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TELEGRAM
Charles Upham Retirement Village • Winter edition 2018
Military Day Resident Glynis Whittaker enjoyed the day with her grandchildren at the village
Victorious day for Charles Upham Village
Meet Alan Burgess
St Patrick’s day
Greetings from Rachel... Hello and welcome to the winter edition of Upham’s Telegram. Over the last 18 months we have held some fantastic events at the village, however, our recent Military Day was a stand out. When I woke on that cold Sunday morning to hear the rain on the roof, I thought that all our hard work would be wasted, but thankfully that was not the case! The rain didn’t stop anyone from coming and we had over a 1,000 residents, families and visitors streaming through our doors. Members of the NZ Mounted Rifles Charitable Trust and their horses were very popular, and we had many comments about how interesting it was to view the trucks and war memorabilia. The photo booth was a huge success, the kids loved getting their faces painted and they also enjoyed the obstacle course.
Our ‘mess hall’ provided delicious army style food, which received rave reviews. I have had some fantastic feedback and because it was such a spectacular success we might just do it again next year! In other news, our village extension of brand new independent apartments and townhouses is moving at a rapid pace and we will soon be welcoming new residents to our village family. Winter is on our doorstep, and we have to wrap up, but there is nothing quite like crisp, clear Canterbury mornings! Kind regards,
Rachel Garrard Village Manager
Kokatahi Band delights A recent visit from the Kokatahi Band from Hokitika was an absolute highlight for our residents. Around 150 people gathered in the village lounge for fantastic bush music and hilarity. The band was established in 1910 and mostly play bush ballads, old Irish, Scottish and New Zealand folk songs. We look forward to their next concert! From Wendy and Chris
Rachel Garrard Village Manager Ph: 03 310 8600 Call Rachel for general enquiries, or information about resthome, hospital and dementia care.
Wendy Kappler & Chris Ashton Sales Advisors Ph: 03 310 8644 Talk to Wendy or Chris for more information about independent apartments, townhouses or serviced apartments.
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Resident Profile
Meet Alan
Trieste for me and in the summer of 1945, I was selected to play cricket for the New Zealand Service team in England. I returned home to readjust and continue with employment in the upholstery and the flower business. I had a happy, full life living in Australia and New Zealand. To this day, I have a passion for cricket and just recently, at the age of 98 years, I was invited to watch the New Zealand cricket team play England in a test match in Christchurch!
I have made great mates here in the village. I can reminisce and be light hearted with good old Kiwi and Scottish blokes. Hello, my name is Alan Burgess and I live in a serviced apartment at Charles Upham.
I have made great mates here in the village. I can reminisce and be light hearted with good old Kiwi and Scottish blokes. We share a lot of stories and tell a lot of lies!
I was born on May 1st, 1920 and I am a proud Sydenham boy! When war broke out I wanted to join the army but was informed that I was underage. When I turned 21 in 1941, I was called up and trained at Waiouru.
I was the former president of the Rangiora RSA, and thus I look forward to a couple of weekly visits to see my old mates. I have no complaints; life is easy living in my apartment and every day I wake up is a good one!
I served in Egypt and Italy and fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino which was the same battalion as Charles Upham. The war finished in
Pictured: Alan and a fellow solider. Bath time is certainly different now to what it was in Egypt!
Sensory blankets This group of townhouse residents made fantastic teddy bear blankets, which will be given to Leslie Ottey from Eco Educate. The blankets will be gifted to schools in the Waimakariri District for children with special needs. It is such a heart-warming initiative that our residents jumped at the chance to be part of it! The residents had great fun de-stuffing the toys before sewing the bears to the blankets.
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a victorious day FOR CHARLES UPHAM VILLAGE Despite the rain and cold, hundreds turned up to see horses, military vehicles and army memorabilia at our Military Day. “We were worried that people wouldn’t turn up, but despite the weather it turned out well,” said village manager Rachel Garrard. The morning started with phones ringing non-stop from people enquiring if the event was still on, and ‘soldier on’ we did. Horses and riders from the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Charitable Trust turned up on the day to gain support for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The riders, led by Mark Appleton, informed the waiting crowd about the charity that was set up to represent the brave men and horses that fought in WWI. Mark went on to talk about the specific equipment for both horses and riders. “The kit that they wore had a bedroll at the back and possibly a tent, then you had the mess tin for your meals and a horseshoe carrier. You also had two small pouches for personal affects, which was just big enough to fit a pair of underpants in it!” Mark said. The location for the Last Post also changed to indoors on account of the rain. Major Karl Maddaford of the New Zealand Defence Force opened the event and Bill Peck played the Last Post. After the opening ceremony, the crowd dispersed to view the memorabilia and the military vehicles, which included double Victoria Cross recipient Charles Upham’s Land Rover. There was also a Sten submachine gun, a United States Army
jeep and a troop carrier.
One O of our residents, Reg Morris, had War Horse and we played that.
In the foyer of the village, residents could view memorabilia from WWI, have their photo taken at the photo booth, and children could have their faces painted. We set up an obstacle course, which the children enjoyed immensely. We also made use of the village movie theatre and played a wartime movie on loop throughout the day. “One of our residents, Reg Morris, had War Horse and we played that.”
To warm up from the cold, visitors were treated to delicious chicken noodle soup or lamb stew with a green jelly dessert to mark the day. Residents Pam and Gerald Williamson braved the weather and were delighted with the event. “It’s much bigger than we thought it would be, a great day for the village,” Pam said. Friends and apartment neighbours, Betty Mitchell and Ethel Minton, ventured out of their homes to have a cup of tea and to see “what’s going on.” “It’s so busy we have to sit closer so as not to shout!” The day was a spectacular success for the village.
Bill Peck from the Salvation Army
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Mike Donaldson, Mark Appleton and Jeanette Rock from the NZ Mounted Rifles Charitable Trust.
The mess hall served army style food to keep everyone warm.
Keith Palmer and Buster Grooby liked looking at all the memorabilia and military vehicles.
Our mess hall team: leisure and lifestyle coordinator Charmayne Clarke, head chef Marko Meingasser and activities coordinator Jo Wix.
Many visitors enjoyed browsing the memorabilia on display.
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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!
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St Patrick’s day
An afternoon in the park
Charles Upham’s independent residents and staff sure know how to have a good time. This was especially apparent on St Patrick’s Day this year, when the residents and staff dressed up in fabulous outfits to mark the Irish holiday. Celebrations continued with great entertainment, dancing and of course a Guinness or two.
An afternoon tea in the park turned into a dog’s paradise as independent residents and their pooches gathered at Oakwood Park for a spot of tea and carrot cake. The dogs weren’t left out either and hounded Jo Wix for their treat. A fantastic autumn afternoon was had by all.
Pictured: Leisure and lifestyle coordinator Charmayne Clarke, resident Robin Mackay, resident Toby Sillars and activities coordinator Jo Wix.
Pictured: The residents and their pooches lined up for a glamorous photo shoot!
Staff Profile
Introducing Jane
Hello, my name is Jane Ferrari and I am the serviced apartment coordinator at Charles Upham. I was born in Invercargill and I remember that from a young age, I always wanted to be a nurse. I trained at Southern Hospital and completed my studies in 1975. In 1978, I moved to Christchurch and continued my nursing career.
My role is challenging but extremely satisfying. I feel privileged to have met so many people and share their life experiences.
In 2016, I went looking for a new venture and to my delight, I discovered Ryman Healthcare was building a new village in Rangiora. I have worked at the
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village since it opened in October 2016 and initially I had only six residents. Now we’ve grown to 63 serviced apartment residents, with more yet to come! My role is challenging but extremely satisfying. I feel privileged to have met so many people and to share their life experiences – it’s a joy to see our residents making new friendships and enjoying village life. I have three grandchildren who live in Rangiora so I usually spend my days off with them.
Silk scarf making Caregiver Katja Segka, offered her expertise with silk dyeing to several serviced apartment residents who decided to try their hand at it.
Upcoming events
June
We wet the pure white scarves then laid them out on a table. The ladies made their colour choices and let the dye run over the curves of the scarves. After the scarves dried we ironed them out very, very carefully! To set the dye we repeated the process.
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Men’s Club trip to Lyttelton Tug
Matariki Maori New Year Celebrations
The ladies were left with their very own, handmade silk scarf, which they wore proudly.
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Crafty ladies (from left): Gail Harris, Jean Booth, Beth Willetts, Annie Basting, Mavis Warner and Margaret Moffat.
Waimakariri Mayor, David Ayers talk
Midwinter Solstice Happy Hour
24 Charles Upham Drive, Rangiora
www.charlesuphamvillage.co.nz