Family given opportunity to put their feet up and relax after a trying end to 2012

In September 2012, nine-year-old Jacob Thurston woke up one night to find his duvet on fire. Courageously, he escaped the room and woke his Mum Adrienne, and the two of them fled the house. By the time the fire service arrived, over half the house was burnt to the ground, with the remainder left completely water and smoke damaged.

Adrienne’s sister, Tessa Thurston, heard Botany Town Centre and SeaLink were running a campaign for a deserving family to win an ultimate staycation at Waiheke. After seeing the battle her sister had gone through in the months that followed the fire, Tessa said she nominated Adrienne, “So she could relax, enjoy life and take a good break”.

It was a rough period for Adrienne, as she and Jacob came to terms with losing their house and belongings. As they relocated and restarted their lives, Adrienne continued to work full time, support Jacob and study the final three papers needed to complete her Bachelor of Accounting.

Local MP Jami-Lee Ross was involved with judging the many nominations received by SeaLink and Botany Town Centre. He was taken by Tessa’s nomination and was impressed with the courage shown by Adrienne and Jacob in the face of a traumatic accident.

“Despite losing everything, they have made the best of a bad situation and carried on with their lives,” he said. “I would particularly like to commend Adrienne on studying as well as working full time and raising her son.”

Adrienne and Jacob have won a return family pass on SeaLink from Half Moon Bay to Waiheke, Waiheke Island Resort and Conference Centre accommodation and passes to family activities on the island including the Eco Zip Adventure. Also included in the pack were family passes to Botany Town Centre’s Hoyts La Premiere, a Prenzel Citrus Vinaigrette, a 925 CZ heart and arrow earrings and matching sterling silver pendant valued at $249 from NZ Jewellers.

Adrienne says she and Jacob are looking forward to spending some relaxing time together shortly.

“Jacob is my absolute hero,” says Adrienne. “It’s amazing how quickly kids can bounce back from things. We were hoping to get away at Christmas, but I’d taken too much time off to deal with the house fire, so I needed to keep working and truck through the break. It’s going to be so great to get away.”

Todd Bolton, managing director at SeaLink was touched by the many entries received. “We were really glad to work with Botany Town Centre and find a deserving family in need of some R&R. As we run a service from Half Moon Bay to Waiheke, the local Botany community is very important to us. We’re so glad Adrienne and Jacob can experience Waiheke and finally take a break!”

SeaLink provides ferry services to Waiheke Island from two locations in Auckland, the well-known downtown port and from Half Moon Bay, a location easily accessed by East Auckland locals.

Desiree Clark, senior marketing manager at Botany Town Centre was thrilled to partner with SeaLink and provide a deserving local family with the wonderful getaway.

“We are so happy to acknowledge the tough time had by Adrienne and Jacob – we really believe they deserve some time to chill out. Waiheke Island is right on our doorstep and the Half Moon Bay service is in a convenient location for Botany residents,” she says.