Celebrating our ‘good sorts’
A couple of weeks back I called in to the Waiuku Town Hall where one of the great community groups, Rotary, were holding their annual book sale. A huge undertaking and expertly organised. I love books so ended up buying
Published in 2012, this substantial book was in excellent condition and an inspiring book examining the attitudes and attributes of New Zealanders through the eyes and experiences of some of our highest and most prominent achievers.
When I got home I sat on the veranda and just flipped the book open – there was Sir Peter Leitch looking out at me with that cheeky grin of his.
In his opening comments he said, ‘‘To me, a good New Zealander is just a good sort. Honest and hardworking. We are also a caring type of people, a caring country. We genuinely feel something for each other and we rally in times of need. But it isn’t as easy now; there are a lot of people in need and for a lot of organisations…it is an uphill battle.’’
Over the page, another even bigger picture of the hard case clutching bags of his famous sausages and a quote, ‘‘The greatest gift you can give anyone is your time. I learnt that from my parents.’’ Amen.
That rang out for me when Gill Garchow, chairperson of Franklin Family Support, speaking at their recent community reporting meeting, paid special tribute to ‘‘our army of 60 volunteers (administration support, budgeting advisors, counsellors, graphic designer, fellow trustees, handymen, ESOL providers, and our 45 drivers) who make up our family are the heart and success behind our organisation.’’
Gill then spelled out the significance of people giving their time. Franklin Family Support had been tracking volunteer hours since December last year. Those volunteers had clocked up an incredible 7203 hours!
That gift of time is simply astounding.
There are many organisations working for the good of our community. Like the Rotarians, putting on the book sale to raise money for community projects, they rely on others making the gift of their time.
I sat on the veranda letting my mind wander, considering those volunteers at Franklin Family Support, then all of those I knew who gave their time to some cause or other such as Hospice, the fire service, at the hospital, or the Youth Advisory Board organising and running Children’s Day.
And I wondered, what would our community be like without all of the many gifts of time? It doesn’t bear thinking about.
So here’s to all those wonderful people who make the greatest gift you can give anyone – your time, in the interest of the well-being of our community.
- Geoff Smith is the general manager - Franklin Family Support and Heartland Services
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