Extra wheels, Frozen meals at Centre

Community Centre a lifeline, health clinic and place to chat

Across Foxton are volunteers from every walk of life helping the community in almost every way you can think of. In this occasional series of photo-articles, MAVtech Museum photographer Jacob Brookie is using vintage cameras from its collection to show you a day in the life of our town’s volunteers.

One of the sunniest buildings on Seabury Avenue, the Foxton Beach Community

Centre is a building with lots of roles. For many, it is a lifeline with its health shuttle service connecting patients with medical services outside town.

For others, it is a community health clinic or a place to find bargains at the op shop.

But for everyone it is a great place to stop and talk with locals — and MAVtech’s cameras had the chance to photograph some of the 25 volunteers who keep the centre going.

There’s been big things happening at the community centre over the past few months. A third health shuttle with wheelchair accessibility has been added to the centre’s fleet, and a new garage has been built to house them.

With no taxi services in Foxton Beach and buses running only once a week, these shuttles are irreplaceable for many residents as they travel to health appointments, pharmacies or essential shopping. The drivers are all volunteers and make frequent trips to Levin, Palmerston North and sometimes even Wellington.

The Foxton Beach Community Centre was founded in 1988 by locals concerned about the lack of local medical services and backed by then local MP Annette King.

At the time, the biggest concern was for young families with a single vehicle. If one member took the car to work, it was difficult for the rest of the family to pick up prescriptions and attend medical appointments. The community centre building — which had been a post office and council service centre — was obtained and volunteers used their own cars until the first shuttle could be purchased.

But running a fleet of health shuttles requires lots of fund

raising. With the vans in the new garage building, the old garage has been repurposed into extra space for storing donated items to be sold in the op shop.

Books, clothes, bric-a-brac and a host of other pre-loved items are available during weekend garage sales, and the community centre team recently hosted its first at the end of September. All money raised goes towards the centre’s running costs.

Even with 25 volunteers there are plenty of jobs to do! Aside from being a shuttle driver, volunteers take bookings for the shuttle, clean the vans, organise the op shop items and serve on the centre’s committee. The volunteers also help with photocopying, laminating, and collecting used batteries for recycling. The centre also sells frozen meals, which are becoming increasingly popular. A Justice of the Peace is also available by appointment and the health clinic supports visiting nurses and other health providers. But sometimes the best medicine is having a talk with a friend so there’s a table by the window as well.

Jacob used a Nikon FM camera to take these photographs. Released in 1977, this camera was marketed towards amateurs, but its ruggedness made it an excellent back-up camera for the photojournalist. The FM’s basic functions did not need a battery and its well-made body and titanium shutter

meant it could always be relied upon. Twenty years after it was made, many are still being used by professionals.

For more information about the Foxton Beach Community Centre, go to 108 Seabury Avenue — it is open from Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.

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To see more photographs taken with MAVtech’s cameras, go to www.mavtech.org.nz.

Volunteers Martin Berry (left), Peter Hammond, Pip Ronowicz, Kay Thompson, Lance Pedersen and Christine Newton in the new garage.

MAVtech’s Nikon FM Camera, used to take the photos for this article.

The volunteers posing by the vans are Christine Newton (left), Trish Dunlop, Lance Pedersen, Kay Thompson, Margaret Pedersen, Pip Ronowicz, Martin Berry and Peter Hammon, with the new shuttle on the left.

Photos / Jacob Brookie A great place for a chat — and there’s plenty of good books.

The old garage in its role as a storage shed for donated items.

Kay Thompson taking a shuttle booking at the community centre.