CAB Cambridge stalwarts, from left, bureau chair Caroline Kitching and manager Marie Payne, with founding volunteers Vera Fisher and Margaret Price.
The robust health and good reputation of Cambridge Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB) was celebrated last week at the organisation’s 40th anniversary event.
Cambridge CAB chair Caroline Kitching told over 70 people who attended that the way the bureau handled the Covid-19 pandemic period ranked as one of the highlights of the past four decades.
“The first highlight was getting our present building,” she said, “another is how well we are thought of by Cabnz (Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand) because we were one of very few CABs that continued to operate during the pandemic. We fielded calls from all over the country during that time and are very well thought of for the way we handled it.”
The anniversary event was attended by volunteers and representatives from several organisations that work closely with the local bureau, as well as Cabnz regional representative Shirley Trumper, who came up from Rotorua. Among the guests was life member Anne Galbraith and two founding volunteers, Vera Fisher and Margaret Price.
Waipā councillor Philip Coles was there, as was Taupō MP Louise Upston. Both of their fathers had an early involvement with the bureau.
Upston said reaching 40 years was a ‘fantastic achievement’. It was organisations like CAB, who connected people with the information and services they need, that made up a community, she said.
“When my dad retired, the first thing he did was sign up to be a volunteer for CAB. He thought it was the most important way he could help his community. The value you provide is phenomenal. Yours is a very professional and caring organisation… it speaks volumes to the people who volunteer with CAB,” she added.
“To have 36 volunteers fielding 1700 calls over the past 12 months is an astounding achievement.”
