Argo Trust ChristChurch Fundraising

The residents and staff of Argo took part in the Great Christchurch Bake-Off on Monday, February 28th. The aim of the Bake Off is to provide the quake affected people of Christchurch with much needed food, love and support. Most of the food and toys were collected in the morning by the event organisers and a bake sale was held at 10am to raise money.

Argo stepped up for the occasion and two large boxes full of favourites such as choc chip cookies, banana cake, brownies and a variety of tasty cupcakes were baked by staff and residents.

Additionally, staff and residents took part in the Victoria University Association Football Club fund-raising Raffle with all profits going to Red Cross Christchurch Appeal.

VUWAFC has organised a torunament to be held at the brand new Boyd Wilson Turf on Friday, March 4th from 530pm onwards. All proceeds will be donated to the Christchurch Appeal.

Argo would like to extend their support and love to all affected in one way or another by this tragic event.

Farewell to Sean Doral

Farewell to Sean Doral

There is no other way to say this: we will miss you, Sean. We will miss your presence, your wholeheartedness, your caring attitude. You have done a terrific job here at Argo, in the five years you have been with us, and we cannot thank you enough. No words were spared at your party, your peers, your managers and the trustees were clear enough in saying that you will be irreplaceable. The residents of Argo are just as sad to see you go, as they know that it’s going to be a while since they will see you again.

We are also going to miss your weird sense of humor; your awkward vision of the world, your powerful yet seldom accurate boot on the football pitch, your…special self!

We wish you luck in your future endeavors, and we hope you will come visit us in the near future. At Argo the door is always open for you, “Sean-Boy”!

Happy 40th, Glenn!!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Glenn!

On May 9^th, 2010, our dear Glenn Stewart turned 40 years old! In order to celebrate this joyous occasion, his family decided to throw him a party at the Aro Valley Community Hall.

Amongst the guests were Glenn’s flat mates at Argo, his mother Claire, brother Jared, “soon to be sister-in-law” Gemma, his lovely aunties and cousins, former Argo Manager Sandra Love and all those who have the pleasure to share their lives with Glenn at Argo.

Many of the families of Glenn’s flat mates also turned up to wish Glenny a very happy 40^th! For a few hours the guests chatted, ate, drank and celebrated this special occasion. The guest of honor himself was sitting at his family’s table and an endless stream of guests congratulated him throughout the night.

The highlight of the night was definitely the speeches. Many stories about Glenn were shared and in the general atmosphere of hilarity we all acknowledged Glenn for becoming such a unique man whom everyone loves dearly!

Happy 40^th Glenn! Keep on truckin’!

Argo Weekend M.O.V.E Program-By David Nicholson

For a couple of years now, Argo has been using the M.O.V.E program. This came from America and stands for Mobility Opportunities Via Education. Just this year, Argo purchased a walking device recommended by M.O.V.E which has helped both Aiden and Marty to develop skills on the way to being able to walk.

M.O.V.E has a breakthrough two weeks ago when Scott, learning to sit unsupported, managed to do this this for 27 minute! The longest previous sit was 10 minutes. What is most remarkable is that during those 27 minutes I have never seen Scott so alert, turning his head in both direction and searching with his eyes. M.O.V.E claim is that once a person learns to balance, other learning abilities come much more readily because the act of keeping balance "fires" other parts of the brain which otherwise would lie dormant. What Scott did demonstrate that move really does work.

by David Nicholson

The Argo Football Team

For the third year running Argo has entered a team in the Upper Hutt Multi Ethnic Tournament. Last year the team lost 2-1 to eventual champions Somalia in a very exciting semi-final game.

The 2009 edition of the so-called Mini World Cup saw Argo being placed in what has been defined by many as "the pool of death". Sugar City, Upper Hutt Police and former champions UK Kiwi are all tough opponents, with special mention to the Police, who have beaten Argo in the past, and UK Kiwi, a team which includes several former Central League players.

In the first outing, on September 5th, Argo met UK Kiwi in their first pool match. On a very sunny day the boys fought hard, and despite missing a few players, put in a very good performance against a skillful and experienced side. UK Kiwi found the lead through a Sean Doral own goal, an unlucky deflection following a corner. The Expats increased their lead just before half time.
In the second half Argo worked even harder, and applied even more pressure through the midfield, but they managed to break the seal too late. A precise Brooke Toker's drive from the edge of the box gave them hope, but it was all too little too late. UK Kiwi went 3-1 up and game over.

Despite leaving all three competition points on the field, the Argonauts (Leigh McDonald, Sean Doral and skipper Giuliano Serrao) all had kind words for their team. And they were not the only one. "You guys did well" - said an unnamed spectator "you could have managed a draw".

Argo will meet Sugar City next week, and Upper Hutt Police on September 19th, and will need to win both to qualify for the Quarter Finals.
In the other game in Group 3, the Coppers overcame Pacific Sugar City 3-0.

Finally, we would like to thank our hard core fans, including all the Argo Residents who made the trip to Upper Hutt to support us, the caregivers working on that day, our sponsor SLOW BOAT RECORDS, team manager Angie Serrao, and Clair Stewart.

Argo United Goes Professional!

We are very excited to announce the completion of the Argo United Designer Football Strip.

Over the last 3 years Argo has been involved in playing five-aside football with a large number of international staff who love the beautiful game. We play both mixed and men’s leagues during the summer months and then a cultural tournament during the winter.

We are really excited to now have our own designer kit as a team.

A huge thank you must go out to everyone who has been involved in the creation of Argo United over the years. We say a special thank you to Dennis O’Brien – owner of Slow Boat Records - for investing in a championship winning side, even though he claims to be a rugby man! Dennis has frequently watched us play and we appreciate his continuous support and we hope to do Slow Boat proud. We also say a special thank you to Jade Oliver who designed the Argo United logo with the assistance of Giuliano & Ange Serrao. Finally, we would’nt be where we are now without the residents and other faithful supporters.

We will keep everyone updated on any upcoming tournaments but until then.....Go Man United!!

P.S - We are now looking into designing some Argo clothes.....stay posted!

Thank you Guliano and Flo!

Well, here we are again saying more farewells to staff that have left Argo for greener pastures.
Giuliano Serrao and Florence Fudakowska have been a huge part of the life of Argo and we will never be able to replace such amazing people. We want to thank them for all their contribution towards the resident’s lives, families and colleagues over the years of their employment.
We extend our sincerest desire that they would continue to spend time at Argo and join in any functions that will be happening.
Giuliano will continue to play for Argo United, so we will get to see the lil Italian on a regular basis!
We know that Giuliano and Flo will flourish in all their future endeavours and we wish them all the best.
Thanks guys.
Check out the photos below of our two stars