You say Goodbye, I say Hello

Brendan Prendergast steps down, Maria O’Halloran, CMInstD joins the board.

When Brendan said it was time for him to step down as a director at the end of the year, my initial reaction was 'Oh no'. How will I/we cope without the energy and enthusiasm, the contacts, the experience and the tenacity Brendan has brought to Braintree.

We couldn’t have created BrainTree without Brendan (and Jo). They made a substantial donation, but even more significant has been the time and expertise BP has given.

BP and I both stepped out of high profile jobs 5 year ago and we threw our energies into BrainTree. I recall one Sunday morning we were batting round ideas by email at 5am, and we laughed - we decided we were both nuts. We also reflected that we had very tolerant wives in Tracey and Jo.

Whether it was the golf tournament, or on the donor trail, finding building contractors, at design meetings or presenting our plans to the public - BP has always been there, sharing the load, encouraging the rest of us, making sure we got a coffee fix and always with a funny story to lighten the moment.

Brendan has a remarkable ability to galvanise people and has inspired a legion of supporters. Supporters who have also now become big fans of BrainTree.

Brendan has clocked up thousands of hours to BrainTree, many more than he bargained for. Apparently, Graeme indicated to BP it would be a commitment of a couple of hours a month to attend a meeting!

It was a massive undertaking raising funds and developing the centre. Brendan has most definitely completed his 5 year tour of duty and now that we are open and moving into a new phase, he wants to reduce his commitment.

I say reduce because Brendan will remain a director of the annual golf tournament, BrainTree Golfing with the Stars. The tournament he created has now become the most significant fund raising event in our calendar, and quickly become one of the largest charity golf events in Canterbury.

My initial reaction was 'Oh no', but I soon realised I wasn’t saying goodbye to a good friend and colleague. It was 'Hello'.

Hello to Brendan in his new role as director of the golf, and hello to our new board member Maria O'Halloran.

We count ourselves very fortunate that Maria has chosen to join the board. Maria is a real find - she's CEO of Ballantynes, a role she has held for 10+ years, and brings a boatload of valuable business experience and energy to BrainTree.

Married to Paul, with children Jess and Jack and grandchildren Riley & Noah, Maria still finds time to train for adventure races. She has completed 10 to date and is preparing for her 11th in Feb.

'Learn, earn and return' is how Maria describes her outlook on life. A big believer in holistic health, Maria always wanted to be a naturopath, so a wellness centre is a natural fit.

When we met, Maria asked what she was signing up for. Brendan winked at me and said, "it’s just a commitment of a couple hours a month Maria"!

We're stoked you said yes

I say hello... hello, hello.

And welcome to the BrainTree team.

Credits: John Lennon & Paul McCartney