It was a wonderful sunny day with no wind when more than 130 of the community came together to raise $45,000 for the local hospice in the beautiful gardens of Deborah Kelland and Sue Nelsons’ property in Park Point Drive on Waitangi weekend.
The Waiheke Hospice had not had a significant fundraiser for six years and were looking to get a sustainable income stream for the service given the trust is not government-funded and 70 percent of Waiheke residents choose to die at home compared to a national average of 3 percent.
(As a side note, it costs approximately $300 a day to provide these essential services on the island.)
Deborah’s speech about her personal experience after Sue’s death last year brought into focus the reality that hospice, along with the local nurses and doctors, was an incredibly special infrastructure unique to Waiheke Island. This was at the forefront of the afternoon for all attendees.
Entertainment commenced with Helen Compton playing Deborah’s grand piano followed by a polished performance from the popular Nairobi Trio.
Full story in this week’s Gulf News… Out Now!!!
