Palmerston North Red Cross duo notch 50 years of service between them

Long-serving Palmerston North Red Cross volunteers Joy Malthus, left, and Joan Boyd.

Between them, Joy Malthus and Joan Boyd have spent more than half a century volunteering for Red Cross in Palmerston North.

That's a lot of laughs, especially if you count how many times the women laughed during their interview with the Guardian.

Joy started volunteering in January 1990. She had finished a part-time job and her children were going their own ways. Someone heard a radio ad seeking volunteers for the Red Cross book sale and mentioned it to Joy; she was keen, as she likes books. She started working in both the retail and book shops - and still does.

Joy enjoys contributing to Red Cross's mission, which she describes as helping the underprivileged and vulnerable. "And, of course, I started and I never got back to work, did I."

She has also made many friends and stays in contact with former volunteers.

Joan started volunteering 20 years ago, firstly starting in the back room sorting donations and then moving to serving customers.

She had retired from her cleaning job at the then Manawatū Polytechnic when her friend Olive encouraged her to come to Red Cross.

Joan enjoys the social aspect of volunteering in the Malden St shop, interacting with customers and fellow volunteers: "I've made so many good friends working for Red Cross."

The women also spend one morning a week sorting and checking games and toys.

"It's fun, it is most definitely fun," Joan says. "You come here for a reason and you come to enjoy yourself, you don't come to be miserable."

Joan, 86, was born and raised on the Isle of Man. She joined the British Army as a private then joined the New Zealand Army while still in Britain. In 1956, after six and a half weeks on a boat she arrived in Aotearoa. Joan says she was told it was the land of milk and honey and she discovered that was true.

"Then I met a Kiwi and that was the end of that."

Joy and Joan have both served on the Palmerston North branch committee of Red Cross and Joan had a stint as president. She was also on the Manawatū-Whanganui area council.

"It's a good place to come to if you want to make friends and have a bit of enjoyment," Joan says.

Joy and Joan have also volunteered for Red Cross street appeals, marched in the Anzac Day parade representing New Zealand Red Cross and undertaken kitchen duties at the annual book sale.

• It is Red Cross annual appeal week - the charity's biggest fundraiser of the year. Last year's appeal was cancelled due to Covid-19. To find out more about the appeal click here.