Arohanui Hospice volunteer turns trash to cash

Tom Maher, 92, recently received a long service award for his volunteer work at Levin's Arohanui Hospice Shop.

A Levin handyman's knack for polishing up "bits and pieces" and fetching a good market price as a result has been recognised.

Tom Maher, 92, has been restoring old equipment for Arohanui Hospice that relies heavily on donations and volunteer help.

The hospice is partially funded through MidCentral DHB and Whanganui DHB, but relied on fundraising and store profits to meet the 44% operating shortfall.

Hospice spokesperson Kelvin Teixeira said the organisation needed to fundraise over $2.82 million this financial year, which worked out to over $54,000 every week.

That made the efforts of their volunteers like Mr Maher so valuable, he said.

"He will often take home tools and machinery items to repair and clean, which then fetch a higher price," he said.

I enjoy mucking about with bits and pieces ... and you get to meet people and you have a laugh one way or another.

Tom Maher, Hospice volunteer

One day Mr Maher arrived at the store and saw a piece of woodworking equipment that would normally be shelved with a $40 price tag on it.

Suspecting it might be worth more, he researched its make and model and found it was a well-known unit, so he polished it up.

"I googled it ... we ended up putting it on TradeMe and got $300 for it," he said.

"I enjoy mucking about with bits and pieces ... and you get to meet people and you have a laugh one way or another."

Arohanui Hospice provides free specialist end-of-life care for patients - more than 200 of at any one time - and support for their families.

It cared for more than 1000 patients throughout the Manawatū, Tararua, Rangitikei, Horowhenua and Ōtaki districts - about two thirds cared for entirely in their homes.

Mr Maher and his wife Pamela received five-year service awards along with Graeme Booth, Sonia Campbell, Michael Fairbrother, Colleen Gray, Lorna Munford, Helena Oosterwijk, and Elizabeth Toneycliffe.

Arohanui Hospice has more than 600 volunteers, of which over half served in its six shops at Levin, Ōtaki, Feilding and Palmerston North (three).

Other volunteer duties included administration, creative living programmes, Farming for Hospice stock rearing, flower arranging, gardening, housekeeping, kitchen, laundry, patient biography service, and reception.