Hospice Home inspires UCOL students

Hospice Home inspires UCOL students

Arohanui Hospice will benefit from the sale of an architect-designed house built by UCOL Carpentry students.

The UCOL Hospice Home is being constructed on a site adjacent to the UCOL Trades facility on Amesbury Street and has been a hands-on project for more than 30 students since last July.

The 112 square metre, three bedroom UCOL Hospice Home will be put up for auction in mid-June. Arohanui Hospice will receive the profits from the sale of the house, with a number of sponsors giving generously to ensure costs are kept low.

Three of the students involved in the construction have links with Arohanui Hospice and say this gives them an even greater incentive to complete the house.

Cameron Gurney, aged 21, remembers visiting his grandfather in the Hospice 13 years ago. Vincent Brosnan, 17, and classmate Jorden Wilson, 17, both visited an elderly friend at the Hospice. Jorden’s aunt passed away at the Hospice two years ago and he remembers the caring environment. “It was a really nice place.”

Cameron says “Building a real house has been a good way to learn the trade. It is great to build something for such a good cause.”

During construction of the house, the students are under the supervision of Carpentry tutors Steve Wharehinga and Mark Kitchin. Students from the Diploma of Interior Design, Introduction to Joinery and the Certificate in Electrical and Related Trades have also contributed.

UCOL’s Executive Dean of Trades and Technology, Kelly Gay, says the house building initiative takes teaching to a new level. “Students experience for themselves what it’s like to work on a building site. They have the weather and ground conditions to contend with, as well as health and safety issues.

“I know the students are gaining a great deal of satisfaction and sense of achievement from the project and this will help give them the confidence to seek employment.”

Kelly says whoever buys the house at auction can be confident they are getting quality workmanship, with the students closely supervised to ensure they meet the highest standards and specifications set by the architects, E3 Architects.

Arohanui Hospice Chief Executive Clare Randall says the UCOL Hospice Home is a wonderful fund-raising project and a first for the Manawatu. “It’s particularly pleasing that young people are involved in fund raising for the Hospice, and that they are learning as a result. “

Clare and Kelly say they hope the community will get in behind the project and visit the building site in Amesbury Street over the next eight weeks. “Property Brokers will be holding open days in the run up to the auction. This will allow people to check out the house itself and the interior decoration that has been chosen.”

Clare is grateful to Manawatu people and organisations who have come forward with free or discounted resources and services, including local trade suppliers ITM, Placemakers, Pridex, Rylock Aluminium, Higgins Concrete, Rangitikei Flooring, Rotary Club of Milson, Stewarts Electrical Supplies Group, Heatrite Bowater Plumbing, and a group of NZ Army electrical and plumbing apprentices. Tim Mordaunt from Property Brokers is giving his services free for the auction in June and other sponsorships are in the pipeline.

Arohanui Hospice provides specialist palliative care, free of charge, for people in the Manawatu, Tararua, Horowhenua and Rangitikei regions with a life-limiting illness. Proceeds from the project will help Arohanui Hospice to provide care for up to 650 patients referred this year, and their families.

For more information go to www.ucolhospicehome.org.nz

ENDS

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