Nancy Winter, QSM, tireless worker for Raetihi

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 15, Issue 691, 17 June 1997, Page 3

Nancy Winter, QSM, tireless worker for Raetihi

"I'd come home from another meeting and hide another suitcase under the bed and tell Rex about it in the morning," says Nancy Winter, QSM, describing how she often took on more community roles without intending to. Nancy was named in the Queens Birthday Honours list, having been chosen for a Queens Service Medal for public service. She said she is still thrilled at the news of receiving the award, although still doesn't have a clue as to who nominated her. "I've got an idea but I'm not giving anything away," smiles husband Rex, while he lights the Shacklock Orion wood range to warm up their Raetihi home on the frosty but sunny morning when the Bulletin called. Nancy said she still uses the converted coal range for cooking most of their meals and that she wouldn't know how to use an electric range. But in contrast to the low-tech, is a microwave which is "great for seven-minute puddings". Nancy and Rex came to Raetihi from Trentham, where Rex had worked for the Ministry of Works, and worked in various jobs in the area including as a painter, in an engineering workshop, market gardeners, in the sawmills, and for himself as a wood merchant among other things. Her service to the Raetihi community started about 35 years ago with work for the Crippled Children' s Society, which she became involved in as a result of having been on the crippled children register herself. At that time there was no field

officer, so the local branch carried out a lot of the functions in providing help for children in the area. Now, a field officer covers the Waimarino and attends to the needs of the 10 currently-registered children. The organisation has been renamed "CCS", recognising the fact that many of those originally registered when it was formed in the wake of the polio epidemic, have now been adults for a number of decades. The local CCS branch, of which- Nancy is still secretary after 35 years, now concentrates on fundraising through the annual shop day and street collection. She is quick to point out that others in Waimarino CCS have also been serving "for donkey's years" — president Con Heinold, treasurer Jenny Dobson and many of the committee. The local swimming club was also an early interest and she has been involved there also for 35 years. She has stopped coaching, but still enjoys teaching swimming. Most of her pupils are children four years and over but she has taught adults. "I have had adult groups but the water was too cold!" she exclaims, saying they were "too canny" while the children don't seem to feel the cold. "But it is always a delight when you see kids do their first width of the pool — it' s a great thrill." "We had one little joker this year — every day for five days he would end up crying. But on the sixth day he turned up, dived off the side and then we couldn ' t get him out of the water, he was having so much fun!" Among the projects the swimming club took on was raising money for a filtration plant. "Before that, on Saturday night — club night — the kids would bring scrubbing brushes and scrub down the walls after the pool had been emptied, then we would refill it on Sunday. Then it would get progressively greener again through the week." The money was raised through one of a number of queens carnivals, run over several weeks and including about five community and sports groups. "They robbed us blind," said Rex, adding that the fire brigade queen won the competition, having raised the most money.

The club ran the pool for many years, until regulations governing the manning of the pool made it impossible and they handed the responsibility back to the council. "It was a sensible decision," said Nancy, believing the requirements for life-saver certification and manning levels are necessary today, as too many parents leave their young children at the pool. Tennis was Nancy's other long-term sporting interest, both as a player and a coach. She only taught tennis for 30 years, having given up about five years after a hamstring injury. She can't remember how long she served on the committee as she was "on again, off again". Another queens carnival was run to raise money for the relocation to the recreation grounds, complete with concrete courts and a pavilion. The club bought the old Ohakune Rochfort Railway Station building for £10 and shifted it to the site.

Competition was easy to find, with many other clubs in the area — Waiouru, Ohakune Junction, Ohakune, Rangataua. In latter years they had to travel to Wanganui for competition experience. "It was the affiliation fees thatkilled any interclub competition, and it's the same with swimming. Now and again Wanganui would send up a professional coach, but otherwise they were happy to take the money. But the city clubs won't travel up the Parapara." Nancy was involved in setting up the pre-school that is attached to the Raetihi Primary School and took over as teacher there after two terms and taught for 10 years. Among other committees she has served on were the Raetihi School Parent Teacher Association and the Ruapehu College PTA. "You get involved because your kids are at school. Y ou do your turn," she modestly explains. "It was busy at one part because we had all of our six boys and one girl at primary school or the college." She served as president of the college PTA for many years and may have served as president for the primary school but she can't quite remember!