16 June 2023
Carolyn McCondach was the driving force behind Harbour Hospice’s early fundraising efforts. Over the years she mobilised hundreds of volunteers to raise huge amounts of money for Hospice. With her passion and energy, wide smile and friendly countenance, people simply couldn’t say no to her.
In 1981 Carolyn McCondach lost her 14-year-old daughter Louise to cancer, and the grief that enveloped her took her life in a new direction. Carolyn couldn’t bear the thought of another child suffering the way Louise had in her final weeks, so began a quest to establish a hospice for children.
She and a close friend spent many hours planning how they’d set it up. They viewed buildings and Carolyn even travelled to Oxford, England to visit the Helen House for Children.
But in May 1983 The Hospice Foundation of Auckland called a public meeting to discuss the need for a Hospice movement on the North Shore. Carolyn attended and realised her vision was “too big”. “Until we had a hospice for adults my dream of a hospice for children would be just a dream,” she said.
So, Carolyn instead joined 100 other passionate individuals who registered their interest to launch a hospice homecare service on the North Shore. With many years of fundraising for the Child Cancer Foundation behind her she knew how to galvanise a community for a cause, and it wasn’t long before she was a member of Hospice's first Management Committee alongside Dick Stevenson, Elsie Tillet, Tanc Bullock and Bob Urban. In 1986 the group's first fundraising committee was formed; Carolyn was nominated chair.
Let the fundraising begin
The committee’s first major project was a fashion parade in 1987 which Carolyn organised with her brother, well-known fashion designer Colin Cole. It did phenomenally well, raising $14,000 to cover the entire first year’s salary of North Shore Hospice’s first paid employee, Volunteer Coordinator Julian Court.
Following its success a Christmas Fair was held in 1988. Carolyn pulled together a small group of very capable women to assist. “And then I wrote to all the churches, women’s groups and community groups and got as many speaking engagements as I could,” she said. “I didn’t ask them for money. I asked them to make whatever they loved making and donate it to our Fair. It was a giant leap of faith, but I knew women and I knew they would rise to the invitation.” On the morning of the fair Carolyn opened the hall doors and waited. “The cars rolled up and the women filled the hall with their work. We made $26,000 including $3000 on the cake stall!”
Carolyn dedicated a lot of time to speaking to community and service groups – despite her nerves! - such as Rotary, Lions, Kiwani, Senior Citizens and Probus, and as people learned about the Hospice vision, community support grew.
Local bowling, tennis and golf clubs began holding annual fundraisers. Campaigns that Carolyn initiated like Light Up a Christmas Tree – today known as the Trees of Remembrance campaign - were embraced. And Vintners’ Lunch – Harbour Hospice’s biggest annual fundraiser, now known as Vintners’ Brunch – was born.
It was Carolyn’s ability to mobilise people that made her such a fantastic fundraiser, say Liz Douglas-Brown and Helen Pilkington, who were members of one of the first fundraising committees that Carolyn pulled together in 1989.
“She wasn’t scared of asking anyone for anything,” says Helen. “Carolyn knocked on everybody's door that she knew.”
“And she had a very outgoing personality,” Liz adds. “She was friendly and open. You couldn't really say no to her.”
The committee that Helen and Liz were part of fundraised for Hospice for nine years. "We ran garden parties, film previews, mystery home tours and lunches,” Liz recalls. “There were two balls - one at the Auckland Town Hall and one at Shore City Galleria and they were wonderful events. People really knew how to dress up then. But the one that people kept asking us to do again – and we never did – was the outdoor jazz music concert. People loved that event.”
Helen remembers “always making sandwiches”.
“Yes, I can remember all the catering that went on in our dining rooms,” Liz laughs.
“Carolyn brought us on board because we’ve just always done all these things,” she continues. “Before hospice we’d fundraised for our kids’ schools and for Plunket and the National Party. We've always had the energy and we’re organisers. And it really was a lot of fun.”
By 1990 volunteer fundraisers had amassed enough money – more than $800,000 - to enable North Shore Hospice Trust to purchase its current site at 7 Shea Terrace. And the funding they continued to bring in – and still bring in today - has been vital to the growth of Harbour Hospice.
Carolyn served on the hospice trust for 25 years and was awarded an MBE for services to the community in 1991. A ‘quiet room’ at Hospice’s Shea Tce facility was dedicated to her daughter Louise.
She died peacefully on 23 October 2020 at Harbour Hospice’s Hibiscus Coast Inpatient Unit.
She said this of the hundreds of volunteer fundraisers she had worked with over the years. “I have enormous respect for all of them, as they gave their time and money to establish a service for the care and comfort of others. They wanted to make a difference and helped establish an invaluable community service.”
