Cancer Society nominates Kath Pinker as Volunteer of the Month

Kath Pinker is Volunteer of the Month. Photo / Paul Brooks

Kath Pinker is Volunteer of the Month. Volunteer Whanganui manager Sandra Rickey presented Kath with a certificate, a metal lapel badge and a $40 Mud Ducks voucher. Mud Ducks has been sponsoring the winner since the Volunteer of the Month inception in 2018.

Kath volunteers for the Cancer Society among other things, but she was a career primary school teacher.

“I was at Wanganui East for 30-odd years, before that Churton, before that Keith Street. I finished in 2011 officially, but I was still there helping when Covid came in two years ago.” She worked as a relieving teacher after 2011, then took on a position as teacher aide. After a couple of years she went along to help, unpaid.

Her credentials speak for themselves: life membership of the Cancer Society, life membership of Wanganui Netball and life membership of Lions International — recognition for a lot of unpaid work.

Her work at the Cancer Society came about through her Lions membership.

“I have been a member of Lions for many years ... I happened to be on the central executive of [Lions District] 202D, in a role as president of health and welfare, and they said we want someone to go to Camp Quality.”

Camp Quality New Zealand is a volunteer charitable trust that runs camps for children living with cancer. So Kath went. It was held at a boarding school “in the Hutt” that year. She assisted at Camp Quality for 15 years.

At the first camp, Kath was asked to make contact with the Cancer Society in Whanganui, and she did — at its AGM. “Next thing I was on their executive, and that was it.” She has held office, including president, and she has been to every Relay For Life, including the first one in Palmerston North.

“The Lions had a team at that one, and that’s how I got into it. When they started in Whanganui the next year, I just went from there and I’ve organised the Lions every year to do the Candle Bags.”

Kath says the Lions are still strong: perhaps not in numbers but certainly in what they do. Like the Christmas gift wrapping at Trafalgar Square that raises funds for Special Olympics. When the wrapping was going to stop a couple of decades ago, Kath organised the Lions to take it over.

“We made more than $6000 this year.” Of course she’s there wrapping gifts for the cause. “It’s good fun.” She’s there in the mornings but it’s also her job to find people for the other shifts. “It was a bit hard when I was still working, but I managed it. Now, I just do it.”

Kath was also netball president for many years and she also ran the office at the Laird Park courts. That stemmed from her teaching days when she coached primary netball teams.

“I’ve just always been busy.”

Why volunteering?

“I’ve always done it. I did it through my teaching through sport, and I’ve done it always through Lions ... I just like doing it. Now, I’ve got the time.”

Kath loves the company of people of any age, which is why she enjoyed her years of teaching and loves volunteering.

“And if I can help somehow, I’ll help. I’ve made some wonderful friends over the years.”

You’ll see Kath at the Christmas wrapping again.

“I’ve never thought about why I do it: I suppose it’s part of me.”

If you’d like to volunteer, there are plenty of positions available in a variety of organisations. Talk to the people at Volunteer Whanganui on 06 347 9430.