THE KERRY PRENDERGAST RECIPE TO DE-STRESS

The adage that if you want something done, give the job to someone who is already busy is a very apt description of Kerry Prendergast and her appetite for work.

So how does she wind down? This busy board member and board chair says she has a commitment with her husband that they will take a big holiday with friends every year. This year they are planning a walk in Britain going from coast to coast through the Lake District and then east to west along Hadrian’s Wall – they’ll be walking 450 kilometres over three weeks. Walking time is thinking time, she says.

Every six weeks she tries to have a quiet weekend and loves to have family around, including eight Wellingtonbased grandchildren, for meals.

Cooking plays a big part in relaxation too and the week she spoke to Management she had just cooked for 16 people from the board of the Rotary Club of Wellington on the Tuesday night, had 10 for dinner to her home on Friday and another 10 again on Sunday.

So what did she cook for the 16 members of Rotary and their partners on a Tuesday night after a big work day? Homemade pate followed by homemade lasagna and salads and her signature ricotta-based dessert.

She admits it was tough on a Tuesday night but she did it because she was standing down as president of Rotary Wellington and likes to thank the partners too. She says that in all roles where people are giving up their time to help in the community, it is the families at home that have to put up with a partner’s absence.