Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of First Class, thanked the residents for their generosity.
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
The Russian Ambassador visited Petone?s Britannia House rest home recently, to thank residents? who keep busy sewing woollen clothing and teddy bears for orphaned Russian children. Mr Andrey Alekseevich Tatarinov, Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of First Class, thanked the residents for their generosity. Britannia House Manager Daph Turner says the knitting idea came about a few years ago as a birthday resolution. ?Our oldest resident, 100-year-old Frances Kyes, decided on her 98th birthday that she would knit 98 teddy bears for children. ?She has kept that going ever since, and her and other residents help to knit clothes along with the bears,? says Mrs Turner. The hats and bears that were sent to Russia ended up in Vladivostok, but now the residents are setting their sights on different areas of need. Iran and Afghanistan are the destination for their next shipment. ?It was suggested to her after she had sewed the bears where to send them, and the wool is mostly from odd strands,? says Mrs Turner. Mrs Kyes says she keeps the knitting up to ?keep out of trouble?, and has recruited other residents to knit hats and clothes for the orphaned children. The home now caters to 17 residents after recent additions were approved following trouble with building inspections. Every governor General has visited the unique rest home and a new wing was recently opened by Sir Anand Satyanand. ?Dame Silvia Cartwright visited us twice because she wanted to bring her dogs back to show us.?
