
The disco also was also a good opportunity for Highbury Police staff to positively engage with the kids from their community and hand out prizes to them.
A BBQ kept the kids going through the evening and prizes and decorations were generously donated by local businesses, including The Warehouse, Kmart, and Bunnings.
Like any good disco, the night was completed with a lolly scramble and the Māori Wardens gave rides home for some kids whose parents couldn't pick them up.
"We had students from a range of social backgrounds attend,” says Allan.
“The discos not only bring the community together but also show Police in a positive, fun environment – it’s not often Police host disco parties.
“It’s a nice change for us to be running parties rather than showing up to close them down.
“We’re challenged with the resources to run these continuously but the benefit of running them provides huge purpose and reconnection with all our communities and young people.
"We value the partnerships we have with organisations and volunteers who help with the workload on these events.
"Following on from the discos, we'll now see how this can potentially become a quarterly event targeting different suburbs of the Manawatū and hosting them in their zoned high school hall.
"Parents entrusted their tamariki to us for the evening and we wanted to ensure they felt safe and could have a good time with Police in a fun environment."