Association profile

Doing in the

Members from the Canterbury Master Plumbers Association recently put their hands up for a community project to help upgrade a local rest home.

Canterbury Master Plumbers

Association members involved in the community Kowhai Rest Home

Project line up for a group shot.

Knowing that many Cantabrians were still struggling with post-earthquake repairs, Canterbury Master Plumbers Association secretary Lisa Duston, her fellow Christchurch work colleague Sam Timlin and Paul Olsen of Whitehead Plumbing & Gas decided to do something to help.

“Sam and I were keen to get our local members involved in a community project,” says Lisa, who is also HR Manager for the national Master Plumbers organisation. “He got in touch with Aspire Canterbury—a not-for-profit that offers free support, advice and resources for people with any impairment or long-term ill health—and they suggested Kowhai Rest Home could use a hand.”

They were right. Kowhai does an incredible job of providing respite and carer support for 28 elderly and disabled residents, but now they could use some help themselves. The earthquake had left the original rest home unliveable, so the owners had moved into a new property, only to discover that there was damage there too.

Bathrooms needing repair With money having to be spent on crucial structural maintenance, the much-needed bathroom renovations had fallen to the bottom of the priority list. As Lisa explains, “The bathrooms were pretty rundown. The eight toilet suites

needed replacing, along with three showers and each area needed to be wheelchair accessible and more user friendly.”

She put the word out to Master Plumbers Canterbury members and was delighted when 13 businesses, including some newly signed-up members, were keen to get involved. The plans were finalised just before Christmas and work began after the holidays.

“Our national Business Partners generously donated materials, with Dux supplying the piping, and Mico providing shower mixers, hand basins, taps and grab rails,” says Lisa. “Plumbing World donated the eight toilets and ISOValve provided the valves that enabled the guys to work on a toilet without having to turn the water off, as it was important the job could be completed with minimal disruption for the residents.” David from Adler Plumbing completing the installation of one of the eight rest home toilets donated by Plumbing World.

AUTHOR: JE T’AIME HAYR Working as a team Paul and Sam led the six-week Kowhai Rest Home Project. “Paul organised the plumbers on site and made sure all the products were ordered from the stores,” explains Lisa. “Sam ensured the team had everything they needed to do the job, as well as coordinating the plumbers and the rest home. They made a great team.”

The project was completed at the end of February and the Kowhai staff and residents are thrilled to have brand-new bathroom facilities for the residents. They aren’t the only ones to come up smiling. The Canterbury Master Plumbers members were chuffed to do their bit for the community too.

“We’re proud of what we achieved, and this will be the first of many projects,” says Lisa. “It was also great to see the new members working with the longer-standing members, so they can see the benefits of belonging to their local association or branch as well as being national member.”

Thank You!

Master Plumbers Canterbury Association would like to thank the following member companies for their part in the Kowhai Rest Home Project. ■ Whitehead Plumbing & Gas ■ Foleys ■ Layne Watson Plumbing ■ Grant Ripley Plumbing ■ On To It Plumbing, Gas & Drainage ■ Clyne & Bennie Plumbing ■ Murray Bond at Graham Bond Ltd ■ Adler Plumbing ■ Diver Plumbing & Heating ■ Inline Plumbing ■ Versatile Plumbing ■ The Pipe & Drain Ltd ■ CB Plumbing

FISHING BUDDIES (AND RIVALS) A 7.2lb snapper earned Bay of Plenty plumber Adam Hall a first-place prize at the recent Bay of Plenty vs Waikato Master Plumbers fishing competition… but was it enough to win his team the overall trophy?

It was a 4am start for the 40 Master Plumbers and Business Partners across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty who were heading to the Coromandel Mussel Farms for the Waikato vs BOP/Coromandel fishing competition in late February.

There were prizes for the heaviest three snappers, and kingfish, kahawai and trevally catches, along with a Hirepool rod and reel draw—but the most coveted was the Waikato vs BOP Cup (along with bragging rights for the year), which was given out for the heaviest combined weight of the three biggest snappers caught by each boat.

Despite two of the BOP team, Adam Hall and Joe Mann, catching the two heaviest snappers overall, the Waikato team managed to steal the overall trophy with a combined weight of 19.1lbs compared to 18.34lbs for BOP.

Prize giving was held at the Star and Garter Hotel and while all the anglers rehydrated, the fish was expertly filleted and packed for everyone to take home—leaving some aside to be cooked up as part of their lunch.

Thanks go to Master Plumbers Business Partners who sponsored this great event: Hirepool for the minivans and rod and reel prize, Mico for the BOP boat, Rinnai for the Waikato boat, Dux for laying on the food and Plumbing World for beverages on the boats.

A big shout out to Warren Thompson (one of the competition originals!) of the Waikato Master Plumbers for leading the charge in reigniting this event alongside BOP Master Plumbers President Andy Delaney, Wade Horton from Master Plumb and Steve Rushworth from Master Plumbers.