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Some of the 10-year winners, from left – Wayne Gray, Pat Torrington, Diana Lints (staff), Margaret Hill, Ann Hatwell, Kathy Anderson and Ellie Gaskin. Right, Yvonne Jennings has been a familiar face at the Ōrewa Hospice Shop for 20 years. Five year volunteers included, back row, from left, Andrew Green, Marilyn Erne, Dora Mak, Lesley Osbourne, Yvonne White, Irene Sanders and, in front, Trish Francis-Stead, Mary Whorskey, Christine Howard, Roger Spragg, Hope Spragg and Brent McConachy (staff).
After a year’s gap due to Covid-19 lockdowns, Harbour Hospice’s annual long service awards have returned this year, and it was Hibiscus Coast’s turn on Thursday, July 1.
Around 35 hospice volunteers and two staff were recognised for various lengths of service at the awards event, which was held at Hospice House in Red Beach.
Hibiscus Coast volunteers work mostly in hospice shops or going out in the community to visit patients in their homes.
Among the awards were those for five and 10 years’ service, and one for 20 years, presented to retired wages clerk Yvonne Jennings. Yvonne, now 83, has worked at the Ōrewa Hospice Shop in Florence Avenue for all her two decades of volunteering.
She was first inspired to volunteer by her sister-in-law, who helped out at the Silverdale Hospice Shop, when she moved to the Coast from Pakuranga to live near one of her five children.
Yvonne says she really enjoys working with hospice, especially on the shop counter, and jokes that she’s now “pretty much completely dressed by Hospice!”.
