The Ryman Times - Lynfield Edition Autumn 18

LYNFIELD EDITION – AUTUMN 18 Angela and Frances in front of the "Baroness"

Inside this issue: • Triple the numbers at Tropicana • Update on our site • Meet sales advisor Frances • Meet Barry and Velma

2

Ryman Times - Lynfield Edition

A word from Angela and Frances…

Hello and welcome to the autumn edition of Ryman Times - Lynfield.

We have had a fantastic hot summer and a lot has happened since our last issue.

We gave our soon-to-be residents a taste of village life when we took them on a tour to another Ryman village. After viewing the show apartments, pool, cinema, and other fabulous facilities, we enjoyed a fantastic lunch, prepared by the village chef.

In January, we welcomed Frances Quirk to the team. Frances comes from a media background and is very much looking forward to her new career helping our residents make the move into our wonderful new village. You can read more about Frances on page five.

Our local bowling clubs have been great supporters of us, many of our presentations have taken place inside their walls. Recently, Ryman sponsored the Trust NZ Open, hosted by the Blockhouse Bay Bowling club and it was really exciting to see the high calibre bowling on display.

This year we have held many events,

including Enduring Power of Attorney, downsizing and decluttering your home, and selling your home.

Construction is going at a great pace, the first apartment block and village centre earthworks and foundations are well on their way. Our residents love calling in and seeing the progress.

We have recently released our brand new serviced apartment plans. If you would like to view plans for these gorgeous apartments, or have a personal tour to view a serviced apartment at our Bert Sutcliffe village in Birkenhead, please give us a call.

Our sales office at 9 Commodore Drive, is open seven days a week – we would love to hear from you.

Kind regards,

Angela Barraclough Sales Advisor 09 627 2727

Frances Quirk Sales Advisor 09 627 2727

The Ryman Season of The Nutcracker The Royal New Zealand Ballet is hard at work to bring the new production of the muchloved Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, to New Zealand’s stages. The Ryman Healthcare Season of The Nutcracker will be the RNZB’s biggest tour of 2018, opening in Wellington on 31 October and touring to Blenheim, Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Napier, Auckland and Takapuna, through to 15 December.

The Nutcracker is the third tour sponsored

by Ryman, following the sell-out success of The Wizard of Oz and Romeo and Juliet.

Sales Office: 9 Commodore Drive, Lynfield • Phone: 09 627 2727

Ryman Times - Lynfield Edition

Extra meeting for Lynfield residents A good crowd turned out on a sweltering summer’s day for a second information meeting to hear all about Ryman’s new Lynfield village.

Northern regional sales and community relations manager Jill Gregson introduced the Lynfield team, including new sales advisor Fran Quirk, and explained the history of Ryman Healthcare and its ethos of care having to be ‘good enough for Mum.’ “I can honestly say it’s good enough for Mum because my parents are in a Ryman village and my in-laws are too,” she said.

sector in achieving 4-year certifications, which was effectively the gold standard.

This was reflected in recent surveys which found the overwhelming majority of Ryman’s village residents said they would recommend the village to a friend or family member.

A range of questions followed, with one lady asking for clarification that the $129 independent weekly figure quoted weekly was correct.

“It just seems too good to be true, it’s so cheap!” she said.

The village is in the initial stages of building with the first residents due to move in later this year.

Others wanted to know about storage facilities, parking, whether the apartments are soundproofed and how steep the site is.

Regional operations manager, Paul Sutton, talked about Ryman’s continuum of care and the top-notch care centre.

Paul said Ryman was the leader in the

The team explained that the apartments are all soundproofed and that there will be lifts, special pathways and bridges to overcome the different levels on the site.

3

4

Ryman Times - Lynfield Edition

Moving on up If you’re visiting the Lynfield sales office you’ll find it hard to resist looking at the construction site next door.

Well you can’t really miss the bright red crane, affectionately dubbed The Baroness – it can be seen from several streets away!

Project manager Dave McKearney said the building work on the first independent apartment block is charging along, with the basement poured and shore loading (scaffolding) installed for the first floor to go on.

“It’ll be great to get that first floor down and start coming out of the ground and moving up.” says Dave.

“We’ve dug a lot of holes, and now it’s time to go up!”

Across the driveway, work is continuing on what will be the village centre. More retaining walls are going in and excavation and drainage work is being carried out.

Dave says the work at the top of the hill is drainage work too, as the village system is connected to the main council drain network.

“We’re just about to dig up the carpark so that we can do that work, but once that’s carried out and covered up that’s the drainage pretty much done.”

Ryman Times - Lynfield Edition

The weather has been kind to the workers with a good run of great weather – apart from the odd cyclone!

Dave was left nervously wondering what would greet him on site after Cyclone Fehi hit on 1st February.

“There was no damage here, which was great especially with so much earthworks going on.”

Joining the Baroness there will be another mobile crane moving around on site and in a few months you can expect to see a tower crane appear on the horizon, which will be another exciting milestone for the Lynfield team.

Career change reaps rewards of the heart When Frances Quirk was asked what made her apply for the role of sales advisor at Lynfield she said the seed was sown when she was a schoolgirl.

Back then, Fran was a boarder at Sacred Heart College in Whanganui, now Ryman’s Jane Winstone village.

“The nuns would ask us to visit the elderly in the parish who lived on their own so I think that’s when my affinity with older people started,” says Fran, who has worked in sales for three decades after a brief stint in the air force.

Fran says Ryman appeared on her radar when the Jane Winstone village was built.

“Our old chapel needed earthquake reinforcing and Ryman stepped in and paid for it all. A lot of the Sacred Heart old girls were very grateful to Ryman for that.”

But her appreciation was cemented when in 2007 Fran and her brother Jack

investigated retirement villages in the Hawke’s Bay for their mum and were very impressed with Ryman's Princess Alexandra village.

Ten years later, Fran was ready for a change and Ryman came calling.

“I’ve been impressed with how proud everybody is of the area and how glad they are to have the village here so they can stay living locally.”

When she is not working, Fran dotes on her eight godchildren and her beloved fur baby Bridie Elizabeth, a blue roan cocker spaniel.

“I’ve also had [dogs named] Murphy, Angel and Natasha, or Tash for short!” she laughs.

“Because I never had children I named my dogs all the names I would have chosen for my children!”

5

6

Ryman Times - Lynfield Edition

Personal insight helps seal the deal for Dave Having come straight to Ryman Healthcare from working on the Auckland International Airport extension project, Dave McKearney is certainly familiar with big projects.

Dave says it was his personal experience with Ryman that initially made the job appeal.

“My mother recently moved into Bruce McLaren Retirement Village in Howick,” says Dave.

“My brother and I researched all the retirement villages and we were very taken with how Ryman operated. She’s been very happy.”

When he found out later that Ryman didn’t just run retirement villages but also built them too, he jumped at the chance to get involved.

“It was refreshing to hear that they take that end to end approach that you just

don’t get that these days.”

Dave’s secret to a successful project is the ‘three C’s’ – cooperation, collaboration and communication!

“To encourage cooperation I believe in dealing with the guys one to one.”

Dave’s really looking forward to seeing the village take shape and when he’s not on the building site, he can be found instructing or training in taekwon-do.

He is a 4th degree black belt and is currently training for the World Cup in Sydney this year.

His partner and daughter are also red belts.

“It keeps me fit and mostly out of trouble!”

Cashin Scholarship Winner 2018 Emma Glasson is all set to pursue her dream career after winning the $5,000 Cashin Scholarship.

The 18-year-old from Invercargill has started her first year studying for a Bachelor of Commerce and she says the scholarship has eased the pressure on her family.

Emma’s mum Deanna is a senior caregiver at Rowena Jackson Retirement Village in Invercargill and started there in 2012 after the family moved south from Christchurch.

Emma says the earthquakes were tough on the family.

“The earthquakes took a toll on us all and mum and dad decided that Invercargill would be a good place to move to.’’

Emma is the seventh winner of the scholarship established in honour of

Ryman director Mike Cashin.

Blair Cashin, Mike’s son, said Emma was a deserving winner.

“We were delighted to support Emma’s ambitions to study accountancy.

She’s part of a family whose lives were disrupted by the earthquakes but she is a determined character who has done well at school through her hard work.’’

The scholarship is open to all Ryman staff and their families.

Ryman Times - Lynfield Edition

One O of Barry’s first jobs was with the power board as a line construction p engineer.

He even worked with the team e who w installed the streetlights in Tropicana Drive in 1968.

D “We saw the prices and thought that’s a “ dream gone down the gurgler!” says Barry. d

elma V nd a y r r a Meet B

However, 20 years later, after many hours H of o hard work running the Superette on White Swan Road, the couple’s dream W came true and they bought number 18 c Tropicana Drive.

T After leaving the Superette, Barry left A to work in the circulation department of o News Media and Velma, a talented dressmaker, set up a bridalwear business. d In 1989, they took a six-month sabbatical and went campervanning around Europe.

For Barry and Velma Gordon, moving into our Lynfield village is like coming home.

They have visited Japan, Russia, Alaska, Poland, USA, Canada, Cambodia, Vietnam and China!

The couple lived at 18 Tropicana Drive for nearly three decades and are thrilled they can now return.

“Last year we spent three months in Australia to get out of the cold and next we’d love to visit Tasmania,” says Velma.

The pair sold their Tropicana house and downsized to a smaller house in 2014 and were just considering another move when they saw the plans for the new village.

When they’re not planning their next trip, they keep fit – Barry goes to the gym and Velma enjoys Aquaerobics, and Barry volunteers at the local Citizens Advice Bureau.

“We thought that way we have got security around us and at the press of a button we’ve got assistance,” says Barry.

And no, Velma doesn’t do any sewing in her spare time.

The couple, who have three children and six grandchildren, will be moving into the village in late 2018, which is also the year of their 60th wedding anniversary.

“It got to the point where I just hated the sight of my sewing machine,” she says.

The pair met through Velma’s brother, who had become mates with Barry at cadet military training in Papakura and invited him for dinner at the family house in Maioro Street.

“I might have done a few little outfits if I’d had granddaughters but I have six grandsons! But there’s still a chance I’ll have great-granddaughters so I won’t get rid of it yet," she laughs.

“They had a little billiard table and I kept knocking her with my cue,” recalls Barry.

What with all their travel, fitness and exciting new village activities to fit in, it'll be amazing if Velma's sewing machine sees the light of day again!

“I kept apologising and she kept smiling, and it developed from there!”

“All I do now is any seams that come undone or buttons that need sewing on.

7

8

Ryman Times - Lynfield Edition

Resident Esma Rastrick with New Zealand Women’s Weekly editor Alice O’Connell

The hunt for fantastic grandparents is on!

Ryman Healthcare has joined forces with New Zealand Women’s Weekly magazine in the search for the nation’s Grandparents of the Year.

To help launch this year’s search, Ryman invited magazine editor Alice O’Connell and her team to a lavish high tea at its Bert Sutcliffe retirement village where residents gave them a very warm welcome.

“With so many wonderful grandparents amongst our residents alone I just know choosing the winners is going to be extremely tough – I will have my tissues at the ready too!”

How to enter

Radio presenter Lorna Subritzky, was the MC for the event.

Describe in 500 words or less why you or your nominee deserves to be a winner

“With more mothers working and under so much pressure it’s grandparents who end up picking up the slack either with childcare or financially - they are the unsung heroes,” she said.

For more information head to: nowtolove.co.nz/grandparentsoftheyear for more information

“So we need to celebrate these people and say they’re doing something wonderful.”

Alice said more judges had been brought on board to choose each category winner this year, including Ryman’s own Group Sales Manager Debbie McClure, who grew up living next door to her grandparents.

“I know from first-hand experience just how special the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can be and I’m thrilled that Ryman is involved with New Zealand Women’s Weekly to celebrate that.

The four categories are: Gran of the Year, Granddad of the Year, Honorary Grandparent of the Year (to recognise those who may not be bloodrelated but whose love is no less strong), and Grandparents of the Year.

Closing date for entries is Sunday March 4, 2018. The competition is open to Ryman Residents.

in association with