Sign In / Register
Two big birthday cakes have been ceremoniously cut and shared in Ōrewa this month with Age Concern Rodney celebrating 25 years of community service and Maygrove Village marking its 20th year.
Age Concern Rodney celebrated its 25th anniversary at its annual meeting, held at St John’s Catholic Church Hall in Ōrewa on Friday, August 5.
Around 50 people attended the lunch and cake cutting. Recently appointed Age Concern NZ chief executive Karen Billings-Jensen was the guest speaker.
Chair Vincent Harris thanked the Rodney branch’s staff and volunteers for seeing the organisation through tough times, keeping services going through the Covid-19 pandemic, while chief executive Catherine Smith, who has been with the Rodney branch since its formation, reflected on some key achievements over that time. These include assisting with issues such as loneliness and elder abuse, and holding the contract for the local hospital shuttle service since 2007 – in that time it has grown to include West Auckland, expanding from one van and driver to four.
Happy birthday Maygrove
Meanwhile, Ōrewa’s Maygrove Village celebrated its 20th birthday with a cake cutting event earlier this month – it will also holding a Gatsby themed evening with supper and a jazz band on August 27.
Residents, staff, friends, and family came together to celebrate with speeches and stories at the cake cutting ceremony on August 3. It included thanking long-standing staff members and original residents. Speeches were given by Don Shaw, one of the first to move into the village; manager Leonie Knell, Hopper Developments chief executive Tim Brooks, and Shana Hopper-McCully, brand and strategy development manager.
Shana – one of the third generation of Hoppers who are in the family business – reminisced about time spent with her brothers collecting kauri gum and swedes among the clay and topsoil during the development of the Maygrove site. She also recalled, at 14 years old, being grounded and made to vacuum the hallways after school as punishment.
Maygrove was the first retirement facility to be built by Hoppers Developments – they have since developed three more and further locations are planned in the next few years.
A major face lift of Maygrove Village’s common amenity areas including the café, foyer, library, pool and gym, is to take place later this year.
