Cancer Society Daffodil Day: Dannevirke couple has long association with window display

Malcolm and Sylvia Peffers, captured in the ANZ window decorated for Daffodil Day.

Residents of Dannevirke are familiar with the annual decoration of the ANZ bank’s window, heralding the drive of the Cancer Society working with the bank to fundraise for the fight against cancer.

For the last 34 years, ANZ has supported the Cancer Society and its annual Daffodil Day appeal. Over that time, it has raised more than $24 million so it can continue to help all people with all types of cancer in all communities across New Zealand.

Dannevirke’s support for the fight against cancer has been going longer than the ANZ’s participation however, largely due to the work of a local couple Sylvia and Malcolm Peffers.

They came to Dannevirke when Malcolm was appointed National Bank Manager in 1978 and took part in the nationwide Cancer Society campaign.

With a large High Street window, Sylvia persuaded Malcolm to let her involve members of the Dannevirke Floral Art Group to “decorate the window appropriately”.

Armed with lots of natural daffodils, the group transformed the window.

ANZ Bank tellers are happy to sell a raffle and daffodil paraphernalia in support of the Cancer Society.

When the National Bank was taken over by ANZ and the building modernised, the tradition was continued even though Malcolm had retired, and the couple maintain the tradition to this day, Malcolm, Sylvia and her floral art team creating a different themed window each year featuring the Cancer Society’s annual message.

They resort to all kinds of props drawn from the couple’s resources and those of the Fantasy Cave, currently in storage. Sylvia says maintenance of the window is much easier now because the props are plastic. In the early days they had to go in every night to water the real daffodils and replace some that had wilted.

Malcolm says the whole bank used to be decorated inside until health and safety put height restrictions on the designs.

Dannevirke ANZ manager Sandra Lamb says the co-operation with ANZ as the national sponsor of Daffodil Day is a great idea and her staff enjoy continuing to compete branch against branch to see how much they can raise for the cause.