Rita's Reflections Winter 2018

Rita’s Reflection Rita Angus Retirement Village • Winter edition 2018

On the Green Residents Ruth Fitchett and Alison Scott at the bowls tournament

A dish from chef Lawrence

Commemorating Anzac Day

Meet Alistair

Greetings from Tracey...

Hello and welcome to the winter edition of Rita’s Reflections.

their best. We all had a great evening, and I want to thank the activities team for their hard work.

As I sit here and write, I realise it has already been a few months since I returned to the village as village manager, after moving to our sister village Shona McFarlane six years ago. It feels like I never left; I’ve just been on an extended holiday!

It’s lovely to see so many familiar faces.

I am pleased to announce that we have appointed a new clinical manager, Maria Cuizon, who joined the team in July. Maria has been with Ryman for 10 years and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with us.

A lot has happened over the last few months at the village, with many events taking place. The Anzac Day service was well attended and we also celebrated Mother’s Day. More recently, we held our annual village ball where the theme was the royal wedding. It was the perfect opportunity for everyone to dress in

Please remember my door is always open if you have any queries.

Kind regards,

Tracey Sprott Village Manager

Bowls tournament We love supporting our local bowling clubs and in March we hosted a tournament with teams from Island Bay, Lyall Bay and Seatoun bowling clubs visiting to compete alongside our Rita Angus team. Congratulations to the winning team from Lyall Bay. Catherine

Tracey Sprott Village Manager Ph: 04 387 7626 Call Tracey for general enquiries, or for any information about resthome and hospital care.

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Catherine Cordwell Sales Advisor Ph: 04 387 7625 Talk to Catherine for information about independent or serviced apartments.

Out & About Several of our independent and serviced apartment residents recently visited Martinborough Manor.

It was the first visit for the residents to the interactive farm!

The farm has many different breeds of ducks, goats, and also a blind pig called Kunekune.

The owners hand-rear the animals and they are the friendliest bunch of critters you can come across. The animals all readily come to you to eat out of your hand!

The history of the farm was also very interesting and it was a day to remember.

Above: From left, Hani Lachenit, Els Rencen, Valerie McLennan, Lesley Pollock, Sheila Mottram and Norma Wood at the farm.

Right; Pamela Oakley, Romola Dudding, Sheila Mottram and Kay Currie feeding the ducks.

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It’s got to be

good enough for Mum In May 2018 Kevin Hickman announced he was standing down from the board of Ryman, ending 34 years of service at the company.

There is no doubt that Ryman Healthcare would not be the company it is today without Kevin, and everyone at Ryman wishes him all the best with his retirement.

The Ryman story began back in 1983, when Kevin was a former policeman turned private detective.

He was asked to investigate a resthome fire in Christchurch, and he did not like what he saw.

“The fire was in an old villa and there were four people to a room all with shared toilets,’’ Kevin recalls.

“To me it was crazy, the standards were so poor.

But that’s how resthomes were in those days.’’

Kevin would never dream of putting his mother into a place like that if she needed to go into care.

“I thought, what would I want for Mum?” And so, Ryman’s philosophy that care has to be “good enough for Mum” was born.

Kevin teamed up with John Ryder, an accountant, and together they made a dynamic pair.

Ryman – a combination of Ryder and Hickman – Healthcare was registered and they bought their first property to convert into a resthome in 1984.

“I thought, what would I want for Mum?” As well as providing care that was better than anywhere else, the company had to be sustainable, with its systems constantly refined and improved upon.

The size of the villages and the facilities offered may have changed over the past 30 years, but Ryman’s core philosophy remains the same.

Care is still at the heart of what we do. And it’s got to be good enough for Mum. Or Dad!

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Italian meatballs Meatballs 500g Mince beef 1 Onion diced 2 tbsp Fresh thyme 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 Egg 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs Salt & Pepper

A note from Ryman chef,

Sugo sauce 1/2 Onion, diced 1tbsp Garlic 1 tbsp Basil, chopped 1/4 cup Red wine

400g Tinned crushed tomatoes 1 Bay leaf 500ml Beef stock

Method • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

• Combine all the meatball ingredients with the beef mince and mix well, then roll them into golf ball size portions.

• Fry all the meat balls in a semi deep fry pan to seal the meat, and place them onto a baking tray.

• Use the same deep fry pan to sauté the onion, garlic, basil and bay leaf, then deglaze with red wine and add the crushed tomatoes and beef stock.

• Once the sauce starts bubbling, pour over the meatball tray.

• Cover with baking paper and foil and cook for 2 hours.

• Serve hot on a bed of mashed potatoes.

• Serves 4-5.

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Lawrence Slow cooked Italian meatballs are a resident favourite at our Weary Dunlop Retirement Village. It’s a hearty dish that blends well with our new Harvest menus, and residents love the texture and flavour.

Furthermore, it’s a healthy option and is easy to prepare.

You simply combine the ingredients and let the oven do the cooking – leaving more time to spend with your loved ones.

Weary Dunlop chef Lawrence with resident Enid McCauley

Resident Profile

Alistair Bremner

time, the war started, so most of our work was related to the Royal Navy and British Railways.

In 1953, I immigrated to New Zealand on the Captain Cook and worked for the International Harvester in Palmerston North. After 18 months I moved to Wellington and started working for Todd Motors.

In 1955, I returned to Scotland, worked for eight months, married Mary, and promptly returned to New Zealand in 1956. I worked for Todd Motors again before being hired by the Wellington Free Ambulance as their first motor mechanic.

I was born in a small town called Thurso on the north coast of Scotland.

Later, I owned a taxi and finally a service station, Big E, on Jervois Quay. For two years in a row, we had the highest petrol sales in New Zealand. This paid for our holiday to Fiji!

Hello, my name is James Bremner and I was born on 31 December 1927. On all my official documents it states that my name is James, however I have always been called Alistair.

We spent many holidays in Taupo, first in a tent, then a caravan, until finally, we built a house on the southern shore of the lake.

I was born in a small town called Thurso on the north coast of Scotland. After leaving the Military Academy and Literary Institute, I started a 5-year apprenticeship as a fitter and turner. During that

I retired in 1991 and went on my final trip to Scotland. Mary and I lived in the same house in Newlands for 58 years before deciding to move to Rita Angus in 2015. We are very happy in our apartment.

Royal wedding ball Our annual village ball coincided with the fantastic royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Our residents delighted in dressing up for the occasion and the staff made sure the village looked spectacular by decorating the village centre.

The floor was packed with residents and staff dancing to the City Jazz band. It was a fantastic evening, and we hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

Pictured: Shirley Nesbitt and Ron MacKenzie at the ball.

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Mother’s Day

Musical interlude

For Mother’s Day our care centre residents celebrated the occasion with a delicious high tea. The tables were beautifully decorated with china and the plate stands were filled with tasty morsels. Meanwhile, the serviced apartment and independent residents celebrated with a wine and cheese tasting hour, which delighted everyone!

The Scots Pipe Band recently visited the village, where 16 students showed off their skills masterfully. The pipes were so powerful and magnificent that the residents were in awe for most of the performance. By the time the performance came to an end nobody wanted them to leave!

Pictured: Our residents enjoyed a great high tea in each others company.

Above: The residents loved the performance.

Staff Profile

Introducing Rachael

Hello, my name is Railala Rachael Syb, but everyone at Rita Angus knows me as Rachael.

I am 66 years old and I was born on the island of Udu, Totoya, Fiji. My family moved to the capital of Fiji, Suva when I was three years old. As a youngster I was educated at Draiba District School and later worked at the Grand Pacific Hotel as a receptionist.

I have been living in New Zealand for 41 years.

I love this country so much.

I have been living in New Zealand for 41 years. I love this country so much. I started

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working at Rita Angus in 2003 as a caregiver on a part time basis. I have also helped out in the laundry, kitchen and activities when needed. Now I am a housekeeper in the care centre and I enjoy working there very much.

I have two daughters, four grandsons and one granddaughter. I now live alone, so I always look forward to coming to work. The team here are really supportive and I love meeting up with the residents.

Anzac Day To commemorate Anzac Day our independent and serviced apartment residents decorated the lounge for our Anzac Day service with fantastic handmade poppies. The poppies were made by cutting up red paper then attaching it to painted chopsticks for the stalk. The poppies were then gathered in bouquets and displayed.

While creating the poppies many residents shared their stories and memories from times gone by. It was an enjoyable and thoughtprovoking afternoon.

Pictured: Pat Murray, Norma Wood, Nancy Hart, van driver Sarah Meek, Dora Wong and Dot Doherty.

Upcoming events July

August

Crooners & Swooners

Rebecca Nelson concert

August

September

Travel bingo

Father’s Day

25

17

03

02

celebration

66 Coutts Street, Kilbirnie

www.ritaangus.co.nz