New chair for community trust
Steff Cresswell is the new Chair of Waireka Community Trust, taking over from Martin Beech in February.
Martin was formally recognised for his work on the trust at the Annual Public Meeting, held at the Bush Community Centre in Pahiatua on November 14.
Martin had been on the Trust for 11 years and served for two years on the Waireka Home Board.
He was given a small gift to recognise his dedication at the recent annual public meeting of Waireka Community Trust.
He is the last foundation member to serve on the Trust. The original Trustees were John Gardiner, Martin Beech, Edith Ladd, Justine Laing, and chairman John Jackson. Ian Staples and Clinton Laing joined shortly afterwards.
“I enjoyed my time on the Trust,” said Martin. “Some people frowned on us selling the home. But it was a good idea. If we hadn’t sold it, it would have gone under. We couldn’t manage financially when the occupancy rate got below 70 per cent.
“It was just too hard to keep the home going. When it was 100 per cent full, we were all right.”
Martin is still involved with Waireka home. Just this year he had a wing named after him, the Martin Beech Wing.
He is presently volunteering, something he has done since 2005, having done van rides for residents, to now where he visits several times a week, taking along Holy Communion each Friday for Catholic residents. Sometimes he can be seen wheeling residents up town.
The present Waireka Community Trust Board members are Chair, Steff Cresswell, treasurer Tally Jackson, and trustees: Tim Hewitt, Max Meyer, Tracey Collis and Paul Cleghorn. The trustees are assisted by secretary and business advisor Ross Hadwin (BDO Accountants).
The Trust was formed from the sale of Waireka Home in 2008, which had been owned by the Pahiatua and Districts community. It receives applications from Woodville, Pahiatua, Eketa¯ huna and surrounding districts for health and wellbeing projects. The Trust donates about $80,000 each year.
Some of the projects funded are the basketball court by the Hockey Turf; Bush Community Centre kitchen for Soup Nights; Old Folks’ Home in Woodville; Tararua Riding For The Disabled; Bush Multi-Sport projects; Pahiatua Toy Library; Eketahuna Our Town; Eketa¯ huna Health Centre; Pahiatua
Marae; Pahiatua Menz Shed; Kumeroa Domain Board; Lions Club for defibrillators for surrounding districts; Tararua Community Youth Services and Te Ahu a Turanga Marae (Woodville.)
“Because we are so limited with public transport in this area, it’s important that people are able to congregate in their own areas and not have everything centralised in Palmerston North,” said Steff Cresswell.
“The money is to be used on projects in the Southern Tararua as per the Trust Deed. It’s a huge resource — it’s amazing that the original trustees had the foresight to sell the facility and to be able to do useful things with that money is a good thing. The Southern Tararua has some really good facilities as a result of the Trust’s work.
“I want to pay tribute to those former trustees.
“John Jackson was instrumental in the Trust’s formation, along with the rest of the committee. Tineke Stokes, the CEO at Waireka home when it was sold, also provided advice and assisted greatly with the formation of the trust.”
Funds are invested with Craigs Investment Partners in Palmerston North with an annual return of around 10 per cent. The total amount of money given away to date is $920,000.