Shuttle team leader Annette Waterman goes for a test run. Photo / Dave Murdoch
A flash new St John health shuttle for Dannevirke has been blessed at its local base.
Dignitaries and locals were in attendance for the blessing.
A lot of work by the funding committee of St John, led by Sarah Flowers, had gone into acquiring the shuttle to replace its existing one, which had reached its use-by date.
It was possible only because of a $30,000 grant from the Eastern and Central Community Trust that nicely filled the deficit after considerable other money from the community. On hand was its representative, Gail Munro, to hand over the keys to Rex Wheeler, representing St John as a Knight of the Order.
He said he was delighted to accept the shuttle on St John’s behalf, his regalia representative of a long-serving royal order now with King Charles at its head. He congratulated the local St John committee for the enterprise in keeping such a service alive.
The Rev Tim Delaney then blessed the shuttle and everyone associated with it, including staff and patients.
An inspection of the new shuttle followed, revealing it was equipped with four passenger seats and a wheelchair space and lift, all the latest technology and ideal for local needs.
Dave Murdoch is a part-time photojournalist working for the Bush Telegraph and based at Dannevirke. He has covered any community story telling good news about the district for the last ten years.
Napier’s water was once sourced via wells at the White Swan Brewery and Botanical Gardens.