The Taylor Family
Once Hamish Taylor became aware of the Race4Life Wish Service, he eagerly lodged his special wish for a family holiday in Queenstown, with us. Both Hamish (19) and his 17 year old brother Austin, live with Muscular Dystrophy, so life in the Taylor household is anything but ordinary. It would appear that the logistics of getting a family of five, (two in electric wheelchairs) to Queenstown, would be challenging.
To the contrary, the organisation of this wish-list was extraordinarily simple. The response of every business approached, was nothing but positive. If unable to help, further suggestions were in the offering. This encouraging response, coupled with the local knowledge supplied by Destination Queenstown, made the task both straightforward and a pleasure.
The Taylors were down down by Jet Star, on June 27th, with special assistance available to them throughout the flight. Upon arrival they were met by Grant Scannell from Queenstown Taxis. Grant organised a mobility van and driver for the July 2016 Taylors throughout their 4 day stay in Queentown. BP donated $400 worth of Petrol vouchers for the trip. Simon Harper of The Mercure Resort provided two rooms for the family and breakfast each
morning. Thank you to Dave from the Lonestar, Birthe from Joe’s Garage, Mal and team from the Cow, Sarah from Patagonia, and Anna from Skyline Queenstown. The Taylors dined at some iconic spots during their 4 day stay in the South. Anna from Real Journeys, organised for the family to be taken for a cruise on the lake aboard the Earnslaw. After a scrumptious BBQ lunch, they
were guided on a trek to Walter Peak Station. David from Nomad Safaris jumped at the chance to entertain the family. He drove the Taylors in a
4WD truck through the Wakatipu Basin, where they had their share of adventure, scenery, Lord of the Rings and lots of other photo opportunities.
Queenstown opened its heart to the Hamish and his family.
Thank you Queenstown, this is a simply stunning statement of compassion and community spirit.
Message from the General Manager
Winter has certainly made its mark and the balmy weather of early May is all but a dream. However our Wish List Service has been kept very busy fulfilling wishes for Palliative Care Patients all over New Zealand. Our feature story this month of Hamish Taylor and his family, is one of many that the Race4Life Trust has had the honour to be involved in.
The loyalty of our regular supporters continues to be nothing less than stunning. In addition to this, we celebrate further with Glenn Stone Insurance, who are providing the Trust with Insurance cover, EnviroWaste who are giving us the opportunity to advertise on the back of their newest rig and Hugh Green Foundation , who have generously donated $26,700 towards Air Travel and Helicopter rides for our patients. We have been overwhelmed with this generous support which makes it possible for New Zealander’s living with life limiting illness, to have their dreams come true.
Without the help of our sponsors along with service providers in communities, all over New Zealand, we would not be able to provide these wonderful opportunities.
Thank you all so much,
Viv James
A Day to Inspire
Last year in October we held the inaugural Day to Inspire luncheon, with Tony Christiansen being our Inspirational Speaker. It was a great success with over 70 people in attendance. Again this year we are holding the event for Palliative Care Patients on Monday 3rd October at the Orakei Bay Convention Centre. Our special guest speaker this year is Mark Inglis who will share his amazing story of survival, and how he transformed a near tragedy, into a driving force to make the very best of his life, on many levels.
Invitations will be sent to all hospices in Auckland and the Waikato. An invitation is extended to all Palliative Care Patients.
Race4Life Charity Raceday
We invite you to a day of excitement and fun at Ellerslie Racecourse on Sunday 11th December, when Race4Life will host their inaugural Charity Luncheon.
Tickets are available for $150 per person or you can make up a table of 10 with your family and friends for $1500.
Why not use the day as an occasion to celebrate your staff/business Christmas Party in the wonderful facility of Silks Restuarant. We will run a silent auction and there will be a chance to have a wee flutter on the 8 races running during
the day.
There is also a chance to sponsor a Race at the amazing price of only $4000. Along with this package come many benefits.
Samantha’s special holiday
To get away for a weekend together as a family was one treat that Samantha Cook had only dreamed of. Samantha, who has just undergone intense chemotherapy, approached the Race4Life Trust with her special wish. In Samantha’s words, here is her account of a simply stunning weekend in Rotorua with her partner Ryan and two children, Maddison and Ryleigh…
Where do I start to let people know how beautiful the people of Rotorua are and how well they treated us? Tracey at Capers restaurant treated us like family. I felt like I was meeting my aunty for lunch!! She was such a beautiful lady. She reserved a special table for us and had an amazing chocolate cake ready for me for Mother’s day . Michelle at Millennium hotel made us feel so welcome encouraging us to ask for anything we needed. We sat at a lovely table the first morning for breakfast and had visions of sitting at the same table the next day. When we entered for breakfast on the second morning we noticed there was a reserved sign on that table, so we went to find another table. A
gorgeous waitress rushed over to tell us it was reserved for us!! Maddison my eldest said she felt like royalty!! Patrice from Rainbow Springs gave us a behind the scenes look at some very cool lizards and we learned so much about them. The girls were enthralled by it all. Each and every business went over and above the call of duty to make our holiday the extraordinarily special one it was, for our family. I cannot thank each and every one of them enough. We all are still talking about it. Thank You Thank You Thank You!!
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