Community service award: Orphanage life shapes ‘caring’ volunteer

Lesley O'Neill. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Lesley O'Neill. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Even though Lesley O’Neill grew up without her parents, she never once felt like she had no family to turn to.

With an absent father, and after her mother died of an illness, life changed forever at three-years-old when the Nazareth House orphanage in Sydenham became her new home. But for the North Beach resident, having the sisters and other children by her side for the next 14 years felt like growing up in a big family.

“It was a home and there were a lot of other people. Like any upbringing, there’s always positives and negatives – but the positives totally outweighed the negatives,” she said.

“I guess what happened was I had an experience that a lot of people have never had.

“The skills that I have now are part of the nurturing I received as a child.”

She learned the value of hard work from a young age.

Some of the jobs she had growing at the orphanage included answering the phone or opening the door to visitors.

But one of the biggest lessons she took away was the determination the sisters showed when it came to keeping the children healthy.

“The sisters used to go out into the community, begging for money and food to keep us all alive. They would come home, they were exhausted; their shoes all worn out,” said O’Neill.

“That taught me about caring for other people.”

These days, O’Neill volunteers at the Christchurch South Fruit and Vegetable Collective, helping set up the hall and bags in time for the delivery trucks.

Her tenacity in the role over the last six years was why she was nominated for a Spreydon-Cashmere Community Service Award.

The collective processes about 200 orders of fresh produce each week, which are distributed to eight community hubs and delivered to homes across the city – many of which are on low incomes.

It buys produce from wholesalers and supermarkets and makes it available to the public to buy in bags, providing a more affordable option for homes to get their “5+ A Day.”

“I’m not looking for a reward for my work, it’s about what I can do to support others. Fruit and vegetables are the food that keeps people alive,” she said.

Richard Clemance was also recognised this year for volunteering at the collective for the past six years, supervising the packing process, and helping set up and pack down the premises.

Richard Clemance. Photo: Supplied
Richard Clemance. Photo: Supplied