Husband-and-wife gardening enthusiasts Ronald and Moira Fick have turned their passion into public service by volunteering to maintain the Msunduzi Hospice gardens.
While Moira is arguably the one with greener thumbs, Ronald said he was more than happy to assist her in rehabilitating the gardens.
This willingness to support his wife of 46 years was evident in the T-shirt he wore while gardening on Tuesday, which read “My Wife Is Awesome”.
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Moira said the idea of adopting the gardens came to her when a member of her church told her that the hospice’s gardens could use some TLC.
Shortly after that, we came to return books we had finished reading and saw how we could assist with weeding and trimming the rose bushes.
They became volunteers and now assist every Tuesday and Thursday.
Speaking to The Witness at the gardens on another scorching day, they said they typically work until 11 am, when the heat becomes unbearable, but plan to spend more time there when temperatures drop.
The Ficks encouraged others to consider volunteering and to find a way to make their hobby or passion benefit as many people as possible. “If you feel like you can and want to do something, then go for it, especially if it’s something you enjoy doing,” Moira said.
Hospice CEO Letitia Marais said the Ficks’ work is highly appreciated, as the hospice depends on such assistance and is always looking for new volunteers.
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She said that since Covid-19, the hospice has seen a notable drop in volunteers, as many have relocated or stopped volunteering due to ill health.
Marais said she would love to see more young people involved but is focused on recruiting people who have retired.
“While the energy we see from the few young volunteers we have is admirable, young people are often unavailable to readily step in when, for example, a member of staff is ill, as they have work or school commitments,” she said.
Marais urged the community to be inspired by the Ficks and the hospice’s other volunteers, who often work behind the scenes, and to start showing up to support their local NGOs.
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“We are needed more than ever before, which means we need more volunteers to sustain our operations and ensure that we assist as many people as we can,” she said.
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