Ryman Times - NZ Winter 20

RY M A N T IM ES • WIN TE R 20 Ryman residents show their appreciation Bruce's Zoom with Jacinda Full speed ahead on building sites

NEW ZEALAND EDITION

Ryman takes sixth Most Trusted award

A note from Gordy Welcome to the winter edition of Ryman Times for 2020.

I’d like to start this update with a thank you to everyone who has helped us through the past few months.

The support we’ve had from our family of investors, suppliers and our team has been incredible.

A global pandemic was not top of mind when I considered what the year ahead would bring on January 1, and the past six months have been a once-in-a-generation challenge.

We began worrying about COVID in January.

On January 29 we sent our first warning out to families, contractors and anyone likely to visit our villages that we wanted them to stay away if they have been travelling in China where the virus was taking hold.

Over the next six weeks we progressively increased restrictions and infection control requirements, until we were effectively shut to the outside world from mid-March.

We are really proud of the approach we have taken and the success we have had to date at keeping COVID-19 out. We do not, for one second, take this for granted. We will remain vigilant for a long time to come.

There’s nothing like a crisis to test your people and your systems. I am proud to say that all of our teams coped superbly.

They turned our villages into safe havens where our residents knew they would be cared for and have all their needs looked after. They simply didn’t need to leave – we looked after everything for them.

This was incredibly reassuring for them, and they have thanked us with thousands of emails and cards expressing their appreciation.

It is impossible to predict what the months ahead will bring. But I know that if we focus on our values, putting people first and providing the best experience possible for our residents and team, we will be well placed to handle the challenges ahead.

Thank you, once again, to everyone has played a part.

It is humbling to be part of such a great team of people.

Kind regards

Gordon MacLeod Chief Executive

In this issue

Ryman Healthcare Ltd

Ryman in good shape for COVID recovery....................................................................................3 Ryman residents show their appreciation......................................................................................4 Charles Upham residents to the rescue...........................................................................................5 Third Act takes improv to Zoom............................................................................................................6 Dementia friendly from tip to toe...........................................................................................................7 Bruce's Zoom with Jacinda.......................................................................................................................8 Residents join Rebecca’s virtual chorus to ‘meet again’.......................................................9 Ryman construction workers down tools to help residents.............................................10 Full speed ahead on building sites........................................................................................................11 International Nurses Day: a calling to care.................................................................................... 12 Baby boomer's lockdown poem goes viral................................................................................... 13 Neville Woodcock bikes his way through lockdown .............................................................14 Celebrity chef Elise moves in at Nellie Melba.............................................................................15 Ryman takes sixth Most Trusted award.........................................................................................16

Airport Business Park 92 Russley Road, Christchurch PO Box 771, Christchurch 8042 0800 588 222 • rymanhealthcare.co.nz

Front cover: Nellie Melba resident Rosie Clough showing her support for essential workers at the village.

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Ryman in good shape for COVID recovery Ryman Healthcare’s audited full year underlying profit rose 6.6% to $242 million thanks to strong demand at new villages and the company is in good shape to recover from the disruption caused by COVID-19.

Shareholders will receive an increased final dividend of 12.7 cents per share, taking the total dividend for the year to 24.2 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on July 10, the record date for entitlements is June 26.

The growth in underlying profits was driven by strong development margins.

Operating cashflows were up 12% to $449.8 million. Total assets were $7.68 billion, up 15%. Ryman invested $711.4 million during the year with construction across 12 sites.

Chairman Dr David Kerr said it was a solid result given the disruption caused

by COVID-19. The most important thing for the company was to continue to keep COVID-19 out and to look after our 11,600 residents and 6,000 staff.

The COVID challenge had proven the Ryman model of retirement living and care was more relevant to our residents and their families than ever, David said.

Gordon MacLeod said Ryman had been on track to finish the year strongly before the profound impact of COVID-19 began to be felt.

But with strong demand care

12 villages currently under way • Brandon Park, Melbourne (Nellie Melba) • Havelock North, Hawkes Bay • Lynfield, Auckland (Murray Halberg) • Hobsonville, Auckland • Devonport, Auckland (William Sanders) • Highton, Geelong • River Road, Hamilton (Linda Jones) • Aberfeldie, Melbourne • Burwood East, Melbourne (John Flynn) • Riccarton Park, Christchurch • Lincoln Road, Auckland • Ocean Grove, Victoria

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occupancy in established villages was at 98% at March 31.

Ryman has work under way on 12 sites in New Zealand and Victoria, and its strongest ever land bank with 60% of units and beds consented.

Ryman has purchased a new village site in Takapuna (pictured), which will become its thirteenth village in Auckland.

New villages in planning and design phase • Northwood, Christchurch • Highett, Melbourne • Mt Martha, Victoria • Bishopspark/Park Terrace, Christchurch • Karori, Wellington • Ringwood East, Melbourne • Coburg, Melbourne • Takapuna, Auckland • Mt Eliza, Victoria • Kohimarama, Auckland • Newtown, Wellington

Ryman residents show their appreciation Hundreds of Ryman residents have shown thanks to the team who looked after them through lockdown with a barrage of cards, compliments, cupcakes, chocolate, music and applause.

gardeners’ salute – and singing ‘you are my sunshine’.

Residents at Bruce McLaren village gathered on their balconies in the early days of the Level 4 lockdown in March to spontaneously clap the team on the ground below.

At Margaret Stoddart in Christchurch, one resident decided to serenade the team as a thank you, much to the surprise of village manager Merrin Jack.

In Melbourne Nellie Melba Village residents flooded onto their balconies with thank you signs and applause.

Edmund Hillary’s team were rewarded with a chocolate shout organised by residents, while the team at Rita Angus were shouted pizza by one grateful family.

Village poet Murray Lennox kept the team’s spirits up with a steady stream of poetry.

“Ingrid and I were doing some planning in my office at the end of the day, and she said, is that a harp playing?

At Diana Isaac in Christchurch, residents had themed dress-ups each week to applaud the team and keep them amused.

“Outside my window, one of our town house residents had brought his Irish harp, and his wife brought his chair, and he was sitting under the portico playing the harp for us. No one else was around and it was just a purely beautiful way of acknowledging what we were doing and showing support for us.’’

Diana Isaac’s residents chose a different village team to salute each week – including dressing up in gardening gear for their

“I must confess that it was a pretty magic moment, and my eyes may have leaked a bit,” Merrin says.

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At Malvina Major in Wellington residents fluttered their tea towels in a salute – which is a bit quieter than banging pots and pans.

The accolades flew in by card and email as well.

And it is no surprise given the huge amount of work our teams did to keep everyone safe and happy.

During lockdown they delivered 80,000 Happy Hour in a Bags, and thousands of Bidfood orders, newsletters and parcels.

As well as keeping their residents safe, our care teams helped connect thousands of residents with their families over Zoom calls.

The IT team rolled out Zoom to more than 3,800 surfaces and delivered 70 additional devices to serviced apartment residents to help them keep in touch.

Pictured: Michelle Forman prepares Happy Hour in a Bag.

Charles Upham residents to the rescue A group of Charles Upham Retirement Village residents is helping ramp up South Island high country pest eradication programme to help protect roroa/ great-spotted kiwi, whio and other the native birds and fauna.

Lynn Andrews and fellow village residents Ross Stewart, Murray Giles, Lindsay Rowe and Kevin Hurley have built pest trap housings for use in the wild.

Their wooden trap housings have been laid out in a trap-line on the south side of Nina Valley area, in the high country where North Canterbury meets the West Coast.

The plan is to help control rats, stoats, hedgehogs and other predators, with partners including the Department of Conservation (DOC). Quite a few hedgehogs have been caught at a separate trapline

at Medbury Scientific Reserve in North Canterbury near the Hurunui River, Lynn says.

A total of 44 tunnel-trap sets were recently handed over by Lynn to a conservation enthusiast George Moran, who transported them into the Nina Valley. George and his wife Celia transported the traps by road to State Highway 7 past Hanmer, then linked up with a helicopter to get them into the south side of the valley.

Both George and Lynn are keen to acknowledge the help and funding they’ve received. George is quick to thank Ryman Healthcare for providing funding for the wood, nails and screws for all of the traps being built at the village, with Kaiapoi ITM (a building supplies specialist) helping with timber. Retailer Macpac helped with the purchase of hardware Ryman Times • 5

including trap mechanisms and stainless steel baffles through a Macpac Fund for Good grant.

George and Celia are part of a self-named group of ‘Doubtless Conservation’ volunteers and friends.

A team of 10 worked to spread the traps around the conservation area on May 16-17. Around ten years ago 16 roroa/ great-spotted kiwi were released into the area.

Rangiora-based DOC community ranger Sarah Ensor said the Department had been involved to varying degrees helping oversee both the Medbury Reserve and Nina Valley projects.

Pictured: Lynn Andrews and Sarah Ensor.

Third Act takes improv to Zoom Our talented team of Third Act residents in Wellington were part of the 2020 NZ Fringe Festival and on the day of their first of three public performances (that were booked out) the lockdown forced them to postpone.

Their Age on Stage performances were curtailed when social isolation rules kicked in.

They were also about to star in a television documentary.

All that was put on hold, but not to be daunted by this, the group has continued meeting through Zoom and even extended Third Act to include more villages!

The Third Act programme has been established as a pilot in Ryman Healthcare's Wellington villages where groups of residents meet weekly to play, to perform, to share their stories and to connect with fellow residents.

Nicola Pauling, artistic director with Voice Arts, works with older people to help promote mobility, mental challenges and creative joy through improvisation and performances.

This is a New Zealand first, creating a theatre collective consisting solely of those over the age of 70.

Through Zoom, the residents have taken their meet-ups to the next level continuing the fun and connections even when it was not possible to meet physically.

They have loved meeting residents who weren’t part of the initial groups and making fabulous new connections with residents of other villages.

They’ve been able to talk through the frustrations of lockdown, comfort one another, laugh and stretch their imaginations.

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Ryman has recently introduced classes in the villages again much to the residents’ delight.

Here's what Mary from Charles Fleming had to say a few weeks back: I just want you to know how much I am enjoying our Tuesday morning Improvisation Class with Nicola. While many Kiwis were looking forward to more relaxed rules and of course the takeaways, I believe our little group was very happy to be getting our equivalent of a fast food and coffee fix.

After all, the sky’s the limit for us, we can improvise. We are working well as a group and I am sure there’s more potential out there.

I am very thankful to you all within the Ryman team for giving us this fantastic opportunity for escapism, particularly at this very difficult time.

Above: Third Act facilitator Julia Truscott with Charles Fleming resident Joan Matson.

Dementia friendly from tip to toe Ryman Healthcare’s position as a dementia friendly leader has been recognised by Alzheimers NZ with Ryman gaining Dementia Friendly accreditation at all its New Zealand villages.

Ryman is the largest retirement village operator to receive company-wide accreditation under Alzheimers New Zealand’s Dementia Friendly Recognition Programme.

Each of Ryman’s 34 New Zealand villages is now a recognised dementia friendly community.

The accreditation acknowledges Ryman’s commitment to provide kind, caring and supportive environments that enhance the lives of residents with dementia.

Ryman's operations clinical and quality manager Karen Lake said the accreditation would inform how the more than 5,700 Ryman staff and 11,600 residents treated one another.

Karen said people often assumed that people affected by dementia did not want others to know of their diagnosis which is not always the case.

On another front the COVID-19 lockdown was very challenging for residents living with dementia, as well as their family members who were unable to visit. Karen said Ryman installed Zoom software on more than 850 devices in its dementia care units, so that residents could keep in touch during the lockdown.

During the auditing process, the Alzheimers NZ panel also considered how accessible Ryman’s website was for people with dementia, how dementia friendly practices would be reviewed, and what educational opportunities were available to residents wanting to learn more.

More than 1,400 Ryman staff have also completed Alzheimers NZ’s Dementia Friends module for individuals keen to learn more about dementia.

The programme equipped staff from across the company with knowledge of dementia, and introduced them to ways to support people living with dementia with small gestures of kindness, conversation and assistance.

We’re proud to be Dementia Friendly Accredited by Alzheimers New Zealand

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As part of Ryman’s commitment to continually review and develop its care for residents with dementia, all new staff will complete the Dementia Friends module during their inductions.

The Dementia Friendly status follows an in-depth two-year process during which six Ryman villages were audited as a representative sample of the company’s New Zealand villages.

As part of the accreditation process the villages adapted and enhanced everything from the physical environments of villages including the provision of way-finding cues, to educating staff about how to support colleagues working with people affected by dementia.

The accreditation builds on a partnership between Alzheimers NZ and Ryman Healthcare which was developed last year to combat stigma, grow understanding and acceptance of people living with dementia, and inform policy and practice in New Zealand.

Pictured: Ryman office receptionists Billie Bond and Georgia Sherlock.

Bruce's Zoom with Jacinda

In early May, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made a Zoom call to our resident Bruce Cunningham not long after he celebrated his 100th birthday.

Bruce was a flying officer in 514 Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF) and a Lancaster pilot. Bruce was also a prisoner of war in Sagan, East Germany from 1944-1945.

He shared stories of his time being a prisoner of war and let's just say Bruce was over the moon with this special call.

He was born in Masterton on 11th April, 1920 and lived there up until the time of the war.

Jacinda said the WWII veteran and was kind enough to share a few stories with her as “we mark” VE Day. Bruce told the PM about the operation that led to his plane going down over Belgium.

“Thank you Bruce for your service, for selling poppies for 64 years for the RSA, and for your warmth and generosity.

It was a real privilege,” the Prime Minister said in a Facebook post.

After receiving his wings Bruce went straight to England to Bomber Command.

He was based at Waterbeach, near Cambridge.

In June 1944, not long before D-Day Bruce and his crew were on their 9th operation, heading to Belgium in the early hours of the morning.

The Lancaster was shot and the starboard inner engine caught fire, which within five minutes spread to the entire wing. Bruce ensured all his crew exited the aircraft and then he bailed out.

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Bruce will never forget what went through his mind as he watched the rest of his squadron fly back and he parachuted to the ground: “I distinctly remember thinking, they’re a mile above me. I’m sitting down here and they’re going home for eggs and bacon.”

The plane landed in a nearby field but Bruce with his parachute landed on the roof of a two-storeyed village café.

As a prisoner of war, he was sent to Stalag Luft III in Sagan before finding his freedom as the war ended.

In 1996 Bruce returned to Belgium.

He was given a civic reception. He also had the parachute returned. He has it to this day. A daughter of the café owner had made the prized silk into a wedding gown.

Pictured: Bruce Cunningham, left, and with the Prime Minister.

Residents join Rebecca’s virtual chorus to ‘meet again’ Singer Rebecca Nelson has recruited three Ryman residents to join her in singing Vera Lynn’s classic We’ll Meet Again in a virtual first for the Possum Bourne trio.

A favourite performer at Ryman’s villages up and down the country, Rebecca was looking for ways to connect with both her fans and fellow performers during the lockdown when she had the idea.

“Her Majesty the Queen touched on the quote when she addressed the nation in the UK and said ‘we’ll meet again’.

I thought ‘aha!’

“It just seemed like the perfect song. Everyone was quite emotional during lockdown and we were holding onto hope that we would get out of it and see each other soon so the

wording was really perfect, and it’s one that I sing at the end of all my Ryman shows.”

Rebecca, who is a reservist in the Royal New Zealand Navy, quickly recruited musician friends through her connections with the Royal Navy band.

Rebecca was thrilled when she received the digital files back from the residents and blown away that the new technology hadn’t fazed them.

The next part was the trickiest part of all. Rebecca roped in a video editor friend Charlotte Crone to help bring everything together.

She got in touch with Ryman Healthcare to see if there were any residents who could sing who might like to join in the fun and Possum Bourne Retirement Village in Pukekohe came up trumps.

With Anzac Day and VE Day being marked during the lockdown period, the resonance with the wartime classic was made even stronger.

Members of the village choir, Dirk Mooy and Vivienne and Kelvin Fitness were chuffed to be asked and wasted no time in figuring out the detailed instructions.

“I know the older generation have lived through a war or were on rations but they could still socialise.

To not be able to see our family and friends has been hard so I hope it brings some cheer and makes people smile.”

Said Vivienne: “We were surprised to be asked but we felt privileged because of the situation enveloping us at the village.”

Pictured: Rebecca Nelson, top centre, and her recruits.

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Ryman construction workers down tools to help residents Construction apprentice Lanson Teura has been learning the ropes of carpentry while helping to build Ryman’s Devonport retirement village so never expected to be working in a village.

However, when New Zealand went into Level 4 alert it meant all six Kiwi construction sites had to close down and the construction team were urgently redeployed into the villages.

Lanson, 23, jumped at the chance to help out at Evelyn Page in Orewa.

“I worked in the kitchen two days and then the other days I

delivered groceries and parcels to all the residents and their Happy Hour bags once a week.”

He got a buzz out of being able to help the residents, who weren’t able to leave the village to get their own supplies like they usually would, and loved the fact that the time just flew by.

It was also a huge relief to have job security in such unsettling times.

“Before I was at Ryman I was a sub-contractor so I didn’t get holiday pay or anything. It made me really thankful to be with Ryman and still have work.”

Ryman’s NZ Construction Manager, Paul Blackler was

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thrilled with the response from the team.

“I was really humbled by their willingness to serve,” he said.

“What’s come through strongly is Ryman’s sense of community – that we’re all one team, albeit with different functions.”

Regional Operations Manager Lynn Charlton said the help from construction had been ‘invaluable’ at a potentially overwhelming time.

Pictured: Construction staff including Alister Safaei, left, and Gerhard van Zyl made deliveries to Evelyn Page village.

Full speed ahead on building sites As New Zealand and Victoria emerges from restrictions imposed to stop the spread of COVID-19, Ryman Healthcare’s construction team has its eyes firmly fixed on an increasingly busy future.

In May, under lockdown Alert Level 2, building and ongoing building maintenance programmes were restarted in New Zealand.

Across the Tasman in Victoria work didn’t really stop. While the public health emergency brought much of the state’s economy to a grinding halt, Ryman’s nimble response to the disruption has kept its construction sites working, albeit at reduced capacity.

Victorian construction manager Martyn Osborn said the output of operations at John Flynn in Burwood East, Aberfeldie, and Geelong was cut by around half in order to

implement social distancing requirements on site.

village under construction at Geelong.

Work on extensions to Nellie Melba in Wheelers Hill, which is an operational village, had to stop completely for six weeks to keep residents safe.

“It’s always disappointing when delays happen, but that’s tinged with a lot of relief because we’re aware that it could have been much, much worse."

“COVID-19 slowed us down a bit but we’re charging on,” Marty says.

“It was a challenge like nothing we’ve faced before but health and safety is baked into our culture, so the team was able to look at it with clear eyes and adapt quickly.

“I’m very proud of how my team stepped up to the mark and took on that challenge.”

Marty says the disruption will result in minor delays to the handover of some apartments at John Flynn, Nellie Melba, and at the

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The first Geelong residents will get the keys to their new homes later this year, and John Flynn residents will also begin moving in later this year.

First apartments at Aberfeldie will be handed over next year.

Nellie Melba will welcome residents to its new apartment block at the end of July.

In New Zealand work is continuing at full speed at Lynfield, Devonport, Hobsonville, Hamilton, Havelock North and Lincoln Road. Work is also under way at Riccarton.

Pictured: John Flynn site in May.

International Nurses Day: a calling to care May 12 was International Nurses Day. The world’s nurses and their expertise, kindness, patience and humility have never been more important.

The amazing nurses and carers at Ryman Healthcare's villages are at the heart of our mission to keep residents and staff safe from COVID-19. They have worked extra hours, adapted to changing conditions and supported both our residents and their families during this challenging time.

On International Nurses Day we thanked our selfless nursing staff, and the hundreds of our residents who were nurses, for their work.

The theme of this year’s International Nurses Day is: ‘Nursing the World to Health’.

We asked Ryman nurses and residents who were nurses, what drew them to the profession, what they think of the nursing response to COVID-19 and why they love to care.

Pat Lilleyman, 80, Level 2 Registered nurse What do you think of the way nurses around the world have responded to COVID-19?

I think they are magnificent, the way they have put their lives on the line.

I like to think I would have done that.

Ivy Han, Clinical Manager at Nellie Melba Retirement Village What is the most rewarding part of being a nurse?

When your residents/clients thank you for the good care, and your team members thank you for your support and helping them succeed.

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Tracy Vertigor, Endorsed Enrolled Nurse at Weary Dunlop Retirement Village What made you decide to become a nurse?

Because my mum has been sick for many years with Parkinson's, and I became a PCA (Patient Care Assistant) to give her better care.

After being a PCA I wanted to learn more, and be able to help more, not just my mum, but in aged care. I’ve always had a liking for aged care.

What has COVID-19 taught you about nursing?

How important we are to the whole world!

How instrumental we are in people having good physical and mental health.

Pictured: Our village staff, including nurses, provide a selfless and loving environment.

Baby boomer's lockdown poem goes viral When Logan Campbell resident Jan Beaumont decided to put pen to paper and wax lyrical about the effects of the coronavirus lockdown, she had no idea her creative efforts would themselves go viral!

The poem describes what it’s like to be one of the ‘oldies’ staying behind closed doors because of the virus, before proceeding to list some of the mischievous hijinks from her youth.

Jan says she has a few other works up her sleeve which she will save for the future.

Three days after posting it on her Facebook page, Jan’s poem had racked up 1,400 shares and more than 500 comments on her page alone.

Like many, Jan has turned to ‘gutsy thrillers’ on Netflix where she admits to ‘swooning over Idris’ [Elba].

I'm normally a social girl I love to meet my mates But lately with the virus here We can't go out the gates.

The normally very social resident at Ryman Healthcare’s Greenlane retirement village says she had been feeling a bit bored on Saturday, so she grabbed a pen and wrote a poem.

“It took me all of 20 minutes,” she says incredulously. “It was just something to pass the time really and to give my friends a giggle and now it’s gone to the UK, Canada, South Africa, America, Australia… and that’s just on my page!”

Jan’s daughter Belinda thought the poem was so good she sent it to Ryman where it has notched a further 40 shares and 37 comments.

Says Jan: “She’s also posted it and tagged Idris Elba as well!!

Wouldn’t it be amazing if he replied?”

The 13-verse poem has clearly resonated with the online community, many of whom found it very relatable and a real pick-me-up in what is a stressful, anxious time.

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The lockdown poem has now reached several thousand shares, and begins:

You see, we are the 'oldies' now We need to stay inside If they haven't seen us for a while They'll think we've upped and died.

They'll never know the things we did Before we got this old There wasn't any Facebook So not everything was told.

We may seem sweet old ladies Who would never be uncouth But we grew up in the 60s If you only knew the truth! …

Pictured: Logan Campbell resident and poet Jan Beaumont.

Neville Woodcock bikes his way through lockdown

It started out as a way to build a routine and maintain fitness during the uncertainty of lockdown.

Pre-lockdown, Neville was already a familiar sight on Hamilton’s many cycleways on his electric bike and would usually manage three rides a week of roughly 20km.

But Hilda Ross resident Neville Woodcock’s pledge to cycle 10 laps of his retirement village every day has seen him pedal an impressive 680km – and inspire a few fellow residents along the way!

But the strict lockdown measures put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19 meant Neville couldn’t leave the confines of the Ruakura Road village.

“You have got to be positive when these situations happen,” said Neville, 80, a retired sheep and beef farmer from Tauwhare.

“A circuit around the village is 1.5km per lap so I thought I would do 15km a day. I have a distance metre on my bike and I wouldn’t stop until I’d done 15km. I did it every day and rode 680km.”

“When we went into lockdown I thought I have got to do something positive and keep to a routine.

“I haven’t missed a single day. And I really think this lockdown has helped the residents here to get together more and get fit.”

Neville said the length of time it took to complete his 15km could vary wildly from day to day.

“Sometimes it would take me one-and-a-quarter hours - if it was a little bit windy I wouldn’t see as many people. But sometimes it Ryman Times • 14

would take two-and-a-half hours and it would be because I was talking to people!”

Describing himself as a ‘reasonably friendly person’, Neville, whose wife passed away before he moved into the village, said he particularly enjoyed talking to those with walkers and wheelchairs.

“I found it quite exhilarating to be honest.

He was thrilled to be able to finally visit some family when lockdown rules changed.

“I’m going out on my bike today to see my daughters. This will be my first visit since lockdown started and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Pictured: Neville Woodcock takes a moment during his lockdown laps.

Celebrity chef Elise moves in at Nellie Melba Wherever loved Australian cook and Weary Dunlop Retirement Village resident Elise Pascoe goes so too does her hunger for good food and good company.

Just decades after discovering her passion for cooking while hosting a dinner party for her fourteenth birthday, Elise’s trajectory in the international culinary world secured her a place in the teaching and dining rooms “of the masters”, including Julia Child.

Now, a lucky teddy has found himself the ‘guest of honour’ at her dining table.

Chefy, who wears a chef's hat and jacket, has lived at the village with Elise for five years.

Since COVID-19 social distancing rules stopped her having meals and catch ups with friends at the village, ‘Chefy’ had offered a good excuse to set the table and get creative, Elise said.

“My freezer is full of soffritto (onions, carrots, celery) cooked to add to dishes such as lamb shanks, beef cheeks, oxtail, etcetera.”

Chefy had already starred in one teddy bear’s picnic photo shoot at the table, and she was not ruling out a “photo series” of the bear’s isolation dinners.

“He was given to me by one of the people who worked for me in the cooking school and then became a very dear friend.

“He likes pasta but he makes a terrible mess, and little risoni type pasta is better for bears,” she laughed.

It was during experiences like cooking live on American television in front of millions of viewers as the Fresh Australian Range Lamb ambassador, and in weekly cooking segments on Network 10, that Elise discovered her passion for teaching.

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Elise shared her expertise, first gained at the Gritti Palace in Venice, and honed in luxury kitchens across the world, in her ‘Good Living’ column in the Sydney Morning Herald for 10 years, and at her international cooking schools in Victoria and NSW. She also published five cookbooks.

Her reputation as the Australian authority on French cooking earned her the title ‘The Julia Child of Australia’.

It was after her illustrious career that Elise and her late husband John embarked on their greatest adventure – A year in Italy. “We drove 26,000km and visited 18 out of 20 regions.”

Pictured: Elise Pascoe has provided dishes, cookbooks and inspiration for many.

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Ryman takes sixth Most Trusted award Ryman Healthcare has been named the most trusted brand in the retirement industry for 2020.

It is the sixth time that Ryman, New Zealand’s largest retirement village operator, has taken the top award in the aged care and retirement village category in the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brands awards.

Ryman previously won in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

The aim of the awards is to identify the names Kiwis recognise and trust the most.

The winners are chosen from a survey of 1,600 New Zealanders across 65 categories. Catalyst Marketing & Research surveyed respondents on which products they recognised and used, and which held their trust in each category.

Some of the comments singled out for Ryman by survey participants included praise for the ‘lovely,

friendly care’, for being well managed, professional and reliable and for having beautiful, well-presented surroundings.

“There is a genuine feeling they are doing the best they can for those in their care,” one survey participant said.

Gordon MacLeod said it was an honour to receive such feedback and resonated with the Ryman ethos of providing care that must be ‘good enough for mum – or dad’.

With the current lockdown situation in place due to COVID-19, that responsibility was in focus now more than ever.

“We are humbled to win this award.

Our industry runs on trust and winning this award for the sixth time is testament to all the hard work that our teams do day in, and day out.”

While it was always wonderful to win awards, the feedback Ryman regularly receives from Ryman Times • 16

its residents and their families was the best reward, Gordon said.

Reader’s Digest Advertising and Retail Director Asia Pacific Sheron White said winners were brands that were genuine, authentic, reliable and consistent – and only the best brands could manage this.

The award proves that consumers trust Ryman Healthcare to provide a happy and fulfilling retirement.

Ryman has also won the Reader’s Digest Quality Service Award in the aged care and retirement village category five times.

Ryman’s accolades: Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand (aged care and retirement villages): 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 Reader’s Digest Quality Service Award (retirement villages): 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.