Worthy residents honoured
Eight distinguished Porirua residents were given civic awards at a Porirua City council function at Pataka on July 14. Mary Casey Casey has lived in Plimmerton for more than 50 years. In 1973, she became a member of the Plimmerton Red Cross Branch and has served as its secretary, president appeal coordinator, emergency preparedness convener and representative on the local co-ordinating committee.
She participated in branch activities such as Blood Bank Service, Meals on Wheels, Red Rose Day, visited the disabled, organised the annual luncheon for members of the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind and helped with the annual outing for the physically disabled adults from Emerson House.
Casey instigated a programme at Kenepuru Hospital, providing toothbrushes and toothpaste to children who underwent oral surgery. Judy McKoy McKoy chairs the Porirua Community Arts Council, which stages the Festival of the Elements on Waitangi Day.
She teaches English to refugees at the Porirua Language Project and tutors for Literacy Aotearoa.
McKoy has been volunteering at the Migrating Kitchen Trust’s exhibitions since 2011 and coordinates the Migrating Kitchen’s cooking charity.
She has been a driver in the set-up and administration of Wellington Young Voices Choir. Ted Gallen Gallen has given 15 years of voluntary service to Mana Recovery Trust since it was established in 1996, when mental health patients from Porirua Hospital were deinstitutionalised back into the community.
He could see the need for an organisation in Porirua City and helped set up Mana Community Enterprises in 1996. It changed to Mana Community Trust in 2012.
Gallen’s vision for Mana Recovery has evolved over 15 years after embarking on a process of job creation with a particular emphasis on the emerging industries around recycling and resources recovery. Pat McCalman McCalman volunteers her time in the Windley School library on a daily basis. Her grandchildren used to attend the school and she started volunteering there about eight years ago.
She not only works in the library, but helps out in the Junior Syndicate. McCalman works with children in many capacities. She goes on school trips, walks with classes, supervises children at the Cannons Creek Library and Cannons Creek Swimming Pool. Marie Wright Wright attended Mana College and has lived in Titahi Bay for nearly 45 years.
She is an elder of St Timothy’s Church and has spent many hours working on the church grounds and garden.
Wright helps out with many community activities, especially anything to do with gardening and horticulture.
For many years Wright has assisted the city council in planting and maintaining the crib walling on the banks of Toms and Beach roads.
She has also worked extensively on the gardens around the surf club and around Ohangao Stream. Pip Piper Piper turns 90 this week. The longtime Plimmerton resident was a member of the Porirua Historical Society and the Porirua Genealogy Society. He has been a very active member of the Plimmerton Residents Association, Plimmerton community and Millennium events with Alan Reader, and has been a volunteer at the genealogy desk of Porirua Library for many years. Dennis and Enid Kennemore Dennis and Enid Kennemore moved to Titahi Bay in 1961.
They are both life members of the Titahi Bay Golf Club, members and supporters of the Titahi Bay Surf Club and Titahi Bay Bowling Club.
They financed improvement to the north entrance at Titahi Bay Beach and donated two seats.
Enid created gardens at Titahi Bay Golf Club and Titahi Bay Bowling Club.
She was a driver for Meals on Wheels and organised the Daffodil Cancer collection for many years. She volunteered for the Cancer Society, driving patients to and from their homes to Wellington Hospital.
Enid has represented the area in four sports – golf, tennis, badminton and squash. Elizabeth Meaclem Meaclem completed four years of work at Mana Recovery Trust this month.
At the time of employment she was advised the organisation was facing insolvency because of the economic downturn and set about making vital and effective changes to the trust.
With 70 people in the training programme and half its 48 staff living with a serious mental health illness, employees are grateful for the chance to work or volunteer.
Meaclem’s vision has helped people achieve lives full of purpose and to recover from illness.