It was a poignant day for Cancer Society collectors yesterday raising money on the same day that Te Omanga Hospice closed its doors for the final time.
The 18th Daffodil Day had 88 people across 11 sites collecting in Masterton and 48 people across six sites in South Wairarapa, along with street volunteers, who sold not only fresh and cloth flowers but teddy bears, pens and lemons.
"It's an enormous event that just takes months to prepare for and thanks to the help of everybody it just pans out on the day," Cancer Society Wairarapa manager Anna Cardno said in the midst of dropping off fresh daffodils to the sites.
However, this year bears special meaning for Wairarapa people who yesterday lost Te Omanga Hospice to a DHB-led palliative care service.
"It's very sad that Daffodil Day happens on the same day that Te Omanga closes, which I think is a very poignant coincidence and certainly our thoughts today while we're out collecting are with Te Omanga, which is closing up shop on Lincoln Road.
"It takes some of the pleasure out of the day."
Amongst Masterton's volunteer collectors were Craig Cooper diagnosed with cancer last year and Chris Horrocks, who shared a laugh about the fact that, as friends, they ended up on the same stall.
While Mr Cooper has had first hand experience with the disease that affects one in three New Zealanders, that's not his motivation for collecting.
"This is not about me at all. One of the reasons why Chris and I are always seen together is that we are community-minded people. I just like putting my hand up to help and the Cancer Society does a hell of a lot for people. If I can do a bit to help an organisation like that, then it's not a big price to pay, is it?"
Mr Horrocks, who is the national executive of the Cancer Society, agrees.
"I think you've summed it up beautifully."
And though the stall was visited early yesterday morning, that did not lessen the generosity of people walking past, most of who gave money, Mr Cooper said.
"There's not a soul walks past that doesn't. It's just amazing how generous people are and more often that not it's a five or $10 donation rather than a handful of coins.
"The generosity of people never ceases to amaze me."
Mr Horrocks said the thing that stuck him about donators is often the ones that give the most are the ones who can least afford to.
This year, bad weather had taken its toll on daffodil populations, but a call put out by the Cancer Society for more of the yellow blooms had drawn a good response, Mrs Cardno said.
"We had an enormous response. People coming in with a dozen (daffodils), to people coming in with a dozen buckets."
Several businesses have given staff to assist with the picking, bundling or distribution of daffodils and schoolchildren have also helped, including 20 pupils from Chanel College.
Other individuals take it upon themselves to put in a concentrated effort, including a Featherston man who owns a carpark in Wellington and takes 4000 daffodils to the premises to sell on Daffodil Day.
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