River Road Ryman Times Autumn 2019
Information presentation sparks interest from locals for River Road Retirement Village
Up, up and away at River Road
Meet the Rzoskas
Meet Fred
A note from David... Hello and welcome to the first edition of the River Road Ryman Times for 2019. What an exciting six months since we started selling. Our first three stages of townhouses flew out the door and we only have one available until the next stage is released. “The most special part for me was hearing the laughter, seeing the enjoyment on peoples faces and that sense of community that only comes when we connect with other like-minded people.” Our lovely two- and three-bedroom independent apartments bordering the Waikato River and Featherstone Park are disappearing almost as quick. The private location, lovely outlook and distance from the main road are draw cards; with the added bonus of hearing the odd pukeko squawk to break the morning silence.
good work they do in the community. I also attend quiz nights, croquet, bridge and Mah-jong clubs. Recently it was an honour to be part of the Four Day Festival of Golf Charity Tournament raising funds for the Westpac Trust Rescue Helicopter. One of the recent highlights was hosting two Christmas functions at the Horsham Downs Golf Club late last year. We invited Kevin McNeill from The Mods to perform a solo act. We also held a hole-in-one golf putting competition! The most special part for me was hearing the laughter and that sense of community that only comes when we connect with other like-minded people. I can’t wait until the village is open! If you would like to pop in for a cuppa, chat and to view our plans, please give me a call or visit the sales office at 1775 River Road which is about 1km north of the Flagstaff shops. King regards,
Since releasing our plans for sale, I have been out in the community supporting our local clubs and groups. You may have seen me at bowling or golf tournaments, or supporting Age Concern and the
David de Veth, Sales Advisor Ph: 07 853 3382
Independent apartment plans available now!
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Welcome to our community River Road Retirement Village will be a community in its own right, with some wonderful facilities that you can make use of. As well as our facilities, there will be plenty of events, speakers and groups that you can get involved in.
Play bowls with friends.
Have morning tea with your friends, group or club in our cafĂŠ.
Enjoy our complimentary happy hour.
Take a dip in the indoor heated pool.
Get together with the blokes in the Men’s shed.
Attend shows from visiting bands and performers.
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Up, up and away at River Road While things were pretty quiet on site to start with, the construction team certainly wasted no time in getting things moving once they got the green light. The first block of townhouses being built can be seen from the road and are so complete looking it’s as though they are almost ready to move into. Project Manager Gary Cox says they’re not far off – all going well! “The townhouses are going up exceptionally well and are on track for our first move-ins in May,” he said. “The first stage of townhouses have all got the roofs on and they are about to be gibbed. For the next two stages, the underground plumbing is in place for one and the slabs are almost all down for the other.” The delay was caused by the discovery of human remains as the area was once the site of a Maori settlement.
“The first stage of townhouses have all got the roofs on and they are about to be gibbed. For the next two stages, the underground plumbing is in place for one and the slabs are almost all down for the other.” It was important that the site was checked out by archaeologists and iwi representatives before carrying on, said Gary. “It did slow things down but we believe in doing things properly. And it gave us plenty of time to programme.” At the other end of the site, down by the river and next to Featherstone Park, is the first independent apartment block. Gary said the first slabs of the ground floor were poured on 1st February which was quickly followed by the installation of the pre-cast wall panels.
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If progress continues at this pace their completion could be expected in August, he said. In the middle of the site is where the village centre will be. Gary said the screw piling was nearly done and a good chunk of foundation work was under way. “We’re looking at floors to start being poured this month [March],” he said. Gary said the hot, dry summer had caused some challenges with dust but the team had worked hard to keep it under control. “The townhouses are going up exceptionally well and are on track for our first move-ins in May.” The new covered area complete with newlyopened on-site café was a very welcome addition
for the 90-100 workers on site needing an escape from the weather. “It’ll be great having that there with this heat – having somewhere to get drinks and sit in the shade is really important,” he said.
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The Rzoskas are ready for River Road! Ex-teachers think Ryman’s in a class of its own. Former teachers Mike and Anne Rzoska have made careers out of helping young people shape their futures.
Indeed, the couple live in a stunning spacious home with a pool, just a stone’s throw from St Andrew’s Golf Club, where they spend hours walking the greens playing golf.
But when it came to deciding on their own future, Anne admits Mike was a few steps ahead of her.
“We only went there to have a look but we ended up putting a yellow sticker on it!” Anne laughs.
“Mike came home from playing golf one day and told me a few of his friends had signed contracts for Ryman’s new village at River Road,” recalls Anne.
But after considering the idea for a couple of months, Anne says she was completely converted!
“He was really keen on the idea but my reaction was, ‘we have got a beautiful home here, we can walk to golf, why would I?’” “We could stay here for another five years and be quite happy but we wanted to do it when we were both fit and well and young enough to adjust.”
“I realised that it’s a really big house and we’d have to downsize anyway and the point was, downsize to what? And to where? “I remember my father saying he was going to die in his bed so poor old Mum was left to pack up 50 years on her own. “She went into her own retirement accommodation but she never really settled because she’d left it too late.”
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Mike, an only child, had also had to deal with an elderly parent left alone.
The reactions of their two children and their solicitor really sealed the deal.
“We didn’t want our kids to go through that same experience because it’s quite traumatic when you have got that parent that’s left behind.”
“Both our son and daughter were very relieved,” says Anne. “And our solicitor was very positive. He asked where could he sign up?!”
“Both our son and daughter were very relieved,” says Anne. “And our solicitor was very positive. He asked where could he sign up?!”
Since then, Mike says Anne has been on a decluttering mission, throwing out piles of clothes and stacks of paperwork from her education consultancy job and his role at the Ministry of Education plus their various Masters degrees and theses.
The couple decided to learn more about the village and arranged to meet sales advisor David de Veth who they described as ‘just lovely and so helpful’.
Says Anne in a no-nonsense tone: “My approach is to ask do we need it? Will we use it? And can we fit it in the new place? If we can’t do it, it’s gone!”
“We saw that the townhouses were nearly all gone,” says Anne.
Now as they look ahead, the couple are already anticipating the perks of retirement living and what that will mean for their quality of life.
“We only went there to have a look but we ended up putting a yellow sticker on it!” she laughs. Anne says she spent the next few days really thinking hard about the decision, one of the biggest decisions in their lives.
“We can just lock up and leave, and we don’t have to mow the lawns or clean the windows! So there’ll be more time for golf and travel and spending time with the grandchildren.”
“We could stay here for another five years and be quite happy but we wanted to do it when we were both fit and well and young enough to adjust. “We have been married for 50 years and have done everything together and I wanted to be in control of this process.” “We can just lock up and leave, and we don’t have to mow the lawns or clean the windows! So there’ll be more time for golf and travel and spending time with the grandchildren.” The extra care available at the village, should they need it, was an added bonus, and both admit the great location in such a beautiful part of Hamilton was very appealing too. The couple like the fact that they will move into a brand-new home where they can choose which colours suits their decor best.
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Interest sparked at information presentation Interest is still surging for our village and the proof was there in late February at the St Andrews Golf Club in Hamilton.
Jane said more than 60 units had been sold so far with another two new blocks of independent apartments about to be released for sale.
More than 70 people turned out for the latest information presentation, two of them putting apartments on hold afterwards.
“Some of them will be north facing and some will have beautiful river views,” she said.
Regional Operations Manager Arthur Keane and Regional Sales Manager Jane O’Connell shared presenting duties to explain both the village and the wider Ryman offerings. “It’s fantastic to see how quickly they’re moving along on site,” said Jane, who admitted she’d had to update her presentation notes from the previous week. “Last week they were doing the gibbing in the first townhouses and this week they’ve already finished and the painters have arrived!” “Some of them will be north facing and some will have beautiful river views.”
Prices for one bedroom independent apartments were from $439,000 and from $509,000 for two bedroom apartments with a fixed weekly fee* of just $119. “We are in the process of getting some cars sign-written and a taxi licence so we can offer a chauffeur-driven service for residents.” “That includes your rates, building insurance, gardening, lawnmowing, window cleaning, the emergency call alarm, morning and afternoon tea and our Triple A exercise programme.”
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Serviced apartments, for those who needed a little more assistance with living, were going for a start price of $385,000 with a fixed weekly fee* of $335 covering rates, building insurance, heating, power, midday meal, morning and afternoon tea, fresh towels daily and a change of bed linen.
After the audience heard more about the many village activities and facilities on offer, Jane returned to explain Ryman’s Peace of Mind guarantees which she described as ‘the best in the country’.
Arthur explained how Ryman is constantly working to build on its retirement offering with one example being an e-cab project being trialled in March.
These included Ryman’s commitment to providing care options to suit various needs; the weekly fee* being permanently fixed from arrival; no hidden costs; and a 90 day money back guarantee.
“We are in the process of getting some cars sign-written and a taxi licence so we can offer a chauffeur-driven service for residents,” he said.
And it obviously sounded good to one attendee, Beverley Giddy. She was one of the two people to put apartments on hold there and then.
“We’re always looking for new ways to make living in a Ryman village easier for our residents.”
Left: Regional Sales and Community Relations Manager Jane O’Connell with Sales Advisor David de Veth.
“We’re always looking for new ways to make living in a Ryman village easier for our residents.”
Below: Regional Operations Manager Arthur Keane speaking to the crowd. *Terms and conditions apply.
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Gemma wins the Cashin Scholarship Gemma Ballantyne’s year has got off to the best start possible thanks to the 2019 Cashin Scholarship.
Gemma has opted for a pharmacy degree after her first year, which adds another four years at university followed by an internship.
Gemma, 18, will use the scholarship to fund her pharmacy studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin.
Gemma’s looking forward to starting back at university and says the scholarship will be a big help with a busy year of learning ahead.
She was thrilled to get the news.
“I’m thrilled to win and I’m honoured that the Cashin family selected me,” Gemma says.
“I’m thrilled to win and I’m honoured that the Cashin family selected me.” “It’s awesome to win. It means that it will ease the financial stress this year and allow me to focus on my studies so that I can be the best that I can be.” Gemma has been part of the Ryman family since 2016, when she was a part-time receptionist at Anthony Wilding Retirement Village in Christchurch. She says she loved the job from the very start. “I was 16 and it was my first job and I couldn’t have had a better place to work. I loved talking to the residents, they were always interested in what I was studying and it was like having 200 grandparents.” In 2018 she began her first year at university, studying health sciences at Otago University. She worked at Yvette Williams Retirement Village in Dunedin part-time to support herself.
“I’m really grateful.” Blair Cashin, Mike Cashin’s son, said the family wished Gemma all the best with her studies. There were 100 applicants this year, a record for the scholarship.
The Cashin Scholarship The Cashin Scholarship was established to honour the memory of former Ryman director Mike Cashin. Mike was a strong believer in the power of education to change lives and was a great advocate for Ryman Healthcare and its staff. The scholarship is designed to provide a helping hand to members of the Ryman family who are taking on tertiary study. Each year the Cashin family help select the winner of the $5,000 grant, which is intended to help with study costs.
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Staff Profile
Fishing keeps Fred fresh for the job Ten years with Ryman makes Fred a good catch
A move back up north to Dargaville to help his Mum look after his Dad following a car accident is what led to Senior Site Foreman Fred Cleaver getting into construction. “I spent 15 years as a diesel mechanic working with farm machinery but when Mum put out the SOS I instantly packed everything up and went home. “I needed something else to do so I asked my uncle if he had any labouring work. He encouraged me to get into a trade again so I did!” In 2009 Fred took a contracting role at Ryman’s new village in Whangarei and after three months he was taken onto the Ryman staff. In the 10 years since then, Fred has notched up invaluable experience from working on six different Ryman villages sites, moving from Leading Hand to his current role as Senior Site Foreman at River Road. “Bob Scott village in Petone was probably my most successful and greatest challenge. I absolutely loved it, I liked the structural challenge.”
“I’ll often go out fishing on my own. But I love it when my seven-year-old daughter Madison comes too – she’s my first mate!” At River Road Fred is charged with overseeing the build of the village centre but his experience with apartments and townhouses is a valuable resource for the other foremen. Most of his assignments have seen him paired up with River Road’s Project Manager Gary Cox, with both of them sharing a similar philosophy on what makes a successful team. “I think it’s important to have a certain amount of personal flexibility and be level headed. And a good sense of humour helps!” he laughs. That approach certainly makes the site a great place to work but when he’s clocked off Fred says he prefers the quiet life. “I’ll often go out fishing on my own. But I love it when my seven-year-old daughter Madison comes too – she’s my first mate!”
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Melbourne bowls challenge Ryman supports trans-Tasman bowls excursion A group of Charles Upham village lawn bowls enthusiasts have made the most of a trip across the Tasman making friends and enjoying some Ryman hospitality in Melbourne. The group of bowlers and supporters from the Canterbury-based village took on some of the best from Australia at Melbourne greens located at the Glen Waverley Bowls Club, not too far from where Ryman’s Weary Dunlop and Nellie Melba villages are based. They won the right to represent Ryman having topped a South Island Ryman village competition held at Charles Upham village in November. The bowlers Barbara McJarrow, Bruce McCorkindale, Alan Pegley and Frances McDowell plus supporters Trevor McJarrow, Anna Armstrong and Gill Small flew out on Boxing Day and stayed in Australia until New Year’s Day. Ryman is a major sponsor of the Glen Waverley club and bowls carnival.
Alan says the team competed on four of the five days in the open competition. “The calibre of competition was of a very high standard with many of the locals having represented Victoria and Australia,” Barbara says. “We won a few and lost more than we won,” Alan adds. Two days saw temperatures in the mid-30s, with more than 150 players at the club to contend with the sweltering conditions. The thermometer reached 36.4 degrees on the first day. Between them the group members have been bowling for a considerable number of years and have watched changes in the game including more modern bowls running on a ‘tighter draw’, meaning they don’t have to be played so wide. Nowadays the events are social, colourful and regularly held at most Ryman villages.
David de Veth Sales Advisor Ph: 07 853 3382 Talk to David about independent apartments, townhouses or serviced apartments. 1775 River Road, Hamilton
www.rymanhealthcare.co.nz