Wayne Carter has spent his life truck driving and farming in various locations around the North Island.
So when he took up an opportunity to volunteer as a van driver for Enliven’s Kandahar Home and Kandahar Court, he had many of the necessary skills.
A good sense of humour also makes the job enjoyable, he says.
“It’s what you make of it. You just get out and have fun with the residents – they love having a laugh.”
Wayne takes groups of residents from Kandahar Home and Kandahar Court out for drives all over the place – from visits to the beach to Lake Ferry, Riversdale, or north to Eketahuna.
Wayne started volunteering with Enliven about five years ago. His wife Janet was working as an enrolled nurse at Kandahar Home and after taking early retirement, Wayne decided he wanted to donate his time to a good cause.
“I usually come in whenever they need,” he explains. His volunteering has also expanded to include taking residents out for appointments.
“They just ring me up and ask and nine times out of 10 I’m able to help.”
A recent arm injury has unfortunately meant Wayne’s driving has been put on pause for now, but once he’s had surgery he’ll be back behind the wheel.
“I’m definitely looking forward to getting back to it,” he says with a chuckle, “don’t you worry!”.
Enliven has more than 260 volunteers donating their time in its homes across the lower North Island.
