Aroha’s Story
Wintec gifted their state of the art facility free of charge. Crockery, cutlery, glasses and tableware were all donated, as were flowers for the venue and decorations for the 12 tables of 10. Local angels Donna Gregory-Marshall and Tracey-Maree Houia together with family members decorated the venue and gave it the personal touch. The meal for 120 was catered for, free of charge, by our stalwart Gillian Stobo, as was the time and skill of professional photographer, Helen Jones. Food was donated by local supermarkets and two hams donated by Mike Moros who never fails to do so, for any of our Race4Life events. Sam and his boys were decked out by Munn’s Menswear. Accommodation for the married couple was gifted by Rua Resort. Luxury and classic cars, organised by local resident and Race4Life supporter Ian Hayr, transported the couple to and from the venue. Celebrant, Helen Dewsnap travelled down from Auckland, to have the privilege (her own words) of marrying this special couple.
Can you believe this? A team of 10 Race4Life staff and volunteers travelled to Hamilton to coordinate and work the affair. It was a huge privilege for all concerned.
A Message from the General Manager
Phew!! What an absolutely hectic few months since our last newsletter. However we would not have wanted it any other way.
In this edition we invite you all, to enjoy the coverage of the Hawkes Bay Targa Rally in May. The professionalism exuded by Peter Martin and Victoria Main from the Ultimate Rally Group, made our first event, as their chosen charity, a seemingly fluent and fun filled experience.
As always, we have a number of special people to thank in this newsletter. Plus we will take this opportunity, to introduce you to our newest staff member, Teresa Conway.
On July 27th we were given a wonderful opportunity by Lance and Lara Campbell, who run the annual Merchant Bar and Kitchen Long Lunch. As the chosen charity for this awesome event, we were able to showcase our work and to raise funds and awareness of the beautiful work we are privileged to do.
It is time also, to acknowledge the awesome support we have received from the Race4Life Powerboat Team. This fabulous crew have worked hard throughout New Zealand, to raise awareness of the work of the Trust.
Our headline story this edition, is a beautiful and touching story of Aroha and her special wish to marry her partner Sam, the father of her 4 boys.
I invite you to sit back and enjoy it all.
Targa Rally Report
In late 2017, Peter Martin from Ultimate Rally Group (URG), invited Race4Life to be the chosen Charity for the NZ Targa and Silverfern Rallies for the next 5 years. The Race4Life Trust welcomed this amazing opportunity, realising what a good fit this could be! In May this year, a team of 10 Race4Life staff and volunteers, attended the first of these events, the Targa Hawkes Bay. This enthusiastic and energetic crew set out to reach the hearts of all drivers and their teams. Our goal was to raise awareness and funds for our fantastic charity and to have fun! We also took the opportunity to reach out to the medical communities of both Taupo and Hawkes Bay. We arranged presentations of the work we do, for those working in Palliative Care in both areas.
The Hawkes Bay Targa rally was so efficiently and professionally run, with Peter Martin and Victoria Main at the helm. A very slick team. Both Victoria and Peter kept us informed throughout the rally, providing us with clear guidelines and plenty of opportunities to raise awareness of what we do.
A huge THANK YOU to URG for this opportunity. We look forward to the South Island event in October. The rally covers parts of Invercargill, Dunedin, Queenstown and other beautiful spots in Otago and Southland, finishing at Highland Park Raceway on Saturday October 27th
Roll on October.
Targa South Island
We at Race4Life love to help those who help us! The Queenstown community are wonderful supporters of our work.
We highly recommend the three hotels that we deal with, as places to stay whilst in Queenstown.
If any contestants in the Targa South Island haven’t yet secured accommodation, why not try one of these places.
Each and every one of them have been simply fantastic when looking after our patients.
The Race4Life Trust exists today because of those dedicated to the cause. Our small staff remain totally passionate and committed to making a difference in the lives of patients and their families. Without the help and support of volunteers, businesses and service providers we would not have the wherewithal to sustain this dream.
A huge thank you to the Simpson Western Law, who are in the throes of helping us to create partnership agreements with our two main partners. Their expertise keeps us safe and secure in the knowledge we are being looked after.
Thank You Candice and Team.
New website!
For the last six months we have had a young and energetic team from Archoneer who have been working diligently at upgrading and developing our website. A huge thank you to Owen Waller and his crew who are doing their best to create a friendly and workable site. The new website is due to be launched in September.
Thank You Owen and the Archoneer crew.
Part of our marketing strategy is to gather together anecdotal information from patients, families, service providers, businesses and medical outreach teams. With the help and expertise of Vaughan Scott from VS Images, we have made a series of videos and interviews. This very powerful footage will contribute to our library of resources that can be used to promote the work of the Trust. It is so very important that we deliver our message out to all those in need throughout the country.
Thank You Vaughan.
Welcome Teresa Conway
Hi, my name is Teresa Conway and I am proud to be associated with Race4Life Trust. I live on the North Shore of Auckland, with my husband, Leon and our two teenage boys, Christopher and Ryan.
I started volunteering for Hospice North Shore as part of the Day Group Team. Day Group allowed patients to socialise together every week sharing stories and laughter while receiving various wellbeing treatments. I embraced my next role as volunteer coordinator and patient liaison as I was directly involved with patients. Part of my role was to organise patient attendance for Race4Life events which were always fantastic days. I left Hospice after seven wonderful years.
After a stint as a Teacher Aide for a local girls college, I was successful at winning my current part time position as a Administrator for the Porsche Club of New Zealand – a fantastic role as I deal with people who are having fun and enjoying life. Amazingly it was, at a Porsche function, that I met up again with Viv. After a discussion I was honoured when Viv asked if I would like to join The Race4Life Trust as a volunteer Wish Co-Ordinator.
In my spare time I enjoy baking (lucky I have two hungry boys), tapestry, walking our beautiful beaches with our Whippet, Bella, and meeting friends for coffee.
Merchant Bar & Kitchen Fundraiser
The day the Race4Life Team met Lance and Lara Campbell, owners of the Merchant Bar and Kitchen, will remain as one of the most significant days of our young history. Honestly this super couple have hearts of gold and a professionalism, that is unmatched. For a number of years, Lance and Lara have hosted a Charity function called the Long Lunch at their gorgeous venue in Albany. Early in June, they approached the Race4Life Trust and asked us to be their chosen Charity in 2018.
The event held on July 27th was a raging success. The 5 course degustation meal was attended by over 250 people and raised a total of $95,000 for our Trust! With Ian Jones as the MC for the day, we had the attention of all those present, as we shared our stories throughout the afternoon. Our very special guests included patients, families, volunteers and service providers, who told their story of how the wish service impacted on their lives. There were some very beautiful moments witnessed by all who were present, there were times when you could hear a pin drop. Magic really! It was such a privilege to be privy to it all, as it was to witness the generosity and compassion of all those who attended.
There are really no words to express our appreciation for the kindness and considerable generosity shown by Lance and Lara Campbell. A simply stunning couple.
The Powerboat Series
The success of the Race4Life Powerboat in the 2018 NZ Powerboat series, has been a wonderful catalyst for spreading the word of the work of the Race4Life Trust. The boat came first in both the Classic section and the 60 Mile category, for the third consecutive year, creating history in the process.
From January 2018 until May this year, this highly motivated team of Aaron Fletcher, Shannon Martin, Peter Andrew and Darren Urquhart participated in a series of races held throughout the North Island. This fantastic crew of men have used every opportunity to promote the Trust. On two occasions Viv James joined them for the weekend and together they not only educated the Powerboat fraternity, but spoke to local schools and reached out to medical teams involved in the care of the terminally ill. As we speak they are endeavouring to do the same, in the South Island series.
Race4Life Trust would like to thank this dynamic team and wish them all the best for the upcoming competition.
No Comments