15 minute read
17 Christmas angels
Our Christmas
I think that everyone should do some volunteering. It helps you think about other people and it’s so rewarding.
Nelson is blessed with thousands of volunteers helping groups throughout the year, but as it’s Christmas, Judene Edgar tracked down three people who give up their time to make the festive season a little more special for local families.
Pat Curry doesn’t think of herself as a volunteer, she just likes “giving back”.
It all started when she was studying nursing in Nelson at age 17 and the local branch of the New Zealand
Nurses Organisation was looking for a student representative.
“I saw the need for student voices to be represented,” she says.
Giving a voice to others is a key theme behind much of Pat’s volunteering, whether it’s for children, parents, patients, families, or older people.
When her eldest child joined
Stoke Kindergarten, she set up the kindergarten’s first parent committee.
As her children grew, her volunteering extended. She joined the Tahunanui
Primary School Board of Trustees and then Broadgreen Intermediate Board of Trustees.
A key project that she fondly remembers being involved with was cycle safety.
“Safety of kids is foremost,” she says.
“We ran education sessions at Tahunanui
School and Nayland College with the
Police and campaigned to make helmets compulsory for school kids.”
She has also gone on to be a trustee of
Nelson Bays Primary Health, and on the committees of Abbeyfield Nelson and
Abbeyfield Mata Close.
In 1998 Pat became the Chief Executive 15 of Nelson Tasman Hospice. In addition to this, in 2000 she took on the voluntary role of coordinator of the annual Hospice “There are some incredibly special people.” Community Trees of Remembrance project alongside Adrienne Hill, and continued to do so until this year, despite Nelson is blessed with thousands of volunteers helping groups throughout the People can leave messages of love and remembrance for family and friends on leaving the CE role eight years ago.year, but as it’s Christmas, Adrienne Matthews the trees with all money raised going “My husband died as a patient of Hospice which is why I’ve wanted to tracked down three people who give up their time to make the festive season a little more towards providing support at home, care facilities and in-patient hospice care. special for local families. keep involved,” she says. “It’s not just the ability to place a tribute “While I’ve passed on the organising card on the tree, but for many people it’s mantle after 20 years, I love working the opportunity to talk to the volunteers,” alongside all of the amazing volunteers.” she says. This year a team of 136, ranging from “People expect you to have stopped 20 to 89 years of age, have volunteered. The volunteers are rostered on at the three community tree It takes a special kind of person to be a Father Christmas. They have had to commit weeks to intense training at grieving and moved on, but it’s not that simple. This is an opportunity for people to share, remember and grieve.” locations the Father Christmas, Reindeer and Elf Training University — Richmond Mall, Stoke New She says that it’s also a great opportunity World and Nelson Hospice Shop — from Friday 4 December to Friday 11 December at the North Pole. While there they work hard to graduate in subjects as diverse as: How to keep their legs crossed for people to find out more about what between 10am and 4pm daily.(because there is no time to go to the bathroom when there Hospice does, in particular that it isn’t Pat says that each year she continues to be overwhelmed by the support and generosity of the volunteers. is a long queue of children ahead), how to turn a screaming child into a laughing one, how to navigate scrolls of health and safety requirements for all concerned including reindeer and how to survive in temperatures that would make a camel just about cancer or older people — it’s all about family. “I think that everyone should do some volunteering,” she says.in the desert question his very existence. “I love working with the volunteers and chatting to them and getting to know them,” she says.There is nothing comfortable about being Father Christmas but the rewards far exceed the difficulties as local man “It helps you think about other people and it’s so rewarding.” Shane Hamilton can testify. Shane is a firm believer that “children need to have an imagination and never lose the ability to be a child.” Ten years ago his wife was involved in a playgroup that needed a Father Christmas for the end of year party. I thought about it and realised that I definitely had the build for it,” he says. Kitted out in a Santa suit he was ready to roll. “It was a complete revelation,” he says. “The smile on the children’s faces when they saw me was completely magical and intoxicating. It is something you never ever get tired of. There is so much gloom and doom about, especially during these Covid times and it is wonderful if you can bring a smile and some Christmas joy for a few moments that will make memories for years.” When Shane embarked on his Father Christmas career his youngest son wasn’t even born. As he grew up it was a bit hard to explain why I was dressing up in the big red suit. I just explained to him that Father Christmas was so busy at the North Pole that he needed helpers everywhere else to help him out.” For the last 20 years, Pat Curry and voluntarily worked as coordinator of the annual Hospice Community Trees of Remembrance.
TESS JAINE Shane Hamilton is preparing for his favourite time of year as Father Christmas.
One of the common questions children ask is ‘are you really Father Christmas?’ “I carefully explain that in the hearts and minds of girls and boys all around the world Father Christmas is very real indeed.” “Many children tell me that they want a new puppy,” he says. “I have to explain about the disaster that happened a few years back in my Christmas workshop. Myself and the elves tried really hard to make a dog but it didn’t go too well and ended up half dog, half cat - a CatDog. After that we decided to stick to toys. Live things are just too hard to make in this part of the world.” As a minister in a local church mainly working with children and a busy night job at Nelson Hospital, Shane has his hands full but nothing gives him more pleasure than seeing the joy on a child’s face when they see his big red suit with beard and beaming smile. “I am always ready to step up when needed,” he says.
If those infamous words from St Francis of Asisi are true, then Marie is a very rich woman indeed.
While she likes to roll her sleeves up and do some good old-fashioned hard work, she is also on a number of committee and boards.
Between cooking and serving and organising events and supporting migrant families, Marie is also on the Red Cross Nelson board and is the Red Cross Tasman Area Council chairperson and is on the boards of Multicultural Nelson Tasman, Volunteer Nelson, and the InterFaith Council Nelson Tasman.
“I know the importance of meetings and strategic planning but I am more about the doing and putting words into action,” she says. “It’s a great way to get to know the community and keep connected.”
Their ‘thank you’ and appreciation of the good time they had are the rewards of volunteering.
The last thing Vicki Spiers wants to be thought of is as a Christmas Angel. A no-nonsense, practical go-getter she is used to making good things happen for others. She can’t escape the fact however that over the last five years she has been a driving force in creating a Christmas lunch for up to two hundred people that has “blown their socks off.”
Six years ago she and son Karlin learnt about the annual Richmond Community Christmas lunch and asked if they could help. Somewhere along the way she let slip to one of the organisers, Michaela Ross, that she had a background in catering. Michaela quickly realised her latest volunteer had both the skills and a heart of gold to be a great asset to the event and in quick fashion put her in charge of catering for the following year, a job she hasn’t been able to escape from since. Organising the annual event is a substantial undertaking. Before Vicki became involved, most of the produce required was purchased. “I wasn’t happy with that,” says Vicki. “I knew that with my connections I could procure most of what we needed in donations.” She went to work and in no time a network of around thirty suppliers was on board. “People actually love to help and we simply couldn’t do it without all the wonderful businesses and donors that contribute,” she says. The fresh goods are all provided locally. There are three local vegetable growers who contribute; berries come from berry farms and apples from a local orchard. With a passion for the environment, she will even hitch to Motueka and Riwaka to personally collect a hefty back pack of kiwifruit. Local supermarkets provide the dry goods and cream, ice-cream, milk, potato chips and coffee all arrive from local producers. “The only thing we spend money on is meat because we can’t expect local suppliers to provide that much for free,” she explains. Each year unexpected things happen. In the last few years salmon has arrived along with boxes of mince pies. “The look on people’s faces when they see what they are getting is priceless,” she says. “One elderly lady was in tears because she thought she would be getting sausages and bread. I am absolutely determined that this be the best Christmas lunch we can do. Karen Hoddy has been in charge of the decorations for many years which add a special touch. I love to see the end result of everyone’s hard work and seeing people blown away by the specialness of the meal and the camaraderie.”
It is uncertain quite what format this year’s Christmas dinner will take thanks to Covid. The organising team is planning on doing takeaway meals if people are unable
are getting is priceless. Shifting to Nelson from the Philippines in 1991, Marie Lindaya knows the importance of a sense of community and belonging firsthand, but also the value of being a contributing member of the community. Having worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Philippines during the Marcos regime (leading up to the ‘People Power’ coup d’etat) helping with emergency management, Marie was quick to put these skills to use in her new home. to sit down so no matter what happens there is sure to be A passionate advocate for ethnic migrants and ‘resettled’ (former refugees) plenty of Christmas cheer still administered by Vicki and her communities, her first volunteering fellow Christmas angels.in Nelson was with Nelson ESOL as a Volunteer Support and English Tutor to a Vietnamese refugee family, helping Tickets to the event are free and available in early December them to integrate and resettle into their from Age Concern, the Richmond Mall Information Centre new community. She then went on to help establish the Nelson Ethnic Council and the office at Holy Trinity Church.(now Multicultural Nelson Tasman), later becoming chairperson. “Paying it forward, giving back to the community, helped me to settle,” she says. “Being able to help others in need and looking after their interests and wellbeing is such a blessing.” Marie is a familiar volunteer face at Multicultural Nelson Tasman’s Asian Night Food Fair in Richmond and the International Kai Festival. Along with her daughter Corina, Marie can also be found every Sunday volunteering for Giving Aroha in ANZAC Park, providing meals for the homeless. Marie is no stranger to providing meals and aroha to those in need. She was on the organising committee for the Nelson Mayor’s Christmas Dinner for 15 years and has continued as a volunteer helper for the past two years. She has also volunteered for the Richmond Community Christmas Lunch for two years, preparing and serving food and treats on the day, and volunteered at the inaugural Victory Christmas Lunch last year. “I love getting to talk to our senior diners, listening to their stories, and seeing the smiles on their faces,” she says. “Their ‘thank you’ and appreciation of the good time they had are the rewards of volunteering.” Her volunteering ethos is also driven by her faith, which is why volunteering at Christmas time is especially important to Marie. “It is the true spirit of Christmas, and in my Christian faith, what God is about — selflessness, people, giving time, helping and connecting,” she says. “It is in giving that we receive.”
Marie Lindaya says paying it forward and giving back to the community helped her settle in Nelson after moving from the Philippines. If those infamous words from St Francis of Asisi are true, then Marie is a very rich woman indeed. While she likes to roll her sleeves up and do some good old-fashioned hard work, she is also on a number of committee and boards. Between cooking and serving and organising events and supporting migrant families, Marie is also on the Red Cross Nelson board and is the Red Cross Tasman Area Council chairperson and is on the boards of Multicultural Nelson Tasman, Volunteer Nelson, and the InterFaith Council Nelson Tasman. “I know the importance of meetings and strategic planning but I am more about the doing and putting words into action,” she says. “It’s a great way to get to know the community and keep connected.”
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December 2020
Vicki Spiers has spent the past six years helping cater the Church on the Hill’s Christmas Day lunch. Here she is pictured with her son Karlin.
Their ‘thank you’ and appreciation of the good time they had are the rewards of volunteering.
If those infamous words from St Francis of Asisi are true, then Marie is a very rich woman indeed.
While she likes to roll her sleeves up and do some good old-fashioned hard work, she is also on a number of committee and boards.
Between cooking and serving and organising events and supporting migrant families, Marie is also on the Red Cross Nelson board and is the Red Cross Tasman Area Council chairperson and is on the boards of Multicultural Nelson Tasman, Volunteer Nelson, and the InterFaith Council Nelson Tasman.
“I know the importance of meetings and strategic planning but I am more about the doing and putting words into action,”
“It’s a great way to get to know the community and keep connected.” Adam Hills is the driving force behind the ‘Milestone Homes Make a Difference Appeal.
Manager of Milestone Homes Nelson, Adam Hills, has found himself an unlikely ‘Christmas angel’ but is relishing the difference the company he works for can make to so many families in the Nelson region at Christmas time.
After settling in Nelson in 2005 and realising he could combine his sales skills with his passion for the building industry, he took a job at Milestone Homes and hasn’t looked back. “I was their first employee and they haven’t been able to get rid of me yet,” he laughs. Just as well as he is now the driving force behind the annual ‘Milestone Homes Make a Difference Appeal’. A previous staff member instigated the idea which has gone from small beginnings to a major event. “I don’t think many people realise the amount of unseen poverty that exists in our region,” says Adam. “Christmas is particularly tough and Covid has made it tougher. For many families it can only take one thing to go wrong such as a fridge needing repair and the children won’t get Christmas presents. Bad luck and bad circumstances just happen to people from all walks of life and that makes me want to be part of something that can give a real tangible boost to a family and make their Christmas better than it would have been otherwise.”
Adam refuses to take much credit for his role in the annual event. “There are so many people who work hard to bring it all to fruition, including our Milestone staff who run the administration side and the Fifeshire Foundation who distribute the gifts,” he says. “I am just so grateful that this company has the means to do this and the connections to inspire others to contribute. Through all the years of working here and building houses I have met so many people who do fantastic work in the community – nurses, social workers, teachers and so on. It is from developing friendships with them that I have become aware of the needs in this community and that fires me up every year to keep pushing harder to do more for others.”
Mid-November each year the process begins with Adam and his family setting up the Milestone Homes Christmas Appeal tree in the Richmond Mall. “We are so grateful that the Mall is behind the event and provide the same space each year by Pak ‘n Save for our tree and where we can put up a screen to explain the simple process people need to follow to donate. We get so many positive comments from people to whom this has become a regular part of their Christmas giving. It gives us all such a buzz,” he says. “It is extraordinarily humbling to see how the local community has taken this simple idea on board, making it a tradition. It has even become a model that other regions have emulated.” Adam is excited to be gearing up for another big haul of gifts to go to families that will have a much happier Christmas as a result.
