Kia Ora, hello again and welcome to looking back at September, introducing 2 of our lovely drivers, another wonderful mobility client and room to feature one of our buses.
Well, September started at Level 3, eased down to Level 2 on the 8th and has sat there ever since.
Bus work is minimal, mobility less so. It’s a very muddly place to be as ( for example ) one of our mobility clients who used to go swimming twice a week. The pool re opened but NOT the changing room which she needs, so no swimming for her.
So, on her behalf, all Pink Total double jabbed drivers say GET JABBED !!
Well, September started at Level 3, eased down to Level 2 on the 8th and has sat there ever since.
Bus work is minimal, mobility less so. It’s a very muddly place to be as ( for example ) one of our mobility clients who used to go swimming twice a week. The pool re opened but NOT the changing room which she needs, so no swimming for her.
So, on her behalf, all Pink Total double jabbed drivers say GET JABBED !!
Our drivers this week are husband and wife John and Yvonne Banks. This is their story
Tour Operators, John and Yvonne Banks have semiretired after a busy sixteen years in the Tour industry. In that time, they have seen a small industry flourish from small beginnings to flat out. It all stopped abruptly with the Ruby Princess arrival at the Napier Port setting the benchmark for the new era Covid 19. Yvonne operated the Art Deco Bus Tour of Napier for many years having started the business and working in conjunction with the Art Deco Trust. The business was sold along with vehicles to new owners. This freed up Yvonne’s time to carry on with the wine tours. John came into the business after a teaching career and helped with the workload and bookings. Now days the business waits until the borders open and a different lifestyle may start again and certainly at a different pace. With their position in the industry, they have been in the position to assist and help with Pink Total’s busy business. They both enjoy the chance to meet people associated with travelling to destinations whether locally or out of town.
 | Way back after our first blog, a petrol head asked if we could feature one of our buses each month. So as we have the space, may we present our 1986 Denning, aka Priscilla Queen of the Dessert. Ours has a Detroit motor reclining seats and large under floor luggage space. Air blowers and heating. Lovely old style touring bus which hums along dreaming of its alter ego. Pink Total’s Denning is on the left by the way 😊  |
Presenting our Mobility Client of the Month
My name is Diane Walsh and I live in Taradale. Like many people with a disability I use a variety of transport to get around and maintain my independence. As an amputee, I was looking for a friendly, reliable transport service, to add to my travel resources, and Pink Total Transport was recommended to me by their longterm customer Margaret. As soon as I met Janet on my first trip, I realised that the easy access to the van with my wheelchair would be a great asset for getting to places around the Bay that were too far for my electric wheelchair. Since then I’ve got to know all the staff and whatever my destination it’s like sharing the journey with a friend. I think the most exciting outing so far happened last year when Marise drove my whole family to Mangapapa for my 70th birthday celebration and then became our capable sober driver for the return home.
In 2011 I had a surprise stay in intensive care, when I became ill with sepsis, which resulted in the amputation of my right leg. The disability spelt the end of my career as a midwife and once I was fully recovered I started looking for something useful to do. Like all midwives I had encountered the poverty that often results in young children lacking warm clothing and bedding. Put together with factors like substandard housing (poverty again) many children end up sick and compromised in Hawke’s Bay every winter. In 2014, with this in mind, I started a “Not for Profit” organisation called Cosy Kids. Cosy Kids’ objective is to provide Hawke’s Bay babies and pre-schoolers with warm clothing and blankets to be delivered to them by midwives and nurses, social workers and other health care professionals during the cold months . Cosy Kids has a group of volunteer knitters and other crafters who turn out woollies, hats, blankets, sheets and toys for under 5 year olds. These are gifted to children throughout winter. Each baby is also supplied with sleepsuits, cotton onesies and merino singlets made from merino fabric donated by a NZ sportswear manufacturer. All of our knitted garments are made from wool or merino, which is either donated or purchased with donated funds. The family receives a bag of new and sometimes immaculate preloved items for the baby/children, delivered by the health worker who approached Cosy Kids for help. I put the packs together appropriate to the individual needs of the family, I don’t require any information other than the age and gender of the child (no names). Over the years Cosy Kids has helped hundreds of children in all areas of Hawke’s Bay and further afield when we have accumulated supplies in excess of our needs.
Pink Total Transport has been an amazing resource in the running of Cosy Kids, taking me on shopping excursions to access the babywear sales around town and getting to places where I have been asked to speak to a group about Cosy Kids.
Anyone who would like to contact me for more information is welcome to phone or text 021434833 or email [email protected]
Diane has much more information which we will feature next month 😊
In the meantime, ring, text or email her as winter will come again before we know it !
In 2011 I had a surprise stay in intensive care, when I became ill with sepsis, which resulted in the amputation of my right leg. The disability spelt the end of my career as a midwife and once I was fully recovered I started looking for something useful to do. Like all midwives I had encountered the poverty that often results in young children lacking warm clothing and bedding. Put together with factors like substandard housing (poverty again) many children end up sick and compromised in Hawke’s Bay every winter. In 2014, with this in mind, I started a “Not for Profit” organisation called Cosy Kids. Cosy Kids’ objective is to provide Hawke’s Bay babies and pre-schoolers with warm clothing and blankets to be delivered to them by midwives and nurses, social workers and other health care professionals during the cold months . Cosy Kids has a group of volunteer knitters and other crafters who turn out woollies, hats, blankets, sheets and toys for under 5 year olds. These are gifted to children throughout winter. Each baby is also supplied with sleepsuits, cotton onesies and merino singlets made from merino fabric donated by a NZ sportswear manufacturer. All of our knitted garments are made from wool or merino, which is either donated or purchased with donated funds. The family receives a bag of new and sometimes immaculate preloved items for the baby/children, delivered by the health worker who approached Cosy Kids for help. I put the packs together appropriate to the individual needs of the family, I don’t require any information other than the age and gender of the child (no names). Over the years Cosy Kids has helped hundreds of children in all areas of Hawke’s Bay and further afield when we have accumulated supplies in excess of our needs.
Pink Total Transport has been an amazing resource in the running of Cosy Kids, taking me on shopping excursions to access the babywear sales around town and getting to places where I have been asked to speak to a group about Cosy Kids.
Anyone who would like to contact me for more information is welcome to phone or text 021434833 or email [email protected]
Diane has much more information which we will feature next month 😊
In the meantime, ring, text or email her as winter will come again before we know it !
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