4 minute read
AN ACT OF KINDNESS | NEW ZEALAND
by PHI
Last year, our New Plymouth base in New Zealand partnered with Uplift in Kind, a Nelson-based social enterprise that works with aviation companies to offer flights to children experiencing ill health in order to bring a small bit of happiness during difficult times.
PHI and Uplift in Kind also coordinated with Gabby’s Starlit HOPE, which is a charity in memory of Gabby Devine and was founded on the premise of random acts of kindness. Gabby was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer) in February 2013. She quickly realised how boring a hospital can be, and how a simple Random Act of Kindness (RAK’s) could brighten someone’s day. In 2014, she formed Starlit HOPE to provide these ‘RAKs’ to oncology kids, their parents and even hospital staff. Sadly, Gabby passed in 2015, having performed over 1000 Random Acts of Kindness. This number continues to grow as the legacy of what Gabby started continues today.
New Plymouth Base Manager Roger Duncan said supporting Uplift in Kind and Gabby’s Starlit HOPE was a nobrainer and heart-warming initiative for the business to get involved with. We have committed to four hours of flying over a 12-month period, with the team doing 20-minute flights approximately every month to six weeks.
“Our team feels privileged to offer a few hours of flying for this cause. Both the crew and the passengers really enjoyed the flights we have had so far, and it has truly put a smile on everyone’s face after a difficult couple of years.
“These types of community partnerships are incredibly rewarding for us, and we encourage our other bases to look at similar initiatives or programmes they can get involved with,” said Roger.
PHI’s customers OMV and Beach Energy have released the aircraft to be used on Sundays and the flights are done in one of PHI’s AW139s from the New Plymouth base.
Offshore Captain in New Plymouth Jarrod Colbourne has been responsible for leading the flights, which carry six children, each accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
Uplift in Kind’s Tony McCombe said he was thrilled when PHI came on board with the initiative.
Sarah Devine, Gabby’s mum, said that every family was over the moon with the experience.
“It was really special when Jarrod presented the certificates to the children and each family got their photo taken in the helicopter by the professional photographer.”
“Everyone left with huge smiles and was so thankful for an amazing experience. Special thanks go to PHI for having Gabby’s legacy be a small part of this initiative,” said Sarah.
Trudy Richardson and Matt Connolly from the New Plymouth team make sure the children feel welcome when arriving at the base, with morning tea for all the families. Matt’s iced chocolate drinks with whipped cream are a crowd favourite. At the completion of the flight, the children are also presented with a goodie bag from Gabby’s Starlit HOPE that includes helicopter-themed cookies.
Keep an eye out for more updates on this initiative, and find out more about the two organisations involved here:
Gabby’s Starlit HOPE: https://www.gabbysstarlithope.co.nz/
Uplift in Kind: https://www.upliftinkind.com/
Thanks to Le Toi Photography for the images
