Success is our middle name . .
Testimonials
Below are testimonials, told from the parents of boys who have attended the academy. Also see below, school speeches which two of our students chose to write about Billy.
Testimonial 1
At the age of 16, my son fell into the trap that many young boys fall into such as drug use, being truant from school and generally getting into trouble. The only positive focus he had was boxing and the camaraderie generated by the Naenae Boxing Academy and in particularly Billy Graham. Not only did Billy see his potential as a boxer he also saw someone who was going down the wrong path and heading to a life of crime and hopelessness. Billy used his own time to guide my son away from drugs and also encouraged him to stay at school. Without Billy’s help I know I would have struggled to keep my son away from drugs. In my opinion he went over and above what any normal boxing coach would have done. Billy surrounded my son with boxer’s who have had similar experiences in their lives and this has seemed to have had a positive response. Needless to say my son’s boxing ability has progressed to the point whereby he has won a most scientific boxing award in a competition this year, a testament to the training provided by, Billy, Graham, Grant and Dean.
As aforementioned the camaraderie generated in the club is second to none. I have always felt welcome at the club and know most boxers on a first name basis, despite the number of boxers attending the club. The club offers not only boxing training of the highest calibre it also teaches common courtesy, humility and respect. This is evident in the rules Billy has implemented in the club such as no swearing, no wearing hat’s in the gym and introducing yourself to one another amongst other rules.
In finishing, I like to say this club goes beyond what most boxing clubs offer and in my son’s situation has turned his life around.
Testimonial 2
My husband and I first heard about the Naenae Boxing Academy in late 2006. A school friend of our younger son had been given the opportunity to attend the boxing academy. The benefits he had gained were extolled by his mother, benefits in both the physical and mental aspects of his life.
As our son had been looking for a sport or activity, and given the great feedback regarding the boxing gym we asked that he be allowed to join. It has been heartwarming for us, as parents, to see the growth in physical and mental strength in our son from his attendance at the gym.
We have seen our young person who could barely swing a rope, begin to skip – who was considered weak and an easy target for bullies, punch a bag like he means it and clamour to get into the ring to spar – and gain the confidence to interact with other young boys and men from a variety of backgrounds.
The benefits have spilled over into his school work. The ‘cross body’ movements enhance the brains ability to process and produce information – this is especially important in anyone with dyslexia, as is the case with our son. We wholeheartedly support the work done by Billy and his team, with the boys at the boxing gym.
Testimonial 3
I am delighted to be associated with the Naenae Boxing Academy.
Billy Graham and the Naenae Boxing Academy is the perfect vehicle for capturing the hearts and minds of local youth who have more to learn than what they already believe they know.
With his unique blend of wisdom, humour, life-skills and grassroots experience Billy is uniquely positioned within the Lower Hutt community to provide the right type of no nonsense help and support to those parents who seek it on behalf of their sons. The door to the gym does not discriminate and Billy welcomes any youth with a broad smile and open handshake for “a second chance at life”.
My son is a product of Billy’s mentoring. He is a successful example of a young adolescent from a single parent family. My son had low self esteem; was medicated for 4 years for ADHD, struggled with reading, writing and school and unacceptable behaviour. Becoming a member of Billy’s gym provided a secure foundation for him to overcome all of his difficulties successfully. The work of Billy Graham and the gym is an environment that is supportive; caring and loving. It has its own method that instils confidence and values in young men. As the journey progresses, my son has gained a strong appreciation for the skilful sport of boxing. He continues to grow and inherit the qualities of life that all parents; teachers and mentors seek in a young man who is now going from strength to strength.
I remain indebted to the dignity Billy and Kerri Graham have returned to me as an individual and a mother who once thought her son was lost.
Thank you Billy and Kerri
Testimonial 4
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing with regard to the great work under-taken by Billy Graham in the form of his Naenae Boxing Academy.
As a Father and an uncle I have been privileged to be a part of the academy. In this regard I have witnessed the great change of my youngest son from a very shy, studious boy of 12 who did not like to participate in any form of sport and when socializing with his peers would always be content to take a back seat; has now undertaken a transformation to be a confident young boy, whose change has been witnessed by his teacher and the comment made “that it is wonderful to see him now have the confidence to achieve in all areas of schooling”.
I am also proud to say the same for my nephew, who has always had sporting ability but was painfully shy. He has come out of his shell to the extent that now in the third year of college, he has been elected on to the Board of Trustees at school and is going from strength to strength in his academic abilities.
Further as I am presently doing a double degree in psychology and criminology at Vic University, it is great to be part of the implementing of what is cutting edge criminology theory into real life situation. There are three key areas in the development of good young men that are a credit to their communities; according to latest criminological theory; it is pivotal for young men to have three core abilities these are firstly, a sense of identity secondly, a sense of belonging, and thirdly a sense of self worth. These are areas that Billy focuses on with the boys and it is great to see the results.
I can only speak for my family, I am happy to say that the results Billy obtains are fantastic. It is always a pleasure to be in the academy and every time we leave after a class I truly feel inspired and the boys feel the same and spend the rest of the week looking forward to attending again.
Testimonial 5
When I encouraged, and succeeded in registering my son at Naenae Boxing Academy (NBA) in February 2007, I had been long concerned for his health, and thought that being around Billy and his team would be great for his confidence, and for building healthy relationships with other males. He was, in my opinion, very sedentary and overweight for his age, lacking self-worth, and hanging around with other troubled teens.
Today, my son is still at the NBA, and is doing better than he could have imagined. He initially went along just to get some fitness but now he can actually visualise himself in the ring. His body tone is becoming more evident, and his physical strength has increased immensely in such a short time. His biggest achievement, in my opinion, is how he has matured as an individual. He gets alongside new or younger boys, and has formed some great friendships. He is no longer intimidated or swayed by his old friends; he shared with me once that, at the time, having bad friends was better than not having friends at all.
Billy and his team have been a hugely positive influence for my son, the other boys, and for the Naenae community; bringing hope, structure, encouragement, boundaries, challenges, and fun. As his mother, I am thankful for more male role models who are willing to make time to share their talents, skills, and vision with the youth of today, the law-makers of tomorrow!
Testimonial 6
My son has been attending the Naenae Boxing Gym this year and has benefited enormously from being part of this inspirational place. His confidence has improved from increased fitness and socially will be benefiting from mixing with and making friends from all walks of life and cultures. He is developing a passion for boxing.
He has been recognised by his school teachers’ as ‘a leader’ himself, so to have the privilege of weekly contact with Billy is giving him unparalleled insight into leadership.
It would be difficult to measure the effect that such an organisation has, but I sit and watch for the two hour session that my son attends and feel inspired myself from witnessing the obvious influence and impact that Billy has on the lives of these boys, all of whom are at such an impressionable age. There is absolute control, the respect that Billy commands is quite apparent. It is a caring and motivating atmosphere with emphasis on total participation.
My son is aware that he is involved in something very special.
Testimonial 7
My son, who is now 13, has been attending Naenae Boxing Gym since April 2007. He had previously been in some trouble at intermediate and we thought it would help him to have an outlet for his excess energy as well as learning some self-defence skills to boost his self-confidence. We have found the gym to be a very positive influence on him and we are keen to keep him attending. Billy has a wonderful manner with all the kids and quickly made our son feel at home. Our son finds the gym a place where he can have fun, make friends, keep fit and work off his energy within the gym rules, rather than trying to fight against them.
You can see the respect shown and shared as soon as you enter the gym. Billy teaches the boys to treat the instructors, the gym itself and each other with caring and respect, and fosters self confidence in those who often lack this. The fact that many boys turn up half an hour before sessions start is proof that they are finding what they need in the gym and in Billy and the other instructors’ special relationship with them.
Testimonial 8
My son joined the Naenae Boxing Academy nearly 3 years ago not long after his 14th birthday. To this day he claims and proudly declares “Mum, meeting Billy Graham is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life” and he is right.
Billy Graham to my son is Billy’s Dick Dunn, until becoming part of N.B.A , my son’s passion, focus, schooling and life was performing arts, the world was his stage and at times his unique personality and passion for acting interfered and caused problems with his schooling, and bullying, his concentration span was minimal and had problems sitting still and listening, until his first training night with Billy, my son sat and listened and did everything he was asked to, that was the day his life not only changed but I believe his future saved.
My son has had a lot of support and opportunities in his life and as a parent his education and aspirations have always been paramount, he had experienced a lot of grief and loss in a short period of time and lacked the will and desire to succeed, but what he lacked most all his life he found in Billy Graham and the N.B.A , positive male role models. I believe if he hadn’t joined the academy when he did he would not have finished his school year in 2006, He is currently getting ready to sit his NCEA level 3 this year and has successfully managed to turn his academic records around and achieving to his potential, his Teachers and Deans have been absolutely amazed at his academic achievements, commitment, dedication, maturity and his sudden turn around in taking responsibility for his actions.
My son had an opportunity to represent N.B.A and was sponsored by the Rotary to attend an outdoor pursuits programme for potential young leaders, this reinforced and re-determined attitudes in my son that he can be and achieve whatever he wants, it was an honour for him, through this experience he also gained a part-time job, he lives and breaths school work and boxing and fits his friends in when he has time. My son has one passion fitness, he will be enlisting in the NZ Army at the end of his exams and hopes to become a fitness trainer.
It is hard to put into words as a parent, exactly what the N.B.A has done for my boy. How do you give testimony or put value on a child’s future, their confidence, belief in self, hope, dedication, courage to chase their dreams, how do you pay homage to your child’s hero, I am so grateful, and proud of what my son has achieved, he is my hero.
My son was a finalist in the 6th form English speeches and wrote about Billy Graham.
It is early days yet for our academy to be making champions but so far we’ve won five Wellington titles, four Golden Gloves, and one national title. That’s ring success and we have great potential from a full gym of boys; 60 at least!
Other success – our boys have gone back to school when they’ve previously made their mind up to leave. Parents, and schools have noted tremendous changes in their boys’ attitudes, including letters and emails received to that effect. We’ve dealt with drug issues and had very good results.
Both local and city councils are very supportive of what’s going on at the academy, and we have police endorsements regarding the effect we’re having on the suburb of Naenae.
Testimonial 9
My son and his mates have just joined up the Academy this term and I cannot believe the change in him. Each morning he is up early and excited about each day – he is excited about boxing but not only boxing, other things too and wants to eat healthy, drink water, gets lots of sleep etc. While “J” is not considered an “at risk boy” he was going through a phase where he seemed not to have a lot of direction and motivation and was starting to sample some of the unsavoury things in life, there has certainly been huge changes. Today I just received the weekly email from the school that he has been awarded with an excellence for his work over the week, this is his first excellence he has received in 3 ½ years at the college.
It is nice to see him looking so happy and motivated – and I thank you all for providing an opportunity for young men to realize there are other options in life.”
May 2009
Boxing Student School Speech 1
New Zealand Needs More Heroes
Webster’s dictionary states, ‘a hero is a man who is admired for his achievements or qualities.’ But I think a hero is more than that. I think a real hero is someone who has touched someone’s life, influencing it in a meaningful way.
Throughout history our perception of heroes has changed, Achilles of Greece and William Wallace of Scotland were true heroes to their people because of their unrelenting courage and bravery to save their country and citizens. But over time those who fight with their words and actions have overruled the warriors that fight for freedom with the sword. Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther-King and Gandhi were all true heroes and fought for what they knew was right and changed a nation forever with their words, not weapons. But then there are the heroes that perform wild acts of kindness that have minimal or no motivation people like Sir Edmond Hilary.
New Zealand has many big names, for example Paul Holmes, Russell Crow and Ritchie Macaw. Although these people have done really well for themselves, and in NZ they have achieved ‘hero’ status, they are celebrities rather than heroes. This is something very commonly confused. A celebrity makes news, but a hero makes history.
We often overlook the heroes closest to us. To me, Billy Graham, my boxing coach, is a great example of someone I would give ‘hero status’ to. As a boy growing up he had very few privileges, he suffers from dyslexia, he dropped out of school at 14 and was very well known to police and was possibly destined to fail. But he was befriended and taught by the legendary boxing coach Dick Dunn. He taught Billy the real discipline of boxing and made him into an Australasian champion. He was a celebrity then and he continues that celebrity status as a world-renowned motivational speaker: inspiring and motivating people, including boys here at Scots.
To me he is a true hero and I am privileged to know him. I witness every week the difference he is making in the lives of the boys at his Naenae boxing gym. He emphasises listening skills, manners and courage through discipline and friendship. He willingly gives his time with extraordinary spirit and humour keeping many underprivileged boys off the street, giving them the opportunity of becoming heroes themselves.
New Zealand does need more heroes. Anyone can be a hero to someone else and often the only limits people face are the limits they place upon themselves. We all have the ability to represent the very best of NZ, as I believe we cannot have too many heroes.
Boxing Student School Speech 2
BILLY GRAHAM!
Kiaora Talofalava! Ohiogusimos! Bulla! And welcome to the beginning of my speech on Billy Graham the 59 year old man who has touched so many peoples lives…today I will be talking about Billy and his boxing career and his jobs.
But first I will tell you about life when Billy was a child and how he turned from a snot nosed little kid to a smart well known person.
When Billy Graham was a child he went to Naenae High School and life back then was different to life today and Billy Graham was a cheeky kid at this age and was constantly abused and bullied by students and teachers. Anyway he was quite a handful that ole Billy Graham and one night he got very very hungry but back then you couldn’t just go into your cupboards and get anything you wanted…no sir!
You would eat what you were told to when you where told to, so Billy Graham decided it would be a good idea to break into the GRIFFINS factory but on the way out with a trolley full of mellow puffs he ran into the policemen waiting outside, after that he was sent to the famous coach Dick Dunn to get some discipline and maybe a couple of hidings to teach him a lesson but to everyone’s surprise Billy was talented in the art of punching people!
So Billy was sat down by Dick Dunn and told that if he didn’t settle down he would go to jail so Billy went to the gym four nights a week and became a champion boxer he became New Zealand and Australasian light welterweight boxing champion and went through a whole boxing season without being hit once.
After that Billy’s dream was to make a boxing gym and pass on the information that his coach had passed to him. He achieved his dream in Naenae and now has lots of talented young boxers in his gym and even Wellington champions.
Now Billy has more than one job and he has many strengths. He is a fitness adviser, a motivational speaker, a boxing coach, a salesman, and he is New Zealand’s best-loved platform speaker. He has traveled the world and goes to many different countries and states each week for conferences and meetings. He attends schools to give exclusive speeches and can keep his audience awed for hours on end.
He is a very fit person who is extremely strong in the body and the mind. He is determined and focused, he has made exercise equipment and invented boxing tools. Billy has had some tremendous obstacles to overcome in his life and I am awed by Billy. I have learned so much from Billy in more than one aspect of life.
Now I look at life through a different set of eyes, a pair of eyes that makes everything more colourful and friendly and I think to myself no matter what happens to me I have to pass over the obstacles that try to slow me down and I must keep fighting through life no matter how hard it gets because I know there are going to be times in life when you just want to quit or give up. But when I think of Billy Graham and what he has accomplished in life and the obstacles he has had, I think that no matter who you are or where you live if you make the right choices and do the right thing you too can follow in the footsteps of success.
So for my conclusion I must say that I find myself lucky for meeting the famous Billy Graham and maybe now you may have an idea of why Billy Graham is my hero and idol and every day I look forward to going to boxing and hearing another exciting story of the adventures of Billy Graham!!!!!!
Thank you for listening to my speech and I hope you leave this room with a fair idea of how wise and powerful the legendary Billy Graham is!!!
