Jackie Girvan. Photo supplied.If there’s one lasting memory Jackie Girvan will take away from her 15 years as head of Ashburton’s Presbyterian Support it will be the unstinting generosity of people in the Ashburton District.

From the range of local funders that support the organisation in large amounts of cash to the individuals and small organisations who willingly give time, money and goods, without them Presbyterian Support would be a much less able organisation, Girvan said.

When she closes her office door on June 29 it will be without regrets and it will be with a huge sense of satisfaction.

She joined the organisation in May 2003 after a career as a nurse and later as a health promoter.

Back then two support programmes were running and six staff were on the payroll.

Today there are 11 programmes and 20 full and part-time staff plus four contractors.

Looking back, Girvan says her health career was a perfect foundation on which to develop what was then a newly created manager’s role.

After 12 years as a health promoter she was looking for new challenges – she found these with Presbyterian Support, an organisation she says has grown strong on the back of on-going community support.

Large amounts of money is given locally by local funders such as the Trevor Wilson Trust, Mid South Canterbury Trust, Ashburton Trust, the Ashburton Benevolent Trust and the McKenzie Trust.

“Without them we wouldn’t have the services we do; all the money that’s given locally is spent locally, it can’t go elsewhere,” she said.

Local funding,  however, does not ensure nationally funded programmes are secure, but even with programmes changing most years, the organisation now sees more than 1000 clients a year.

“That’s a lot of people and when you consider the size of Ashburton, we have quite a reach.”

Inevitably people develop pet projects, and one of Girvan’s has been social housing.

Through a private investor that project has been partly achieved with a shared accommodation property for older people.

She hopes to add to this are over the next five months.

Inevitably there have been disappointments and frustrations, but they’re few.

“Probably the most disappointing thing is the people we’re unable to help and often they’re single men with mental health issues who are transient and the axing of the mentor programme.

“We struggled to get mentors but I’d love to see this here for 10  to 16-year-olds, there’s a real gap in our community but unfortunately we need funding,” she said.

That aside, what the organisation achieves every day of every year is pretty amazing, Girvan said.

“And that’s thanks to the generosity of this community, so many wonderful small things happen because of our networks, the networks we have in the community, with other agencies and with health agencies.

“And the staff, they’re the ones who do the work.”

This year had been tagged by Girvan for some time as the one when she’d step down, it was just which month. June, the end of the financial year seemed logical, she said, and decision made, she admits she’s now looking ahead to the first six months of retirement where she plans to do very little.

“I want to sit back for a while and see what happens. I will look forward to sleeping in because in this job you have to be flexible with your time, there’s always someone needing help.”

With just five months left, Girvan still has her wish list – a youth mentoring programme, more help for young families with parenting skills through visits from parenting professionals, supported accommodation for single men, more accommodation for the cash-strapped elderly and a couple of emergency family houses.

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 30 January 2018