A green thumb and a passion for Plunket!
Volunteers help keep our community services running, so that Plunket can help every whānau who needs us most. And in the case of Ralph Vickers, they also keep our properties up to scratch for visiting children and families.
Mr Vickers is retiring after an amazing 16 years of volunteering for Plunket! In that time, he could be found working in the garden of the Otumoetai clinic in Tauranga, rain or shine. He ensured that the grounds stayed pristine and weed-free for the local whānau and Plunket team. Now in his mid-eighties, he is ready to hang up his trowel.
Otumoetai kaimahi arranged a special morning tea for Mr Vickers and purchased a tree to be planted in his honour after so many years of commitment to the clinic. His daughter, Anna Martyn, who also attended the morning tea, happened to be the former president of the Otumoetai Plunket clinic back in 2010.
“We are so thankful for Ralph’s many years of hard work and generosity,” says Community Karitāne, Raewyn Davies. “A Plunket baby himself, Ralph is passionate about the difference the organisation makes in the community. His dedication is appreciated not just by the staff that work in the clinic, but also the families that visit.”
Thank you, Ralph. And thanks as always to all of our fantastic volunteer whānau.