Multiple volunteer — James lives the dream
“The greatest thing you can do in life is help others. Some do it by giving money. Others do it by giving time.”
These words from Dannevirke man James Kendrick sum up his philosophy.
James is a multiple volunteer, joining organisations which help in the community.
Fire Brigade and St John immediately come to mind for vital volunteer organisations, and James is a member of both.
He has been a fireman for 19 years and because a high proportion of callouts are medical assists he decided to join the ambulance service as a driver and then became trained as an ambulance officer.
He finds the two sets of skills complement each other but he emphasises he is only one member of a big team of skilled volunteers.
He has also been a rugby referee for 30 years with a style that is respected by the players.
He has served both the Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu¯ Rugby Unions and last Saturday he refereed College Old Boys v Freyberg in the President’s Grade.
He feels he is a role model for young men who need firm rules and clear explanations for the decisions he makes.
He has risen through the ranks to take leadership roles representing iwi at the highest levels for St John, being on the Ma¯ ori Advisory Body for the NZ Fire Service, sitting on the Nga¯ ti Kahungunu Tamaki Nui a Rua Trust Board, acting as a Commissioner on the RMA, speaking for Ma¯ ori on the Manawatu¯ Gorge Governance Group and many others.
He says he feels helping people on the ground every day is important, but rising up the ranks gives him power to really make a difference.
James thinks he volunteers for about 30-40 hours per week.
As a working man he says this would be impossible without the help of his employers, BP and Mitre 10.
They have never stopped him from attending an emergency.
In his volunteer experiences James sees a lot of adversity but he always remains cheerful and optimistic.
He is on the spot to help out, as are all volunteers.
“Life is great. I’m living the dream”.