Long overdue, we are publishing a Newsletter for our volunteers and supporters. Welcome to this first issue. The Newsletters will generally be published quarterly, but more frequently as needed when there is news to communicate.
The Newsletters will be sent to all on our volunteers and supporters email register, it will be available on our website at www.uppercluthahospicetrust.org and printed copies will be available at our Hospice Shop and at our Warehouse.
As this is the first issue, it covers a range of news over recent months as catch-up for readers, some of which will be “old news” to a number of readers….. please bear with us as we get all readers up to speed!
Our Volunteer Teams
The Trust’s operations depend on our volunteer teams, and our Trustees and Managers really appreciate the support that the teams provide. We have four separate teams as follows:
• The Shop Volunteers – this is a big team that supports our Shop 6 days a week
• The Warehouse Volunteers – this is a smaller team that does the behind the scenes work of receiving, sorting and pricing of the stock donated to us, to be ready for sale.
• The “Honeyrunners” (yes it is a strange name, but it has stuck!) – a small team that moves stock between the Warehouse and Shop and vice-versa, using the Trust’s van
• General Supporters – this is a group of individuals who take care of a wide variety of tasks, including Roy Tempero repairing and making jewellery, Harry Clark checking all electrical items before they are put out for sale, Dan Pinkney who assists with stock pickups and deliveries, Bev Rudkin who helps in all sorts of ways and Anne McKenzie who amongst other things looks after our on-line trading.
A huge thankyou to all the volunteers who support our various activities, and a very warm welcome to those volunteers who have just joined us.
We are always looking for new people to join one of our volunteer teams. If you know of someone who would like to assist us please get them to contact Jill Milward at the Shop or Tracey Morrow at the Warehouse or one of our Trustees.
Change to Shop/Retail Manager
Farewell Jenni
In April Jenni Nolan resigned to take up an opportunity she had been offered with a new start-up business in Wanaka. While very sorry to loose Jenni, we understand her desire to take up the new opportunity offered to her, and wish her every success in her new role. Jenni did a great job for us as the Shop Manager and readers will have enjoyed her cheerful personality in the Shop!
Welcome Jill
A chance conversation between Pamela McGeorge and Jill Milward at a COOTS exhibition in Arrowtown shortly after Jenni’s resignation, introduced us to Jill Milward. Jill a new permanent resident of Wanaka after holidaying here for some years from Timaru, was looking for a position…… and the rest is history, with the Trustees being delighted to appoint Jill to the expanded position of Retail Manager for the Trust.
Jill has strong previous retail experience, and came strongly recommended from Plunket in Timaru, where she had been responsible for managing their southern South Island volunteer team. As Retail Manager, Jill is responsible for the Trust’s retail activities both at the Shop and also at the Warehouse.
Expansion of the Warehouse Operations
When we moved to the new warehouse premises in Gordon Road in September 2017, our anticipation was that with the big increase in space available, we would have space to spare and could have a display/sales area for larger furniture items, over-night storage for the van etc. Well it hasn’t really worked out that way!
We have been deluged by the community’s generous donations of clothing and goods to sell, such that the warehouse is bursting at its seams. There is now no spare space. Warehouse Manager Tracey Morrow and assistant Ronalda Clarke, supported by the Warehouse volunteers have done wonders to keep on top of the accumulating stock.
We started selling larger items directly from the Warehouse and rapidly found that there were customers who liked the cramped “second hand shop” atmosphere of the warehouse in preference to our elegant shop, and warehouse sales soared. We now offer both the elegant Shop sales environment and the Warehouse environment to our customers. To coordinate all our retail sales activities we have appointed Jill Milward as Retail Manager, responsible for both our Shop and Warehouse sales. Tracey Morrow is responsible for the warehousing operation.
Retail Trading Activity
Our retail trading in the year to March 31, 2018 has continued to flourish, with our trading income up 21% over the previous year. This is a very satisfactory result and is a real credit to all involved in our Shop, Warehouse and online trading activities. The support of our retail activities by the community and visitors is simply magnificent.
Our Shop continues to be our main retail centre, but retail sales from the Warehouse are now quite significant and have boosted our total sales in an unexpected manner. We have been relatively slow to expand our online sales , but Anne McKenzie, Roy Tempero and Tracey Morrow have recently put more emphasis on this trading channel, and the revenues achieved are growing strongly.
New Logo for the Trust
Readers will have noted that we changed the Trust’s logo earlier in the year. The previous “little lady” logo developed by volunteer Arlene Bell, had served us well, but the trustees felt that it was time to modernise our logo and use it consistently across all our premises, vehicles, printed materials etc. We are steadily widening the use of the new logo, and the general responses we have received have been favourable.
The Trust has been Incorporated
With the Trust having now developed significant assets, the Trustees considered that it was time to incorporate the Trust under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957. This makes the Trust a “body corporate” strengthening its legal standing and reducing the Trustees personal exposure. Our full legal name is now the Upper Clutha Hospice Trust Board. This incorporation will have no effect on the general functioning of the Trust.
Our thanks to Tony Horder of Wanaka Law for advising us and assisting with the incorporation process.
Appointment of Additional Trustees
At its April meeting, the Trustees welcomed the appointment of Management Committee members Anne McKenzie and Ross Parry as Trustees, with both having made strong contributions to the Trust’s work.
Anne is a very active volunteer both at the Shop and at the Warehouse, and has worked with Bev Rudkin in soliciting the donation of goods and services for our fundraising auctions.
Anne has also recently expanded our on-line presence and trading, both with the Wanaka Trading Post and Trade-Me. With her drive, our level of on-line trading has increased greatly. This is an important adjunct to our retail activity in promoting the Shop and Warehouse, and as a vehicle for the sale of special/higher value items to a wider audience beyond the Upper Clutha.
Ross Parry, who has a very strong background in retailing, is the Trustee responsible for the general direction of our retailing and warehouse operations. Our paid managers Jill & Tracey report to Ross. If readers have at any time suggestions or concerns re our retailing, pricing and warehousing please pass these to Ross and he will action them as appropriate.
The Stina Mooyman Palliative & Respite Care Suite has a busy first full year
The Suite opened in September 2016, so the 2017-18 financial year to March 31, 2018 was its first full year of operation. It had over 85% occupancy for the first 9 months of the financial year, but since December 2017 the occupancy has been significantly reduced.
For the first nine months of the financial year, we were only able to cater for palliative care patients at the end of their lives, but with the reduced demand for residential palliative support in the Suite in 2018 so far, we have been able to provide much needed respite care. This has relieved home carers with short patient stays in the Suite. Our occupancy experience lines up with that experienced by Otago Community Hospice in the rest of Otago.
With the high Suite occupancy experienced in 2017, we have started to think about adding the second patient room to the Suite, and we have targeted several fundraising events to this end. A final decision on adding the second patient room will be based on the demand for the Suite in 2018.
Wanaka Golf Club Supports the Trust
Wanaka golf provided magnificent support to the Trust in early 2018.
The Wanaka Golf Club Professional Allan Rose and his wife Maree chose our Trust to be the beneficiary of the ProAm Tournament that they organised, and made a significant donation to the Trust. The Wanaka scene made a huge impact on the ProAm players from throughout NZ, and they were very generous in their support of our Trust. We look forward to being involved with Allan & Maree in future annual ProAm Tournaments in Wanaka.
For the second time, the Wanaka Golf Club chose our Trust to be the beneficiary of their annual Hirepool Weekend Golf Tournament in March. The Club made a very generous donation to the Trust, and we were able to hold a spirited auction at the closing ceremony for the tournament.
Through the efforts of Bev Rudkin, Anne McKenzie, Penny & John Wilson and others we lined up a large range of items to be auctioned from our very generous community. Once again Yeverly McCarthy and Geoff Kerr were the auctioneers and they achieved a record result with over $30,000 raised on the night. The Trust’s team were astounded by one generous golfer who had not been successful in purchasing anything at the auction, but gave us a $300 donation as he left the function!
Strengthened Cooperation between our Trust and Otago Community Hospice
Since the inception of our Trust in 2013, we have cooperated with, and been complementary to the Otago Community Hospice (OCH). One of our Trust’s key policies is not to duplicate services provided by other parties such as the OCH.
Our Trust provides:
• the Stina Mooyman Palliative & Respite Care Suite at the Aspiring Enliven Care Centre
• equipment for use by the District Nurses in caring for the terminally ill in the community
• financial support for palliative care training for Upper Clutha care givers
• financial support to terminal patients for GP fees, and use of the Trust’s palliative care Suite as required.
The OCH provides support to those with terminal illnesses living in their own homes in the community, through their Central Otago Coordinator Team based in Cromwell. The Coordinators visit the Upper Clutha as needed. The OCH also have Doctors and Nurses who are palliative care specialists, and these clinicians are in the Upper Clutha regularly supporting the OCH Coordination Team, local GPs and aged care facilities.
With the Trust established as the major fundraiser in the Upper Clutha supporting care for the terminally ill, we have agreed to assist the OCH by contributing towards the cost of their work in the Upper Clutha. Additionally, the two organisations will be working together to present a joint face to palliative care in the district. For the 2018-19 financial year, the Trust has made a contribution of $30,000 to the OCH towards the cost of their work in the Upper Clutha, and annual contributions are anticipated.
We believe that through closer cooperation between the two organisations we will both be able to better serve the needs for palliative and respite care in the Upper Clutha.
Upcoming Fundraising Event
Peter Marshall is organising a “Viking Ball” on Saturday August 4, at his Corbridge Estate venue, and has chosen the Trust to be the beneficiary of this event. An auction is to be held during the evening, from which the Trust will benefit and some handsome items are being lined up for the auction.
This is will be a major mid-winter social event in Wanaka, and tickets are now on sale at events@tregoldproductions.com
Contact Us
Retail Manager: Jill Milward 443 4142
Warehouse Manager: Tracey Morrow 443 5894
Trust Retail Director: Ross Parry
Trust Secretary: Margaret Hay 443 9210
Trust Chairman: Russell McGeorge 443 9176
Visit our website at: https://uppercluthahospicetrust.org/
Visit us on Facebook:
See us on Trade Me:
See us on Wanaka Trading Post:
