Older Person of the Year named
A woman who plays tenor horn in a big band, but who doesn’t like blowing her own trumpet, has won the overall Palmerston North Older Person of the Year award.
Gaye Trow not only played in the local Savage Club Big Band but was on the executive of the Palmerston North RSA, volunteered with the Foundation for the Blind as the local organisation’s talking books co-ordinator, and also helped sort out computer problems for her Probus Club members.
Trow was presented with the Age Concern Cup by Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith at the Senior Citizens Hall function on Friday.
While Trow was not big on talking about herself, there were plenty of others willing to talk on her behalf, and she was surrounded by well-wishers ready and willing to dob in her good deeds.
Three other awards were presented during the afternoon function held in recognition of the International Day of the Older Person that was nearly a week earlier.
The Grey Power Cup for Older Woman of the Year was presented to new Senior Citizens president Jan Cook. Cook did community work in retirement homes, drove the Olive Tree Village van, provided children’s hospital transport, and shared meals in her home with elderly people.
The Alzheimer’s Society Cup for the Older Man of the Year went to Arron Schroder for his work with Wandersearch, a radio frequency-based wearable tracking system that helps find people prone to wandering or running off.
Supergrans Manawatu¯ was awarded the Senior Citizens Cup for Organisation of the Year. Manager Kaye Arnott said it was really pleasing to be recognised.
‘‘Since 2005, our volunteerbased mentoring has provided everyday life skills through workshops or one-on-one in the home. Our 40 volunteers range in age from 40 into their 80s – 23 of them are over 60,’’ Arnott said.
It was the second time the awards had been held.
City councillor Lew Findlay said they were set up in 2016 because ‘‘there was recognition for sport and everything else, but there was no recognition for the contribution older people made to the community’’.