Fifty years ago, a group of Gisborne locals banded together to take emergency care into their own hands.
And throughout those 50 years, there’s been one person who’s stood the test of time.
The Gisborne Ambulance Auxiliary has celebrated 50 years of service to the community, and for all five decades, Patricia Kaye has stood at its side.
“Many of the members were on the auxiliary for a long time. One of the ladies who joined the same night as me only resigned in the past couple of years and she’s about to turn 97,” she said.
“The community has always been important to me, and I’ve always been involved in the Gisborne community. It’s a lovely community to be in.”
Formed after it was recognised by residents that a local ambulance branch was needed, the auxiliary was born from a public meeting called by the then ratepayers’ association and local police.
That night, the group was created with a goal to form an ambulance branch in Gisborne.
“I was elected as treasurer that same night and I’m still here 50 years later,” Ms Kaye said.
Within just a few years, the auxiliary raised enough money to buy the town’s first ambulance, and by 1980, they fundraised enough to build an ambulance branch – one of Ms Kaye’s highlights.
Later, the group funded a local helipad and have spent decades supporting paramedics in Gisborne.
“We’ve had a great team of people behind it all working and we’ve had great fun working all those years raising all this money to build a station and all the equipment we’ve bought,” Ms Kaye said.
The auxiliary has worked hard around town as well, running antique fairs, art shows, cake stalls, square dancing and making showbags – all to raise funds for the ambulance’s needs.
Another highlight was the creation of the Gisborne Olde Time Market, which continues to this day.
“Whatever we could make a dollar out of, we tried,” Ms Kaye said.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve.”
Ms Kaye has no plans of stopping soon, continuing to love the work she does.
“As long as I can walk,” she said.
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