Region 4 Centennial Summer Celebration
Region 4 celebrates 100 years of RWNZ with its Summer Centennial Celebration
Rural Women New Zealand held its Region 4 Summer Conference with a weekend of celebration to mark 100 years of advocacy, generosity and friendship in Whanganui recently.
Members celebrate in style
Hosted by the Fordell-Mangamahu Branch, and accommodated at Hikurangi Stay Place, many of the 39 members arrived on Friday evening to network with each other before celebration events commenced proper on Saturday.
A packed schedule saw visits to places of historical significance, two Artist Open Studios, and a river cruise.
Travelling on Neville Gorrie’s iconic double decker bus for the day, members visited the Wicksteed St villa previously owned by the Whanganui Provincial from 1964 -1987.
The house originally served as a base for members attending appointments or visiting the hospital, and as roads and transport improved, it hosted fundraising events, meetings, a women’s drop-in centre, as well as Federated Farmers meetings and the Youth Justice Court.
Now home to Jabulani Medical Centre, a plaque was unveiled by two of the branch’s senior members, Betty Stewart and Cushla Deans who were both very involved with the house in its heyday.
Following the sale of the building in 1987, Kowhainui Hospice received a generous bequest, and a ‘Rural Women’ room was established, while remaining funds were placed in a still-active Education Fund to support access to secondary school education for rural students.
En route to lunch, members toured the studio of printmaker Catherine MacDonald and were treated to a talk by the artist highlighting how her upbringing in rural Whanganui was reflected in the subject matter and humour in her artwork.
Tarapuruhi, Bushy Park’s historic Homestead, was the venue for the Centennial Celebration Lunch, to recognise the national organisation’s beginnings in Whanganui in 1926, and its first national president Florence Polson, and first chief executive Rosamund Lilburn, both local Mangamahu women.
In attendance were Guests of Honour, including Whanganui MP Carl Bates, Mayor Andrew Tripe, RWNZ Interim Chair Nicole Oliver, and descendants of the Polson and Lilburn families, who continue to farm in the district.
The Mayor recollected memories of his grandmother, Bettie Tripe, who was an active member of the organisation, and became emotional when presented with a framed copy of the citation for Life Membership given to his grandmother.
After the speeches, a beautifully iced cake made by member Betty Stewart, was cut by Anne Lilburn, the most senior member of the Lilburn family, and Alexis Ritani, the great, great granddaughter of Florence Polson, followed by a wonderful lunch.
Alexis Ritani and Anne Lilburn
The warm, clear autumn evening was perfect for members who boarded the Waimarie for an evening river cruise, complete with dinner and live music, followed by a wind-down back at Hikurangi.
Kowhainui Hospice was again the recipient of the organisation’s generosity, with Operations and Retail Manager, Fiona McIvor presented with a quilt for the ‘Rural Women’ room, made from colourful squares of fabric donated by members of Region 4, sewn by Paula Vincent and Clare Adkins, and professionally quilted by Christine Bristol.
Such was the large amount of fabric donated to the centennial project, that an additional three quilts were made and given to members from Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Horowhenua for presentation to their local hospices.
Raffle sales over the weekend reached $450, which will be donated to Endometriosis NZ.
A final AOS visit to artist and RWNZ member Carol Teutscher’s home and studio to enjoy her work and a morning tea, along with spectacular views overlooking the Whanganui city and river marked the end of a very successful weekend.
Branch secretary Lesley Matthews was thankful for good weather and fellowship.
“It was a weekend of amazing camaraderie, wonderful food, beautiful weather and an awesome opportunity to celebrate an organisation that is still going, after 100 years!”, she said.
