Fighting the good fight

Invercargill solo mother and Family Works advocate Casey Howat bravely walks into the ring surrounded on all sides by an extremely vocal and enthusiastic crowd. She positions her red gloves in front of her face, plants her feet firmly, grounding herself to the space, and with a steely gaze, faces off against her opponent.

The fighters trade blows in three 90 second rounds, although it seems significantly longer to Casey whilst in the throes of it.  

“I felt like I was in a dream,” she said.  “It was a bit surreal really.”

The evenly-matched fight results in a split decision, with Casey’s opponent Laurizelle Coles ultimately taking out the win.

This was Casey’s experience competing in the Ōtepoti Boxing Club’s Punch with Purpose 4 corporate and professional charity boxing event at the Dunedin Town Hall on May 3.

“I am really proud with the split decision.  And I am really proud I was able to make myself stay calm in the chaos [of the fight].”

She had enjoyed the experience, from the gruelling 10-week training camp and her performance on the night.

“It has been an amazing journey.

“There are so many lessons and blessings - making quality connections [with the other competitors and coaches], and I learned so much about the skill of boxing.”

Casey had been inspired to compete in the charity boxing event after seeing it advertised on social media.

“I wanted to be an advocate for solo mothers and show them physical fitness is key to the mental game.

“I also wanted to be a positive role model for my son. [I wanted him to see] first-hand what determination, resilience and discipline looks like.”

Boxing was not new to Casey.  She had boxed for fitness over the years and participated in a Contenders Club Series exhibition fight in Christchurch eight years ago.

Family Works Southland was her chosen charity to support through the event, raising a phenomenal $1255 through a Givealittle page and raffles.

Casey said she chose Family Works because she wanted to promote the Buddy Programme and the parenting programmes which had been so beneficial to her family.

“I wanted to get the word out there that these programmes are available.

“I believe in them. They were so helpful for me.”

When she and her son moved from Nelson to Southland about 12 months ago, life had been “a bit unsettled”. They had lots of friends but no family support close by.

“It was the moment when you realise you need a village [to raise your child] and start building one.”

Casey reached out to Family Works for support and signed up for the Incredible Years Parent and Parenting programmes.

Casey pulls no punches when she talks about her experience doing the parenting programmes.

“All of the tutors were so supportive and encouraging. When I felt like I had no one in my corner, I had them.”

Casey said she had learned a lot from the programmes, including the importance of regular child-led play, creating a calm-down space and when to use it, following through with consequences and providing her son with opportunities to make choices for himself, such as what clothes to wear or what fruit he wanted in his lunchbox.

Family Works director Judith McInerney said – “we feel very proud of what Casey has achieved for herself in her life, and feel so humbled she chose Family Works as a recipient acknowledging the support she received from Family Works for herself and her son.”