Shared mission: Gisborne craft centre and heritage train seek reliable helpers

GCVR secretary Penny Shaw, GCVR president Sally Hewitt, Ten Talents Helen Wallace and Gail Morris with GCVR vice-president Ross Marsden at the Ten Talents Craft Centre on Ormond Rd in Gisborne.

Two very different charitable groups in Gisborne have reaffirmed a strong partnership.

Representatives of Gisborne City Vintage Rail (GCVR) and Ten Talents Craft Centre met this week to acknowledge their mutual support for one another and express their need for more volunteers to help with their respective kaupapa.

Ten Talents is a collective that sells crafts, such as knitware and toys, at their shop on Ormond Rd.

It is run as a charitable trust and gives some proceeds to local charities.

Local craftspeople supply the shop and get 75% of the sale price, with 25% going back to the trust to pay for overheads like power and rates, and to be donated to local charities.

GCVR operates the only Wa class steam engine in the world.

Since October 2000, Wa165 has operated excursions to Muriwai, with a photo and picnic stop for about 45 minutes before returning to Gisborne.

All departures are from the Gisborne Railway Station. GCVR has public excursions, including two coming up after Christmas and also takes cruise ship passengers and private charters.

In March this year, GCVR received a surprise donation of $3000 from Ten Talents.

“It came out of the blue, and we were very grateful,” new GCVR president Sally Hewitt said.

Hewitt gifted Ten Talents a drawing of the Wa165 steam train by Claire Kizlink to say thank you for the donation.

Operating the Wa165 steam train is expensive. It requires a lot of maintenance, there are inspection fees, monthly lease fees paid to the line owner, KiwiRail, yard rental costs and more, GCVR secretary Penny Shaw said.

“So the donation from Ten Talents was very much appreciated. It’s a positive example of two charities working together,” she said.

GCVR held its AGM on Tuesday and appointed new members to two positions. Hewitt succeeded Geoff Joyce as president, and volunteer and heritage enthusiast Ross Marsden was made vice-president.

There have also been changes at Ten Talents, with Helen Wallace set to take over as treasurer in the new year from Wendy Morrow.

Both charities seek to recruit new volunteers.

“We need people who are reliable, interested in crafts and good at customer service,” committee member and expert spinner and knitter Gail Morris said.

There are about 28 volunteers who work on a roster system at Ten Talents.

Shaw said GCVR was always looking for new volunteers to help with everything from working as customer service officers on the train, to people with steam engine maintenance and mechanical skills to work in the workshop.

They have about 30 volunteers and run open days to recruit new people.