I think I have always been a person who cannot say NO when asked for help. So many people don’t have the confidence or time to do what they want, so why not help if you can.” “I have learnt so many new skills, met some incredible people, and grown in confidence and knowledge over the past 50 years of volunteering across a whole spectrum of groups, clubs or organisations. My life would not have been half so fulfilling if I had only confined my life to my needs.
I started by helping with my children’s interests. I made costumes and helped behind the scenes with dancing or when my children wanted to act. I and a friend learnt to coach gymnastics and formed a successful Carterton Gymnastics Club (one girl made the Irish Olympic Team). A group of us started up Carterton Boys Football Club which grew from playing on the Rec to building a large facility on the outskirts of town at weekends and evenings.
When my husband became terminally ill I sold my business to spend more time with him, but knew I would need an outlet and women’s company so joined Carterton Women’s Institute. Because of my outspokenness I soon became President to a diverse group of opinionated ladies. To have opinions is excellent but I quickly had to learn tact if this lovely group were to move forward and attract younger members to carry on the good work it was already doing. They already ran a coffee shop for the community and helped with other things for the town. It became obvious to the WI Committee that the job of running the WI meetings and the work needed to improve our Hall was too much for one committee. So two were formed.
The Hall was built and administered by the newly formed Carterton WI in 1925 when they realised their fast growing community (pop.160) would need a central meeting place. “By 2018 it was showing its age and the Hall Committee wanted to have an efficient up-to-date building that was fit for the community to enjoy for another 100 years. A survey showed that the townspeople had a deep-seated love for the hall and did not want it drastically altered. The sentiment was that it was a welcoming place that gave them a hug when they entered.
We are nearly there. I don’t think any of us realised the challenge of this renovation when we started. We sought advice from many helpful people. It has been a stressful, time-consuming and exhilarating challenge. We have helped each other over many hurdles in this learning process. Learning new skills is not the hard part of volunteering, but learning tact and diplomacy is.
Every day at least one of us is stopped in the street with the enquiry “when will you be open. We miss coming in so much”. I hope that they like our hall update and it gives them that hug when they can once again step inside.