State of
Grace
Grace Joel Retirement Village
Winter edition 2018
A portrait of Grace Chief Executive Gordon MacLeod unveiled artist Craig Primrose’s fantastic portrait of our village namesake
Mother’s Day
Meet Glenice and Bob
Quiz night!
Greetings from Murray... Hello and welcome to the winter edition of State of Grace.
Mother’s Day also coincided with our Annual Art Showcase weekend, which was hugely successful.
It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through the year! We have been quite busy with outings; the care centre residents recently embarked on Tiki Tours to see interesting places and the serviced and independent apartment residents visited Waiheke Island and had a delightful lunch at Oneroa Boatshed.
In other news, I am pleased to announce that our swimming pool has been refurbished! We are also planning to upgrade our lounge furniture on our two care centre floors. Thank you for your patience during this time.
During April, we commemorated Anzac Day with a service in the village centre where we acknowledged our residents who served. It was a very moving ceremony. In May, we celebrated Mother’s Day in style with a special high tea in the care centre atrium. The serviced and independent apartment residents celebrated with a delicious breakfast.
I look forward to getting to know all of you. If you have a query my door is always open. Kind regards,
Murray Parkes Village Manager
Art Showcase a hit! Supporting the local community is a large part of what we do. Our biggest event each year is the Art Showcase, which we have hosted in association with the Auckland East Arts Council for 15 consecutive years. The guest artist this year, Anita Madhav, is inspired by New Zealand wildlife and landscapes (pictured). We also welcomed many other artists including guest speaker Francis Davis. Bronwen
Murray Parkes Village Manager Ph: 09 575 1572 Call Murray for general enquiries, or any information about resthome and hospital care.
State of Grace | 2
Bronwen Steer Sales Advisor Ph: 09 575 1563 Talk to Bronwen for more information about independent apartments, townhouses or serviced apartments.
A portrait for Grace In May, we unveiled a stunning new portrait of our namesake, Grace Joel at the village. Renowned painter Craig Primrose, QSM, revealed his vision of the artist with the help of Chief Executive Gordon MacLeod. Our residents and representatives of Auckland East Arts Council gathered to see the new painting unveiled, accompanied by the sounds of harpist Robyn Allen-Goudge. In his address, Gordon said naming the village after Grace Joel, one of six female artists that Ryman has named villages after, reflected the company’s continued support of the arts. Gordon explained that the village became intrinsically linked to Grace Joel as her nephew, Hartley Joel, was one of the original residents to move in when it opened in 2002. The unveiling is the third in a series of paintings Ryman has commissioned Craig to produce of all its village namesakes. His portraits of Bruce McLaren and Sir Edmund Hillary were unveiled last year. Above: Artist Craig Primrose looking at his fantastic representation of Grace Joel. Inset: The village centre was packed with residents waiting to see the artwork. Inset: Resident Frances Birkenhead poses with the artwork.
State of Grace | 3
It’s got to be
good enough for Mum In May 2018 Kevin Hickman announced he was standing down from the board of Ryman, ending 34 years of service at the company. There is no doubt that Ryman Healthcare would not be the company it is today without Kevin, and everyone at Ryman wishes him all the best with his retirement. The Ryman story began back in 1983, when Kevin was a former policeman turned private detective. He was asked to investigate a resthome fire in Christchurch, and he did not like what he saw. “The fire was in an old villa and there were four people to a room all with shared toilets,’’ Kevin recalls. “To me it was crazy, the standards were so poor. But that’s how resthomes were in those days.’’ Kevin would never dream of putting his mother into a place like that if she needed to go into care. “I thought, what would I want for Mum?” And so, Ryman’s philosophy that care has to be “good enough for Mum” was born. Kevin teamed up with John Ryder, an accountant, and together they made a dynamic pair. Ryman – a combination of Ryder and Hickman – Healthcare was registered and they bought their first property to convert into a resthome in 1984.
“I thought, what would I want for Mum?” As well as providing care that was better than anywhere else, the company had to be sustainable, with its systems constantly refined and improved upon. The size of the villages and the facilities offered may have changed over the past 30 years, but Ryman’s core philosophy remains the same. Care is still at the heart of what we do. And it’s got to be good enough for Mum. Or Dad!
State of Grace | 4
Italian meatballs Meatballs 500g Mince beef 1 Onion diced 2 tbsp Fresh thyme 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Egg 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs Salt & Pepper
A note from Ryman chef,
Sugo sauce 1/2 Onion, diced 1tbsp Garlic 1 tbsp Basil, chopped 1/4 cup Red wine
400g Tinned crushed tomatoes 1 Bay leaf 500ml Beef stock
Method • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. • Combine all the meatball ingredients with the beef mince and mix well, then roll them into golf ball size portions. • Fry all the meat balls in a semi deep fry pan to seal the meat, and place them onto a baking tray. • Use the same deep fry pan to sauté the onion, garlic, basil and bay leaf, then deglaze with red wine and add the crushed tomatoes and beef stock. • Once the sauce starts bubbling, pour over the meatball tray. • Cover with baking paper and foil and cook for 2 hours. • Serve hot on a bed of mashed potatoes. • Serves 4-5.
State of Grace | 5
Lawrence Slow cooked Italian meatballs are a resident favourite at our Weary Dunlop Retirement Village. It’s a hearty dish that blends well with our new Harvest menus, and residents love the texture and flavour. Furthermore, it’s a healthy option and is easy to prepare. You simply combine the ingredients and let the oven do the cooking – leaving more time to spend with your loved ones. Weary Dunlop chef Lawrence with resident Enid McCauley
Resident Profile
Meet Glenice and Bob
England. Some people would call it the “home of potteries and a good glass of beer.” My early teenage years were somewhat rebellious and caused much concern to my parents. However, I became more mature through studying and playing sport. My first job as a dental nurse helped me gain much needed experience and opened up opportunities. One of these opportunities was the chance to meet an old school acquaintance. The acquaintance turned out to be Bob! The meeting eventually resulted in marriage and motherhood. We became the proud parents of two children, Laura and Mark.
Quickly we found ourselves immersed in the Kiwi way of life! Hello, my name is Glenice George. My husband, Bob and I moved into our independent apartment in late 2017. I can’t believe how quickly time has passed as I look back over the years. Life for me started in 1941, in a brewery town in Staffordshire,
After eight busy years together, Bob came home one night from work and announced that we were off to New Zealand for five years! We came, we saw and we stayed. Quickly we found ourselves immersed in the Kiwi way of life. Our family love it here and we have tried almost everything New Zealand has to offer. Life then presented yet another change, grandchildren, and eventually retirement. So, another door has opened for my husband and I, which I hope will bring new friendships and experiences for us at Grace Joel.
Triple A Celebrations Triple A classes have been a fixture at the village since we opened. This year we wanted to celebrate another year of Triple A and decided to invite the residents from our sister village, Edmund Hillary, for a joint class. The special class went off without a hitch and the residents loved the delicious morning tea!
The kitchen rose to the occasion as always with a fantastic array of cakes and slices. A fitting treat for the resident’s hard work! Right: The special class proved to be a highlight for the residents who attended.
State of Grace | 6
Quiz Night!
St Patrick’s Day
Our quiz nights are tremendously popular. This time we decided to challenge the mighty Bruce McLaren Retirement Village team. Unfortunately, the Bruce McLaren team triumphed, but we will be sure to hit the books to stock up on more facts before challenging them to a second round!
Every year we go green for St Patrick’s Day. This year, the care centre residents had a fantastic time watching a line dancing performance. Some residents couldn’t resist joining in and we even roped in our village manager, Murray! Above: Avril Burchall with village manager Murray
Above: Audrey Bremner, Annette Wilson, Christine Fryer and Jim Espie.
Staff Profile
Introducing Robbie
Hello, my name is Robbie Muller. I was born at Vaiola Hospital Nuku’alofa, Tonga. My parents came to New Zealand when I was very young but we returned to Tonga during holidays and I loved the island lifestyle.
I am enjoying working at the village, with the variety of work and a great team of people.
At school, I played rugby and represented Auckland and New Zealand in the under 19 and 21 teams. However, my rugby days were cut short due to ongoing knee problems. I have an engineering background, mainly working in
State of Grace | 7
factory maintenance and have also worked on commercial fishing boats when they were dry docked. After 15 years of engineering, I turned to network marketing and together with my wife we worked in the business for over 20 years. Now, I work at Grace Joel as a maintenance man. I am enjoying working at the village, with the variety of work and a great team of people.
Mother’s Day In the care centre we celebrated Mother’s Day with a fabulous high tea. We decorated the tables with fabulous yellow runners and yellow serviettes, which brightened up the atrium. The elegant service, lovely music and wonderful company made for a fantastic afternoon. Everyone loved the delicious treats that the kitchen whipped up. The serviced apartment and independent residents also celebrated with a morning breakfast and each resident could invite a friend. What better way to celebrate the mothers in our lives? Above: Residents Mary Burrell, Josie Coker’s friend Betsy Marshall, Josie Coker, Flora Rose, Jean Watkins, Iris Devcich, Iris’s friend Elaine Smyth and Hilary Smallfield on Mother’s Day.
Upcoming events July
1-31 International month celebrations
July
24 Rex’s Collectibles in Drury
August
August
Auckland Big
Eden Garden to
Band
see the Tulips
14
29
184 St Heliers Bay Road, St Heliers
www.gracejoel.co.nz