Volunteer awards 2006

TWO hospice volunteers were lost for words when they learned they had won the inaugural House of Travel Volunteer Awards for 2006.

Tauranga’s Jeanette Rae, who volunteers at Waipuna Hospice, and Dororthy Stanton, who donates her time to Nelson Region Hospice, have both won a trip for two to the Gold Coast as part of the new Hospice New Zealand and House of Travel initiative.

Mrs Rae was thrilled with the news but was taken back by the attention. “I’m speechless, and that doesn’t happen too often,” she said.

Mrs Stanton couldn’t believe she had been chosen either and can’t wait for her first trip to Queensland since 1953.

“I didn’t think for a minute that I would be selected. There are so many volunteers at other hospices,” she said.

Hospice New Zealand chief executive Mary Schumacher said the awards were designed to help recognise the unpaid work done in hospices by many community-minded people.

“Hospices rely hugely on the good nature of volunteers. Many services and activities would come to a halt without them. It takes a special kind of person to do such a job and I can’t thank our volunteers enough for the amazing job they do throughout the country.”

Mrs Rae began volunteering almost three years ago after a shoulder injury prevented her continuing her work as a registered nurse.

“I thought it was a great way to use my skills and get involved in the community. They are a good bunch to work with here. You give a little and you get a lot,” she said.

Waipuna’s volunteer co-ordinator Christie Norris said Mrs Rae was a deserving recipient, working 20 to 30 hours a week for nothing.

Mrs Norris said Mrs Rae’s ability to relate to people from all walks of life in a genuinely warm and non-judgemental way was something that set her apart.

Meanwhile, Mrs Stanton is a biographer at Nelson’s hospice, giving terminally ill patients a precious snapshot of their lives. She is often accompanied by her poodle Nicky.

“I get satisfaction from a job well done and the satisfaction of the patients and their families from a finished biography”.

Mrs Stanton is so dedicated to her role that she bought her own computer after becoming tired of using the hospice’s old model.

The 80-year-old also volunteers at the hospice’s inpatient unit, where she delivers meals and keeps patients company.

“And I will keep on volunteering for as long as I can – even if I’m on a mobile scooter with a walking frame hitched to the back.”

Mrs Stanton started volunteering after being inspired by the support hospice workers gave her and her husband Frank before he died. She was also a founding member of the hospice trust.

Hospice New Zealand figures show volunteers like Mrs Stanton and Mrs Rae give up more than $4 million worth of their time to the country’s hospices each year.

They are two of more than 5000 volunteers who work in hospices and donate a total of 459,485 hours a year. The figures do not include the amount of time put into fundraising, which would be another 460,000 hours.