Small town with a very big heart
A farming couple’s $3 million gift is one they’d rather keep secret.
But nothing stays hushed long in a small town like O¯ torohanga and John and Sarah Oliver’s donation towards the town’s first 20-bed dementia unit is no exception.
It’s the same couple that donated $1m towards a medical hub last year, a sum recently matched by another generous family.
It’s small town generosity taken to new heights, O¯ torohanga District Mayor Max Baxter says.
Overall, O¯ torohanga locals have chipped in more than $6 million for the medical hub – in the process of being built – and the dementia unit over the past 18 months.
The medical hub will be completely debt-free, O¯ torohanga Charitable Trust chair Kim Ingham said. Aside from the two $1m donations, 70 other families donated, too, making the $3.2m facility.
Both the centre and the dementia unit mean residents of O¯ torohanga and nearby won’t have to travel an hour to Hamilton for certain services they need.
Despite their generosity, the Olivers don’t want a fuss made over them. Ideally, their donation would have stayed anonymous.
The couple moved to the Otorohanga District at the beginning of 1961 and never left.
Now, their motto is ‘‘give with a living hand’’.
By doing so, they’ll be around to see the first-rate medical hub and dementia unit come to fruition.
‘‘You just know in a little town you’re sort of bottom of the queue,’’ Sarah said.
‘‘If you want something done, then pull up your sleeves and do it.
‘‘And I think that’s the sort of attitude O¯ torohanga has.
‘‘It’s so easy for people to say the Government should do this and the Government should do that. But they can’t do everything.’’
It’s important to them that the town has the services needed, so that people don’t have to move away from their families.
‘‘We’re both born under lucky stars, I think,’’ Sarah said. ‘‘We’ve both had good lives, thanks to O¯ torohanga and it’s our way of saying thank you to the community.’’
Perhaps it will compel future generations to be generous, too.
‘‘When their time comes and they’ve accumulated some money and they’re old – hopefully they’ll do [the same]. Keep O¯ torohanga a lively little place.’’
People want what’s best for the place that raised them, O¯ torohanga District Mayor Max Baxter said.
‘‘You take the absolutely gobsmacking, unparalleled generosity of the Olivers ... that becomes a catalyst for generosity shown by others.’’
That small town generosity has existed in O¯ torohanga as long as Baxter can remember.
‘‘Back when I started farming, when we were doing silage or hay, farmers would get together and they’d all help each other.
‘‘All you’re after at the end of the day is a couple of club sandwiches and a cup of tea.
‘‘Everyone has each others’ backs.’’
The 20-bed dementia unit, run by the Beattie Community Trust, will be built next to the existing Beattie Home.
The Olivers gift towards the unit was made on the condition that consents and compliances were approved and enough funding secured to ensure the unit is debtfree, Beattie Community Trust Chair Trevor Walters said.
Those need to be secured by June 30, 2019.
‘‘We’re going to give it a hell of a good nudge,’’ Walters said.
‘‘We think we’re capable of doing it.’’
The community in O¯ torohanga seems to be ‘‘exceptionally generous’’, Walters said.
On Monday, Walters was wandering down the road when a man stopped him to talk about donating.
‘‘He said ‘oh I want to contribute to this’.’’
He’s one of many people who have sought Walters out.
"We’re looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars, not tens of thousands. It’s a pretty special place.’’