The Burn Support Charitable Trust welcomed the 2024 Women's Burn Retreat, the 8th year of this transformative event aimed at providing support, empowerment and healing for women who have experienced burn injuries.
Hosted at the Castaway Resort, women attended from throughout New Zealand, Australia and France. The range of activities, workshop and pampering focused on healing, self-care techniques, promoting holistic well-being, raising confidence and independence in daily lives. With the addition of an interactive Q & A forum which provided a platform for attendees to engage with fellow survivors, opportunities to share experiences, facilitated by Donna Maree Austin. The retreat was honoured to have guest speaker Colin Mathura-Jeffree attend. Colin's motivational chat resonated deeply with attendees, many laughs and a few tears, while sharing his life's adventures and achievements. With his charismatic, charming, honest and compassion everyone was under his spell as he encouraged and inspired ladies during a simply beautiful photo session. Special mention to Tracey Crouchman for your amazing support looking after the ladies, and to Lia Drew (Australia) and Angelique Barnes (New Zealand) who were the fabulous spokespeople on the AM Breakfast show promoting the Retreat! To everyone that participated and contributed to this amazing event our heartfelt appreciation and THANK YOU.
Every organisation, individual and businesses that support this invaluable retreat allow the continuation and benefits gained by all that attend over four days. It is rewarding and clarifies the importance of this event with the familiar returnees and the many new ladies we have the good fortune to meet. The Burn Support would very much like to sincerely thank PSL Fire & Safety for their continued support and funding for this Retreat. Thank you to this years sponsors: Estelle Johnson, Ray White Papamoa Waiuku Op Shop Howick Ladies Section, Howick Club Applications will be open soon for the 2025 Women's Burn Retreat - watch this space! |
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Testimonial from Colin Mathura-Jeffree
Life is a journey that has taken me to far off lands with gifts from Princesses and parties with pageant winners and pop stars. It's so wildly outrageous or hilariously bad and I don't share it often because for all my sparkle I'm private and not for public consumption. Infact I'm often surprised when I'm recognised. I was incognito when suddenly I was accosted at Maccas (of all places) by Michele Henry- who demanded I be a guest speaker at The Women's Burn Retreat 2024. I had natural apprehension as I come from 30+ years in fashion and& beauty as a model, actor and even TV judge on Top Model. I foolishly thought these burn survivors would think me shallow and vain. Michele directly reminded these women ARE survivors and not victims and I have a life story to share. Well how could I refuse?. The date was set and so I made a call to Angelique from Publicity PR who excitedly provided 20 boxed gift sets of ESSANO skin care and Kelli Brett - Publisher of Cuisine Magazine where I was a guest at the Women of Food & Drink awards 2024 - a day earlier to my guest talk - she got her PA to deliver to my Corporate Cab 20+ Cuisine Magazines. I figured If I fell flat at least these gifts would suffice. Also I'm a model who is photographed editorially so I thought "let's do a photographic workshop". Let's show them how it's done. When I arrived I had no time for trepidation as I was greeted with the most open smiles and energy. I spun out stories of my terribly wild career and the most embarrassing bits got the biggest laughs. I even remembered in 1993 a show in Wellington that had a burn survivor guy and how the organisers nearly dropped him out and I struggled to speak up for him because he was the most handsome male model in the show. He remained. I got unsettled because I saw these women were equally as brilliant, vivacious, sexy and real. The shoot was just like TV's Top Model was. These women suddenly smouldered under direction. They leaned into the fantasy. They took the smallest of cues and were vogueing all over the chairs, the deck and the floor. I was so impressed. True beauty shone because these women aren't just limited to the title 'survivor", they're more than inspirational, I realised they are a force of nature. |
Testimonial from Angelique Barnes, attendee
I just completed the 2024 New Zealand Women’s Annual Burn Retreat at Castaways Resort Waiuku. I want to express a heartfelt thank you to the New Zealand Burn Support Group Charitable Trust, Inc., the Board, Delwyn Breslau, Michele Henry and Tracey for providing such an important nurturing event for female burn survivors. Thank you so much to all the generous sponsors and the lovely people who come to speak, to share their expertise and time such as;
I can truly say that we are all grateful recipients and this event brings us so much positivity and enriching energy to our spirits. Thank you everyone who contributes and continues to give (like the amazing products and goody bags) of course we love them, especially in these times, which we understand it’s tough out there and giving during such times is extra generous. I came home and feel so invigorated and have so much more to give to the world, family, friends, and myself after such an amazing retreat. |
Burn support group charitable trust inc
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