Celebrating the volunteers
Woodville couple Charlie and Pauline Bethune have hadmore than their share of seeing family and friends with terminal illnesses.
Charlie’s father Bill was cared for by the Arohanui Hospice team – he had his 80th birthday at the in-patient unit, and spent his last days there in 2002.
Pauline’s mother Violet Mcleod, who died in 2009, was looked after by the palliative care team.
There have been several other family members and friends who have benefited from hospice care at Arohanui in Palmerston North and from other hospice services.
With a long history of voluntary service through Lions, it felt only right to give something back. Their time.
Pauline said she considered volunteering at the hospice itself, ‘‘but it was a little bit too close to home’’.
So nearly 14 years ago, she started working for the hospice shops, moving from Ngata St, to Rangitı¯kei St, to the current store in Lombard St.
Her voluntary work fitted around the need to drive Charlie over the hill to work at Stallion Plastics in Railway Rd while he was not able to drive.
Pauline’s area of expertise is jewellery, which she refers to a jeweller and antique dealer who volunteered to provide valuation services for free. ‘‘We do get a lot of lovely jewellery, some good quality things.’’
Charlie was still working fulltime when he started helping out with shop security and the special heritage sales.
Now retired, he comes over every Monday with Pauline, to look after his patch of the garden – the rose bed facing Heretaunga St.
He spends two ormore hours each week weeding, clearing the leaf drop from the overhanging trees, dead-heading and pruning. ‘‘It’s a good feeling,’’ he said. The Bethunes are part of Arohanui Hospice’s team of 680 volunteers working inside and outside the hospice and in its shops.
In total, the volunteers have clocked up an estimated 58,719 hours in the past year which, calculated at the living wage rate of $21.15 an hour, has been worth more than $1.1 million.
‘‘Volunteers are an amazing part of the Arohanui Hospice community,’’ said board chairwoman Lorraine Vincent, herself a volunteer. ‘‘We simply couldn’t do what we do without the support we receive from so many generous volunteers.’’
The volunteers will be celebrated at a special afternoon tea party as part of Arohanui’s 30th anniversary during this month.
The hospice opened its doors on May 4, 1991. It is partly funded by the Government through the Midcentral District Health Board.
But even with the unpaid hours of work provided by volunteers, it still needs to raise $3 million a year to ensure all of its services across the region are delivered free-of-charge to all the patients and families who need them.
Arohanui’s birthday month coincides with National Hospice Awareness week, May 17-23, including an annual street appeal on May 20-21, when collectors will be out in Ashhurst, Dannevirke, Feilding, Foxton, Levin, Marton,
taki, Pahı¯atua, Palmerston North, Taihape and Woodville.
Chief executive Clare Randall said she hoped the community would take the opportunity to learn about and support hospice work. ‘‘I am hopeful that 2021 will be more successful than previous years as we celebrate our milestone 30th birthday.’’