Waimarie helper Volunteer of the Month

Gary Mainwaring is Volunteer of the Month. Photo / Paul Brooks

Gary Mainwaring has been volunteering at the Waimarie for seven years. According to his manager, Phil Pollero, "He is the go-to-guy in our workshop who keeps track of stock and tools. He is also our handyman and fixes all sorts from boathooks to stuck hinges on doors. He also makes himself available to assist in our winter maintenance and fills in as wharfie when needed.
"We certainly appreciate his 7 years of volunteering with us and the hours and effort he has provided over those years."

At the office of Volunteer Whanganui last week, Sandra Rickey presented Gary with a certificate acknowledging him as Volunteer of the Month, a lapel badge and a $40 voucher, courtesy of Mud Ducks Cafe.

"I was at Mitre 10 one day, and Leigh Grant was there," says Gary. "Leigh was on the [Waimarie] Trust, and he said, 'Come along and give us a hand'. And that was that." He was retired, doing very little and felt he really needed something to do. That was in 2015. Gary is now 80 and still doing some of the heavy work down at the Riverboat Shed by the river.

He started at the shed cutting up firewood. The paddlesteamer's furnace takes wood to get the heat up before coal is used as fuel.
"Some of the wood comes out of the river ... but mostly pallets," says Gary. There was a pile of large pallets stacked by the shed when we went down to the Waimarie berth for a photo. They are there for him to deal with, Gary says. He uses a skillsaw to carve up the wood. The pallets are donated.
"We kept them in the Victory Shed for a while, and from there they were shifted into the silos." Both the Victory Shed and the old cement silos at the wharf were recently demolished as part of the port upgrade.

Gary's background is one of hands-on work. "I was with the Post Office / Telecom, from linesman to designer." Doing maintenance on the Waimarie comes naturally, although he says he doesn't do quite so much these days. Instead, as well as all the other things he does, he tries to keep an eye on the workshop to make sure tools go back to where they belong and the place is tidy. It keeps him busy.
He says they're a good bunch to work with down there and they occasionally socialise with a few beers.

Gary's been for a few excursions on the boat, but mostly, he says, "I do the wharf. When they come back I throw the rope out so they can tie up." He says the distance he has to throw it depends on who's skipper that day and how close they get the Waimarie to the wharf. He volunteers at the shed from Monday to Thursday, mostly mornings.
He says he has lost the odd mobile phone in the river and he has seen a few hit the water. "There are several phones in there." Crew and passengers alike have lost devices to the awa.

One thing that they need down there are more volunteers. "Mainly deckhands," he says. That involves a lot of different things, including sweeping, polishing, general cleaning, as well as being involved in one of Whanganui's primary tourist attractions. It's a privilege, says Gary Mainwaring, and it has earned him Volunteer of the Month.