Ryman Times New Zealand Edition Summer 2018/2019

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Ryman Times New Zealand Edition Summer 2018/19

Martin Crowe apartments opened

Sir Murray Halberg honoured at LynďŹ eld

Ryman wins Quality Award

The Nutcracker brings festive cheer

A note from Gordy Kia Ora and welcome to your summer edition of the Ryman Times.

A few weeks ago, I sat down with the team to take stock of what’s been, and where we want to go next. We do this every six months ahead of our results, it’s a ritual for us and an important one in the lifecycle of any company.

It’s probably the sort of thing a lot of you will do in a few weeks on New Year’s Eve. Once again, I’m putting gym attendance at the top of my list!

Luckily Ryman, unlike me, is good at sticking to its resolutions.

When I take stock, it never ceases to amaze me how much we have going on and the milestones we manage to achieve.

But the really exciting part for me is looking forward and wondering at the possibilities ahead of us.

One thing you can be assured of – we will be focusing on improving the experience of living and working in a Ryman village in 2019.

Because that's what we're all about.

Innovating, delighting our residents, caring for them beautifully and giving them and their families great comfort and security is what makes us tick.

I see their care and security as our special purpose as a company.

We have what I believe is a winning formula and it is our mission to build as many Ryman communities as we can, so that we can share what we do.

There is no way we could tackle that task without the support of our residents and their families.

I got a great glimpse into the power of the relationship our teams have with families when I met Margaret Doerner at an art exhibition at Essie Summers in Christchurch.

Margaret’s husband was in our care at

Essie Summers. She’s been an artist and teacher for more than 60 years, and a few years back she decided to help her husband and Essie’s other residents with dementia by running art classes as a form of therapy.

She teamed up with Lavinia Quinn, the activities coordinator in the special care unit, to run the classes and this year was their third exhibition of the residents’ art.

They run a special exhibition night in the unit, and the residents’ families and friends all come along to see their work.

The residents love the classes, their families can’t believe what they have achieved, and we’ve made their art into a calendar to raise money for the Stroke Foundation.

There is an extraordinary bond between our staff, our residents and their families.

It makes me very proud to work for Ryman.

I hope the inspiration you see in these pages – the causes we support, the great partners we have helping us, and the inspirational people like Sir Murray Halberg, Jack Chalker and Martin Crowe that we honour, will make you feel the same way too.

Have a great summer everyone.

Regards,

In this issue 3

Martin Crowe apartments launched

4

Sir Murray honoured at Lynfield village

6 7

Bob's moved next door

8

Plain English Award for Ryman Healthcare

9

Ryman wins for exceptional customer service

Investing in care and growth

10 Essie Summers residents embrace art

11 Otago Furniture creates designs for Ryman village life

12 A special festive treat 14 The Long Road Home 15 Focus groups take Safer

Together to the next level

16 Art exhibition showcases bravery of Jack Chalker

Ryman Healthcare Ltd Airport Business Park, 92 Russley Road, Christchurch PO Box 771, Christchurch 8042 0800 588 222 www.rymanhealthcare.co.nz

Gordon MacLeod Chief Executive

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Front cover: The New Zealand Mounted Rifles Charitable Trust ride in support of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress injury.

Martin Crowe's family – Deb, Audrey and Emma Crowe – were on hand to open the apartment block.

Martin Crowe apartments launched New Zealand cricket great Martin Crowe MBE has been honoured at Bert Sutcliffe Retirement Village.

Martin's mum Audrey, sister Deb and daughter Emma were on hand to see the final block at the village named after the master batsman who died in 2016 at the age of 53.

The village centre was packed with residents and visitors as the Crowe family officially opened the new apartments, which also marked the completion of the village.

Deb Crowe said her brother would have been pleased.

“I just want to thank Ryman Healthcare and the Sutcliffe family for inviting him into your fold and inviting us here today and for creating this wing. I can honestly say from my heart that he will be the best guardian angel over that wing. He will be right there.

“He will be very proud as we are, really proud, to be involved with this village, so thrilled to bits and thank you so much, we really appreciate it.”

Ryman Healthcare names its villages in honour of significant New Zealanders and Australians.

The village was named after Bert Sutcliffe, former New Zealand cricket captain, and each apartment building is named after a Kiwi cricketer.

The 60-apartment Crowe block is the final stage in the four-year construction project.

Gordon MacLeod thanked the Crowes for their support.

“We were absolutely delighted when the Crowe family agreed to allow us to honour him by naming our final building in the village after Martin.

“To boys like me – and to many generations of New Zealanders – he was a sporting legend. He was an extraordinary talent.

“It seems to me that he was just one of those people, blessed with extraordinary sporting genes and he made the most of them.

“Of course, there was much more to Martin than what he did on the field.

He was a family man, a great thinker, and he was tireless in his support for young players.”

Gordon also thanked the Ryman construction team for their hard work over four years.

Work first started on this site back in 2014 and at the height of the construction programme there were more than 500 workers on site.

More than 996,000 hours of labour went in to the village, with the team using 486 tonnes of structural steel, 35,000 cubic metres of concrete and 720,000 bricks to build it.

Gordon thanked all of the staff at Ryman who helped in the construction of the village, including Matt Hutchinson, Matt Bell, Pele Vaaga, Glenn Scott, Scott Redmond, Devon Melrose, Gordon McKenna, Ricky Ciabanu, Damien Meehan, Ben van Heerden and the members of the team still onsite.

Village Manager Marika Laflamme also officially opened the bowling green with the help of resident bowlers.

The ceremony marked the completion of the village.

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Sir Murray honoured at Lynfield village Ryman Healthcare has named its new Auckland retirement village in honour of sporting and charity legend Sir Murray Halberg.

Sir Murray became a household name in New Zealand in the 1950s and 1960s as a talented long-distance runner with a string of successes on the athletics track.

He competed at the Empire Games in Vancouver in 1954 and the Olympics in Melbourne in 1956, before winning a gold medal in the Empire Games in the three-mile event at Cardiff in 1958.

Sir Murray’s greatest success came at the Rome Olympics in 1960, when he took gold in the 5,000 metres.

He also won the three miles at the Empire Games in Perth in 1962 and set the world twoand three-mile records. He was the first New Zealander to run a mile in under four minutes.

Sir Murray put his fame he gained through athletics to good use.

In 1963, he founded the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation with the aim of ensuring that all New Zealanders, regardless of their ability, should have an equal opportunity to enhance their lives through sport and recreation.

His foundation has since worked tirelessly to make that vision a reality for New Zealand’s physically disabled people and has helped thousands of children realise their dreams through sport.

“He then used that fame to help countless disabled New Zealanders realise their dreams and to enhance their lives.”

The annual Halberg Sport Awards, New Zealand’s premier annual award event, was also named after the illustrious sportsman.

Sir Murray spotted the potential to revitalise what were the New Zealand Sports Awards in the 1960s, turning them into a highlight of the country’s annual calendar.

Gordon MacLeod said it was an honour to name the village after such a significant Kiwi.

“Sir Murray is a visionary New Zealander who epitomises Kiwi values. As an athlete he was world class, overcoming extreme odds to become the best in the world through sheer hard work and determination.

“He then used that fame to help countless disabled New Zealanders realise their dreams and to enhance their lives.

“Despite his great achievements he has been kind, modest, self-effacing and completely focussed on others. If there were more Sir Murray Halbergs about, the world would be a better place.

“We are honoured to be able to name the village after this fine Aucklander, and I am sure it is a name that everyone in our village community will be proud of.”

Construction of the new Murray Halberg Retirement Village on Tropicana Drive in Lynfield began last year and its first residents moved in last month.

Murray Halberg winning the 5,000m in Rome.

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Gordon MacLeod, Ryman Times Halberg •5 Foundation Chief Executive Shelley McMeeken, Operations Manager Anne-Maree Broom and Marketing and Communications Manager Bonnie Smail at the event.

Sales Advisors Frances Quirk and Michelle Garland welcome Bob to his new home.

Bob’s moved next door!

The first resident of Ryman’s Murray Halberg village is settling into his brand-new apartment after moving in from just a few metres away.

Bob Caley has lived next door on Tropicana Drive, which leads up to the village site, for 50 years, meaning the move was also a new record for the moving company.

“The guy said it was the shortest distance he’s ever had to move someone,” laughed Bob, who for the last year has been watching the progress of his new apartment being built from the comfort of his back yard.

“I could see where my apartment was going to be, and I realised I would be able to see the house from the far end of the balcony of the apartment,” said Bob. Not only that, he will have a clear view of the rest of the complex while it gets built since his living room looks out onto the heart of the village.

His verdict? “Good! Yes, it’s lovely.

“It’s been a bit of a worry up until now getting everything sorted but the girls have been excellent,” he said, referring to his three daughters

Denise, Joanne and Fiona.

Both the views and the apartment prompted wows from the daughters who were there on the day to help their dad move in.

“It’s good for all of us to know he’s safe and secure and he won’t have to deal with things as they start to break down in the house,” said Joanne.

“Knowing he’s settled in here will take away quite a lot of that worry for us.”

Bob and his late wife Val bought their section on Tropicana Drive for £2,000 from Bill Subritzsky who was also the former owner of the village site.

Bill went on to develop the whole of the street as part of the Parade of Homes, which were unveiled by the then finance minister Rob Muldoon in 1968.

As part of his welcome into his new home Bob was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers by sales advisors Frances Quirk and Michelle Garland, plus a lunch platter to tide the family over during the big move.

There were Ryman staff on hand to shift his furniture up from the basement and brief him on how everything works.

Bob with his daughters (L-R): Fiona, Denise and Joanne.

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New villages Ryman's proposed new village on Lincoln Road, Auckland.

Investing in care and growth Ryman Healthcare’s unaudited first half underlying profit rose 13.9% to $97.1 million thanks to strong demand at new villages, and momentum is expected to build in the second half, with two new Auckland villages coming on stream.

Ryman shareholders received an increased interim dividend of 10.8 cents per share, up 13.7% in line with underlying profit growth, on December 14.

Reported (IFRS) profit, which includes unrealised fair value gains on investment property, was $169.5 million, down $33.1 million (16.3%). Last year’s first half result was boosted by changes to the independent valuation assumptions.

There have been no significant changes to the assumptions in the first half.

The growth in underlying profit was driven by strong development margins, particularly from Ryman’s second village in Melbourne. Ryman’s unique villages and high-quality care offering continued to be in strong demand, with low resale stock and care occupancy in established

villages at 97%. Operating cashflows were $217.8 million, up 24.4% on the same period last year.

“We’ve had another solid first half result as new villages have come on stream and we have a great pipeline of villages to develop.

Demand for our new villages is strong, with the highest ever value of contracts for new units sold off plan going into the second half,” Chairman Dr David Kerr said.

“We’re in a strong financial position to support our care ambitions; net assets passed the $2 billion mark and we invested a record $304 million in new and existing villages in the first half.”

“Investment in our core business – the care of residents and the happiness of the staff who look after them – stepped up in the first half and we are committed to constantly improving.”

Gordon MacLeod said a highlight of the first half was progress in Victoria, where Ryman was building momentum towards achieving its target of having five villages open in Victoria by 2020.

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New village programme: •

Greenlane, Auckland: Final stage nearing completion.

•

Brandon Park, Melbourne: First residents moved in.

•

Lynfield, Auckland: First residents moved in.

•

Devonport, Auckland: Residents due 2019.

•

River Rd, Hamilton: Earth works under way.

•

Coburg, Melbourne: Early site works due to begin.

•

Burwood East, Melbourne: Site works due to begin.

•

Lincoln Rd, Auckland: Work set to begin.

New villages in planning and design phase: •

Geelong, Victoria.

•

Mt Eliza, Victoria.

•

Mt Martha, Victoria.

•

Aberfeldie, Victoria.

•

Ocean Grove, Victoria.

•

Hobsonville, Auckland.

•

Havelock North, Hawkes Bay.

•

Karori, Wellington.

•

Newtown, Wellington.

•

Park Terrace, Christchurch.

Rebecca Schumacher, Christine Smith, Michelle Perkins and Jasmine Aldwin collect the Plain English Award.

Plain English Award for Ryman Healthcare Ryman Healthcare has won a plain English award for its 2018 annual report.

The awards are a public pat on the back for organisations who champion the art of communicating in plain English.

Gordon MacLeod said the aim was to create an annual report that set out Ryman’s story clearly and concisely for long-term investors, as well as anyone new to Ryman Healthcare.

The judges for the WriteMark Plain English Awards praised Ryman for its approach.

“We have a strong example of how a company can take complex information and share the details both with clarity and with compelling storytelling. Kudos!

“The report tells an extremely engaging story that would undoubtedly appeal to a general reader. The report is very accessible to all audiences. And it is a good example of plain writing and information design.”

Ryman Healthcare worked with Christine Smith at Clearspace and the team at Ocean Design to produce the report.

Gordon said Ryman has a focus

on communicating clearly throughout its business and had been training people to use plain language for years.

Ryman had also introduced plain language agreements for its residents and had earned praise from the legal community for the readerfriendly approach.

“Writing in plain English is part of being open and transparent and it sometimes takes a lot more effort to write something simply and clearly than you’d think,” Gordon said.

“The annual report is the latest part of what has been a big team

“We have a strong example of how a company can take complex information and share the details with clarity and with compelling storytelling. Kudos!” effort for a long time. I am proud of everyone who helped.

“The challenge is to make next year’s even better.”

The annual report was praised for its use of Plain English.

Caption

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Ryman Healthcare celebrates another award for quality service.

Ryman wins for exceptional customer service Ryman Healthcare has been voted the top retirement village operator in New Zealand for its exceptional customer service.

Ryman won the gold medal in the 2019 Reader's Digest Quality Service Award as the retirement village operator that Kiwis believe best demonstrates excellent customer service.

The company also won the award in 2015, 2017, and 2018.

Gordon MacLeod credited Ryman's staff with the achievement.

“Winning an award like this isn't possible without an enormous amount of hard work by our team of 5,000. It is a great accolade which everyone can celebrate.

“Winning once is nice, I think winning four times is a result of our team's dedication to constantly improving what we do for our residents.”

Gordon said Ryman had a whole lot of innovations lined up for the coming year that would take its service to a new level.

Residents, their families and staff were regularly surveyed to ensure standards were maintained across the board.

Reader's Digest commissions the

awards annually, calling upon Catalyst Market Research to survey New Zealanders' opinions of a range of service providers.

A total of 41 categories were surveyed with 1,500 New Zealanders asked to rate their experience of service by a range of businesses and organisations they have used.

Those surveyed were asked to rate service providers based on whether an individual customer experience was provided; were expectations met or even exceeded; was dealing with the company quick and easy; and whether a genuine insight into the customer's needs was demonstrated.

Reader's Digest introduced the Quality Services Awards in 2015 with the intention of offering New Zealand consumers the opportunity to share their views about companies that consistently deliver the best customer service. That information then provides the public with a list of companies they can turn to, knowing they can expect an excellent level of service.

Reader's Digest APAC group editor Louise Waterson says receiving a Quality Service Award is a great achievement.

Ryman Times • 9

“Achieving a positive customer service experience takes careful and measured execution. But it also makes good business sense and we believe deserves acknowledgement.”

The methodology behind the awards involved asking those surveyed when they had last used each of the listed brands.

All the organisations used were then rated – on a score of one to 10 – for providing a personalised service, for understanding how customers feel, for making dealing with the company quick and easy, and for delivering on expectations.

The survey respondents were then asked open-ended questions that were drivers of positive/ negative experiences.

Feedback revealed customers are extremely likely to recommend a company if it offers easy and efficient service, excellent value, and knowledgeable and professional staff.

Ryman Healthcare has also won the Readers' Digest Most Trusted Brand award in the retirement villages category four times, which recognised companies who have built trust and have a loyal following.

Gordon MacLeod with artist Margaret Doerner and Essie Summers Village Manager Rosemary Deane.

Essie Summers residents embrace art That painting is good for the soul has been proven over and over at Essie Summers village, which in mid-November hosted a Special Care Art Exhibition for the third year running.

Residents, families and special guests had a fabulous opening night. The exhibition reflected the passion and organisation skills of art teacher Margaret Doerner and staff at the village.

Margaret, alongside Activities Coordinator Lavinia Quinn, runs weekly classes for those at the care unit, many of whom have dementia.

Margaret's husband was a resident, and she started the classes as therapy

for him, and she hasn't stopped since.

The show was a delight for the families. More than 50 attended the first night, including Gordon MacLeod, New Zealand Operations Manager Liz Dilger and Village Manager Rosemary Deane.

Margaret trained as a teacher and has taught art for much of her life but says the last few years of tutoring have provided the most surprises.

Some special care residents have never painted in their adult lives, but their natural talent on art paper soon appears during lessons, Margaret, a Christchurch octogenarian, says.

“I’m amazed they all have that natural ability. A lot of the family

The fabulous art created by the residents.

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members are really impressed with what they do, and then they say to me ‘but my mother, father, whatever they are, has never painted before’ and I say, well they’ve never had the opportunity.”

Last year’s set of paintings were eventually exhibited at the Christchurch South Public Library.

This year the fabulous marketing team has made the art into a 2019 calendar which is being sold to raise funds for the Stroke Foundation.

Relatives and others have been able to get a calendar from the village.

Margaret’s husband, Graeme, who passed away in 2016, was a dementia resident at Essie Summers. During his life he had been a Royal Doulton designer, a sculptor and painter, and so art sessions for him and other village residents seemed to fit, she said.

Margaret enjoys the laughter and feedback she gets from her ‘students’ during an hour painting session.

“There was one lady … she only talked when she painted. She never talked the whole time down there (at the village) but she’d talk and tell me what she was painting, so it is quite fascinating how they get into it.”

Working the high-speed router in the earlier days.

Otago Furniture creates designs for Ryman village life One of Ryman Healthcare’s formative village suppliers – Otago Furniture – is celebrating 150 years in business in 2018.

The Dunedin-based business has links with Ryman Healthcare that date back to the early 1990s, however its own origins date back much further to 1868.

It has seen highs and lows in the furniture trade including events such as the post-World War II boom and a downturn following economic setting changes introduced by Labour’s Roger Douglas in the mid-1980s.

In more recent years the firm has concentrated on ‘high end’ furniture and with that quality was able to form strong relationships with customers such as Ryman and hotel operators including The Hermitage.

Like Ryman its longevity is helped by a dedicated team of staff. Two of them have worked there for about 46 or 47 years, while others have worked at the company for more than 30 years!

Manager Roye Haugh, the great-granddaughter of the founders, Francis and Catherine Butterfield, says Otago Furniture has adapted with the changing times but each

year brings fresh challenges.

It is amazing to think the company has survived through thick and thin, Roye says. But it is the formation of relationships that has helped it stay the course.

Otago Furniture Commercial Manager Allan Brown and Ryman staff first worked together on the supply of furniture for villages including Frances Hodgkins and Rowena Jackson.

For Ryman, the team produces items like chairs, tables and sofas for areas such as the libraries, reflection rooms, theatres, lounges, and dining areas. There’s also bedroom furniture

including side cabinets and chests and bedroom chairs.

The relationship has been helped

by Ryman’s growth. At its full year result in May Ryman revealed it has 16 new villages in the pipeline. Otago Furniture is happy to be in the mix.

“The relationship is growing stronger I think, as we understand their requirements and their particular specifications,” Roye says.

“We make all the pieces quite sturdy. We use all our traditional methods ... We try and help (Ryman) get what they want, and they are great to work for.”

Otago Furniture Commercial Manager Roye Haugh.

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A special festive treat Christmas was extra magical this year for Ryman’s residents and staff thanks to the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s beautiful production of festive favourite, The Nutcracker.

Each year Ryman supports a full ballet season, and The Nutcracker was a huge success, playing to sold out audiences around the country.

While residents, staff and their families were eligible for discounted tickets, there were a host of activities at villages for those who could not make it along.

“We've been a long-term supporter of the RNZB for one simple reason. We love what the ballet does for New Zealand and for our residents.”

The Ryman family jumped in behind The Nutcracker theme by transforming village receptions into Nutcracker sets and there were Nutcracker dolls from Whangarei to Invercargill.

The activities teams also lined up a host of activities for residents who got

cracking making dolls, gingerbread houses, mouse soldiers, sugar plum fairies and chocolate dancers.

Villages also held Nutcracker-themed balls as the highlight event for the season.

The Nutcracker followed in a grand tradition of support for the ballet seasons.

Gordon MacLeod said Ryman loves to support the ballet.

“The Nutcracker is a beautiful seasonal tale and the team at Ryman Healthcare jumped at the chance to support this magical ballet on its tour of New Zealand.

“We’ve been a long-term supporter of the RNZB for one simple reason. We love what the ballet does for New Zealand and for our residents.

“We don’t just write a cheque and send a logo for a website. The ballet has become part of what we do each year as a company.”

Each year the dancers visit our villages and take part in exercise classes with our residents.

And the ballet’s own Super Senior, Sir Jon Trimmer, and his moustache, is a regular visitor as well.

Next year Ryman will be supporting the ballet’s Hansel and Gretel season, so planning is under way to transform our villages into forests.

The story of The Nutcracker Our story begins on Christmas Eve, as Tchaikovsky’s fairy-tale music fills the air and Marie is given a nutcracker doll by her mysterious Uncle Drosselmeier. Falling asleep on the sofa, she dreams a Christmas dream of magic and romance…

As the clock strikes midnight, the drawing room is transformed into a battleground.

Skirmishes break out between toy soldiers, led by the brave Nutcracker, and the motley crew of mice who emerge from the shadows of the skirting boards. All seems lost, but clever Marie saves the day, and the handsome Nutcracker Prince sweeps her away on a snowy journey to the enchanted Marzipan Castle.

Welcomed to the magical kingdom by the Sugar Plum Fairy, Marie and her Prince are captivated by dances representing tea, coffee, chocolate, marzipan and flowers.

The dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy brings the entertainment to a climax in one of ballet’s most beloved showpieces.

As the night ends, Marie awakes on Christmas morning, knowing that the sweetest memories are made with those whom we love.

The Nutcracker was first performed in 1892 in Moscow and has gone on to become one of the world’s best loved ballets, especially at Christmas time.

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Ryman Times • 13

Mark Appleton leads the charge.

The Long Road Home Ryman Healthcare is a proud sponsor and supporter of a high-country trek that aims to make sure veterans suffering from a post-traumatic stress injury get the right help.

The project was launched at Charles Upham Retirement Village in November, with residents hearing from the charity-based group.

The New Zealand Mounted Rifles Charitable Trust (NZMRT) will walk and ride 10 horses across the central South Island in January to commemorate the end of World War 1 and raise money for military veterans.

The Long Road Home begins at St Arnaud on January 5, 2019 and will follow a 110 km route across the High Country to Hanmer Springs.

The Rangiora-based village residents had tears in their eyes when they heard of the pressures young veterans face when returning from theatres of war, like Afghanistan.

Organiser Mark Appleton, a member of the NZMRT, says a givealittle page is one way the trust

is raising funds for people suffering post-traumatic stress injury or PTSI. There are an estimated 30,000 veterans from various campaigns living in New Zealand. PTSI can also have an impact on some in the military who don’t serve in a war zone, and the families of those affected.

“It’s a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances. It’s really prevalent in the military at the moment; for all these young fellows from Afghanistan …,” Appleton says.

“When they come home they really struggle making that transition from the military and danger and coming back into this beautiful civilian life that we have.”

Charitable Trust trustee Bernard Shapiro said unfortunately many of those returning from WWI and other campaigns suffering PTSI had committed suicide, unless given help.

“What we want to be able to do is highlight the fact that you don’t need to walk alone … What we’re here to do is try and give them the assistance that they need, to get on to places

Ryman Times • 14

that will give them that help.”

The Long Road Home follows part of a route taken by soldiers returning from the Great War 100 years ago.

“What we want to be able to do is highlight the fact that you don't need to walk alone.”

A parade of 30 trust members will be held in Blenheim before the highcountry march begins, and another parade will be held in Hanmer Springs to mark the end of the event on January 11.

The trust’s work has the support of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association (RSA), with sponsorship from Ryman Healthcare.

So far more than $1,900 has been raised for The Long Road Home cause through a givealittle page.

Visit nzmrct.com, their facebook. com/NZMRCT or their givealittle page on givealittle.co.nz/cause/we-willremember-them.

The construction safety forum members are raring to go!

Focus groups take Safer Together to the next level Staff from across Ryman have been getting together to take the Safer Together drive to the next level.

Two safety forums, split between operations and construction, drew Ryman representatives from both sides of the Tasman for a brainstorming session in Christchurch in November.

The forums were designed to be a ‘manager free zone’ where frontline staff came together to collaborate on safety.

“We want everyone home safe, every day.”

The meetings saw ideas emerge as to how to better deal with situations both during the construction of new villages and when running resident operations.

Topics included easier and better hazard and risk reporting methods at village sites, and how to improve the running of safety meetings, and how to act on the feedback received.

There are 11 members of the operations forum and 12 members

of the construction forum including contractor representatives.

Facilitators from Ryman’s health and safety, gardening and property teams were also involved.

Gordon MacLeod said the aim of the forums was to bring frontline staff together to follow through on the messages delivered at the Safer Together expo held in September.

“We wanted to get on-the-ground staff with frontline knowledge together in a manager-free environment to take the safety message to the next level. We want to listen to the voices of the people working on the ground who know the most about what’s going on.”

The Safer Together summit was held in Auckland in September.

The company closed 10 construction sites on both sides of the Tasman for the day and gathered 350 representatives from construction, villages and offices to talk about safety.

Gordon MacLeod told everyone gathered at the summit they had his express permission to stop what they

Ryman Times • 15

are doing if they don’t feel safe doing it; to stop others doing unsafe things and to speak up if they weren’t being supported to work safely “We want everyone home safe, every day,” Gordon said.

The November forums were the first of many. The good work already carried out will be built on by the members of the forums in 2019.

Great ideas and energy were shown during the creative sessions, and the feeling was that the good safety work started this year by Ryman needed to be shared.

Each forum group went away having identified six ideas or topics for further discussion and development.

In 2019 they plan to meet in March, July and November to build on their ethos of teamwork.

Ryman Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Debbie McClure and Regional Sales Manager Angela Barraclough with Gary Simmons, whose father was on the Thai-Burma railway.

Art exhibition showcases bravery of Jack Chalker When prisoner of war Jack Chalker captured in his drawings the atrocities inflicted on allied soldiers on the Thai-Burma railway during World War II, he had no idea if anyone would ever see them.

More than 75 years later, around 800 people filed through an exhibition room at Melbourne’s Repatriation Hospital to view his powerful and provocative works.

Ryman Healthcare’s ‘Jack Chalker – Artist in Captivity’ exhibition was held at the hospital in November, the third time the company has showcased the artwork since 2015.

Chalker went to extraordinary lengths to document the appalling conditions on the railway, hiding his water colours and sketches from the Japanese guards. He was beaten after some of his work was discovered, and his surviving sketches were used as evidence at the Tokyo War Crimes Trials.

He was one of the prisoners known

as “Weary’s 1000”, after their leader Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop.

Weary Dunlop, who Ryman named its first Australian retirement village after, was knighted after the war and named Australian of the Year for his extraordinary service to former POWs. His son, John, got behind the exhibition, allowing a number of his own Chalker prints to be part of the display. The Australian War Memorial also reproduced prints from the original artworks for the exhibition.

Robert Winther, the Repatriation Hospital’s veteran liaison officer, said around 800 people viewed the exhibition in the two-and-a-half weeks it was at the hospital.

“It was most appropriate that a display of this type was held in the Repat’ Hospital because of its significant heritage since 1941,” Robert said.

“It also reinforced what we say to our staff about caring for veterans

Ryman Times • 16

and how special they are. A number of staff were able to view the art when they were in the building for meetings and we’d certainly be happy to host it again in the future.”

Speaking at the exhibition launch, Ryman’s Communication Advisor Michael Cummings said the company was proud to be the custodian of it, “and we have a deep sense of obligation to share it with the public”. “[Chalker] probably didn’t realise it at the time but he wasn’t just creating the amazing artwork we now have before us,” Michael said. “He was also building a bridge for future generations to come back to the railway and to bear witness, just as he did all those years ago.

“It’s our mission to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to traverse that bridge, lest we forget what happened there.”

Ryman intends to put the exhibition on display again in 2019.