Western News: June 18, 2019
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WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Tuesday <strong>June</strong> <strong>18</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 9<br />
<strong>News</strong><br />
Retired ‘musketeers’ still helping<br />
• By Jess Gibson<br />
A TRIO of retired friends –<br />
dubbed “the three musketeers”<br />
– were recognised for their<br />
services to Ronald McDonald<br />
House on Monday.<br />
David Chappie, of Avonhead,<br />
Neil Fleming (Ilam) and Gus<br />
Gale (Belfast), all former<br />
teachers, received an award<br />
from Volunteering Canterbury<br />
for their work over the past five<br />
years.<br />
They meet every Wednesday<br />
morning to help with a range<br />
of tasks at Ronald McDonald<br />
House on Cashel St, such as<br />
keeping the grounds tidy,<br />
fixing toys, washing waste bins,<br />
plumbing and electrical repairs.<br />
Said Mr Chappie: “I was<br />
surprised because we certainly<br />
don’t come here to look for any<br />
accolade, we come here because<br />
it’s a worthwhile organisation<br />
that we have heard about that we<br />
could help at ground level.”<br />
“The people here are so<br />
accommodating and making<br />
everyone feel so welcome. The<br />
families are going through a<br />
tough patch in their lives but<br />
there’s a joy all the way from<br />
the staff to the mums and dads<br />
and the kids being picked up<br />
and cuddled. There’s a quality<br />
here I don’t think you would<br />
find in many other institutions.<br />
It’s a quality based on love<br />
and concern for one’s human<br />
beings.”<br />
Ronald McDonald<br />
House offers support and<br />
accommodation to families with<br />
children in hospital.<br />
The three musketeers’ shared<br />
background in education adds<br />
up to a total of more than 120<br />
years at primary, secondary and<br />
university level.<br />
VOLUNTEERS: Friends<br />
and former teachers David<br />
Chappie, Neil Fleming<br />
and Gus Gale meet every<br />
Wednesday to undertake<br />
odd jobs at Ronald<br />
McDonald House.<br />
Said Mr Fleming: “In those<br />
years we have accumulated<br />
some useful skills that Ronald<br />
McDonald House finds helpful.”<br />
Mr Fleming started<br />
volunteering to use up his excess<br />
energy.<br />
Mr Chappie and Mr Gale<br />
agreed to help “on one<br />
condition” – after each<br />
morning’s work they go out for<br />
lunch and a beer.<br />
“We decided to set a pseudochallenge<br />
by limiting our choice<br />
of lunch place to new or recently<br />
changed venues. We range<br />
widely with a requirement that<br />
the selected venue has to serve<br />
beer and it has to be new to us,”<br />
Mr Fleming said.<br />
He said each lunch is spiced<br />
with recollections from their<br />
friendship, which has lasted at<br />
least 10 years.<br />
“Some (stories) stray from<br />
the truth but have greater<br />
entertainment value,” he said.<br />
Local<br />
<strong>News</strong><br />
Now<br />
Fire rages, homes at risk<br />
DIG IN: Fendalton-Waimairi-<br />
Harewood Community Board<br />
member Aaron Campbell with<br />
his wife Kazumi.<br />
Quarry planting<br />
project on way<br />
to 10,000 goal<br />
THE GOAL to plant 10,000<br />
natives at Halswell Quarry Park<br />
this year is under way.<br />
More than 2000 plants have<br />
been placed in the ground by<br />
60 people. One of several city<br />
council-organised plantings on<br />
<strong>June</strong> 5 coincided with Arbor Day<br />
and World Environment Day.<br />
Two more planting projects are<br />
planned this month.<br />
Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood<br />
Community Board member<br />
Aaron Campbell said the next<br />
planting day at the park will be<br />
on Saturday to mark National<br />
Volunteer Week.<br />
“It’s expected there will be a<br />
big turnout for this, starting at<br />
10am,” he said.<br />
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