Superhero club: Cyrus Vandiest, Malika Bostrovas and Phoenix Federico
Inside this issue: • Children’s Party • Cashin Scholarship winner announced • Summer fine dining • Meet Romola Rita Angus Retirement Village Autumn Newsletter 2018
Rita’s Reflections
Greetings from Nina... Hello and welcome to the autumn edition of Rita’s Reflections.
assistant to the manager, and said farewell to assistant manager Sunita Govind and activities coorinator Fara Kiriau. eir We wish them well for their new ventures.
It’s been three months since I started here at Rita Angus, and it’s been a very busy time! We have had a very hot summer. Fans were distributed to keep everyone cool, and we kept hydrated by drinking orange juice and water.
The new year stated well with our surveillance audit occurring in January, with no findings. This was a very pleasing result and a testament to the team's effort.
Allan Brown, our wonderful gardener, has been working hard to get the gardens back to their beautiful state. After the removal of the scaffolding, which was up for the external refurbishment, the gardens needed some help to get back in shape. Thanks Allan for your hard work!
Kind regards,
We have a few changes in the team; we welcomed Rebecca Fieldhouse as the new
Nina Lunn Village Manager
The Ryman Season of The Nutcracker The Royal New Zealand Ballet is hard at work to bring the new production of the muchloved Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, to New Zealand’s stages. The Ryman Healthcare Season of The Nutcracker will be the RNZB’s biggest tour of 2018, opening in Wellington on 31 October and touring the rest of the country. The Nutcracker is the third tour sponsored by Ryman, following the sell-out success of The Wizard of Oz and Romeo and Juliet. For information on the discounts available for Ryman staff and residents – talk to your village manager.
Nina Lunn Village Manager Phone: 04 387 7626
Catherine Cordwell Sales Advisor Phone: 04 387 7625
Call Nina for general enquiries or any information about resthome and hospital care.
Talk to Catherine about retirement living options and availabilities in the village.
66 Coutts Street, Kilbirnie, Wellington • www.ritaangus.co.nz
Rita’s Reflections
Annual
s ’ n e r d l i Ch
y t r Pa
Our superhero themed Children's Party was a huge success as we welcomed the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the staff and residents to our village. It was a spectacular summers day! We hired a giant bouncy castle and slide, and had rabbits and guinea pigs to pet. We had games galore including sack races, and eggand-spoon races, even our village manager Nina participated in this one! Chef Laszlo Cziraki made a fantastic superhero cake and many delicious treats for everyone to enjoy.
Housekeeper Rejera Laza
r with her son
It was a great to see the young and the young-at-heart play and having fun. We cant wait to plan our next party!
We had some fun games for the kids to participate in
Everyone was cheering for the boys in the sack race
Rita’s Reflections
<generic recipe> Bob Scott bowlers take on Melbourne While most of us were sleeping off our Christmas feasts on Boxing Day, four residents from Bob Scott Retirement Village were heading to Melbourne. The winners of the Ryman lower North Island regional bowls tournament, Arie Molenaar, Shirley Wilson, Ron Scott and Reta Morris, were eager to take on Australian bowlers in the Glen Waverley Bowls Carnival. “The atmosphere was brilliant. There was a lot of interest in us and people asking how we were doing,” Arie says. The team also enjoyed their visit to Ryman’s first Melbourne village, the Weary Dunlop Retirement Village, where they had a tour and morning tea with the residents.
ta t, Shirely Wilson and Re Arie Molenaar, Ran Scot a ent Bob Scott in Australi es pr re to d ou pr re we Morris talk there. It’s a social spot,” Arie says. “Sometimes we’re there for half an hour and we don’t play bowls we just talk!”
They all agree that it is the best thing to have a bowling green in a village as it brings people together.
They all give a very big thank you to Ryman and Denise Thompson, Ryman community and relations team leader, and Russ Nicholls, from the Glen Waverley Bowls Club.
“A lot of people go there just to sit and
“We’re just so proud to be part of Ryman.”
Cashin Scholarship Winner 2018 Emma Glasson is all set to pursue her dream career after winning the $5,000 Cashin Scholarship. The 18-year-old from Invercargill has started her first year studying for a Bachelor of Commerce and she says the scholarship has eased the pressure on her family. Emma’s mum Deanna is a senior caregiver at Rowena Jackson Retirement Village in Invercargill and started there in 2012 after the family moved south from Christchurch. Emma says the earthquakes were tough on the family. “The earthquakes took a toll on us all and mum and dad decided that Invercargill would be a good place to move to.’’ Emma is the seventh winner of the scholarship established in honour of
Ryman director Mike Cashin. Blair Cashin, Mike’s son, said Emma was a deserving winner. “We were delighted to support Emma’s ambitions to study accountancy. She’s part of a family whose lives were disrupted by the earthquakes but she is a determined character who has done well at school through her hard work.’’ The scholarship is open to all Ryman staff and their families.
Rita’s Reflections
Ryman Healthcare is proud to be partnering with Child Cancer Foundation in the Haier Big Hoot. From 3 March till 6 May, 47 owl sculptures decorated by New Zealand and international artists will be displayed across Auckland. One of these owls has been sponsored by Ryman Healthcare. There will also be 60 owlets mostly decorated by children on display. Auckland sculptor Jeff Thomson has created the Ryman owl, which has landed at a location in Birkenhead. Jeff’s Tin Owl is made from corrugated iron and is quite striking against the other painted fibreglass owls. If you live, or find yourself in Auckland, grab some friends and go on a wander around the beautiful city and see if you can find Ryman’s Tin Owl! For a trail map and more information about the art trail, please visit www.thebighoot.co.nz
Rita’ss Reflections Rita
Summer fine dining
up the Our activities team decided to jazz have to monthly fine dining experience ited a summer theme and menu! We inv clothes ful our residents to dress up in bright col a beach and turned the village centre into to guest paradise. The food was a hit thanks chef Kee Chan! with Activities coordinator Sue Coventry village manager Nina Lunn
Celebrating cultures
We celebrated all cultures that can be found within Rita Angus’ care centre wa lls. Residents, families and friends all took part in singing, dancing and having a chat over a wonderful lunch. We celebrated cultures from the African continent, Europe, the Pacific Islands and of course New Zealand. Staff members Sui Lavea, Lima Ug apo and Merenaite Va'a
Introducing Rebecca Fieldhouse Hello, my name is Rebecca Fieldhouse and I am the new assistant to the manager here at Rita Angus. I have two sons. My younger son is currently training to become a registered nurse, and my eldest son is a manager at a carpet firm. When I am not working I love to be creative. I spend a lot of time in front of a sewing machine. I enjoy making wedding and prom dresses, and even make some of my own clothes! I like to think that the self-made suit I wore to the interview with Nina helped me to get this position! Before I started here, I worked as an EA for a Copthorne Hotel. I am an experienced customer solutions
specialist in the insurance industry and worked on disputes resolution, quality management, risk assessment, insurance and continuous improvement. I also have a diploma in financial services. One of my favourite quotes is by Brian Herbert: “the capacity to learn is a gift, the ability to learn is a skill, the willingness to learn is a choice.” I hope to learn a lot with my new challenge here at Rita Angus!
Rita’s Reflections
But that was short-lived. We were off again this time to Nadi Airport with Fiji Air Traffic Control. We had three daughters by then and lived in an expat settlement with a New Zealand curriculum school. Naomi, a local house girl, helped us out during that time which was wonderful!
Meet
a l o Rom
ding d u D
Hello, my name is Romola Dudding. I grew up in Taranaki with my parents and two brothers. After college, I started working at a bank. I met Barrie who was a NZ Air Force pilot at Ohakea. I loved socialising with the squadron boys – they liked to party! Barrie and I got married and moved to Blenheim. He was then posted back to Ohakea and trained as an Air Traffic Controller.
I worked for an airline and met many interesting and famous people. Barrie died when the girls were teenagers but we managed, and life continued on. When the girls left home, I moved to Hataitai. I started handcrafts, sewing and did some overseas travel. I made both the girl's wedding outfits and I gave each bride away – a bit unusual 30 years ago! Then along came the grandkids – ten of them in ten years! I am an enthusiastic sports fan, and I can't seem to be able to keep away from planes – with my 13 years as Ambassador at Wellington Airport. One day I was struggling to walk up my stairs and my daughter Helen said: "it's time you went, Mum." ‘Went’ I did – to my 13th home – here at Rita Angus. I am content and happy, and think it's a great place to live.
Shortbread The Ralph Family Recipe Makes approx 30 pieces Ingredients: 250g butter 3/4 cup caster sugar 1/2 cup cornflower
2 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt
Method: • Cream butter and sugar well. • Add sifted flour, cornflour and salt. • Knead well, roll out fairly thick (1cm). • Cut into pieces, place on cold greased tray and prick with a fork.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes 180°C. • Leave to cool. Enjoy!
Rita’s Reflections
Village BBQ February was BBQ season, and everyone enjoyed a tasty lunch with a variety of meats and salads. The atrium was set up for our independent and serviced apartment residents, and was decorated in a summer theme. Care centre residents and their families also enjoyed a beach-themed BBQ. The food was delicious and for dessert we enjoyed ice cream – a Kiwi classic!
Claire Winder with her da
ughter at the BBQ
Upcoming Events Easter celebrations Anzac service ion Mother’s Day celebrat Midwinter solstice