One week last July Evan Glass was sharing the management of a sheep farm
with his brother and Heather Glass was principal of a local primary school.
The next they were managing a Methven tourist lodge for skiers at the
height of the season. This had been their dream - to have their own
tourist lodge. This was in mid-Canterbury, the part of New Zealand where
they belonged. Wonderful, but such a sudden transition!
Looking back on it six months later they say that to be plunged into the
height of the season was probably the best way to start. They had planned
to sell the farm and move into tourism in the ten year plan. Then Toni's
Lodge came on the market, Evan's brother wanted to buy Evan's share of the
farm, so Heather and Evan took their chance.
Support and advice in the transition days came from Toni, the previous
owner, who was there to assist. She helped Heather with the planning of
the menus for thirty five guests and Evan took over the office work, the
grounds and the handyman's jobs. The cooks and household staff stayed on
after Toni left.
Sleep the scarcest commodity
The first few weeks proved incredibly exhausting. The office shut at 10
p.m., but Evan had to stay in the dining room until the bar closed.
Luckily most skiers did not stay up too late because they wanted an early
start in the morning, but some stayed at the bar until one or two in the
morning. The managers had to be up soon after five to prepare breakfast.
The morning chores, cleaning and the seemingly endless washing of sheets
was usually done by lunch time, and then Heather and Evan worked in the
office to learn more about the booking system, client lists and the
accounting systems.
The peak season was a success. They achieved their aim of good service and
a welcoming atmosphere. The guests came from all over New Zealand,
Australia, Japan, Tahiti and many other countries - and went away
satisfied. There were no double bookings. Every booking had been triply
checked to avoid such disasters.
So much to learn all at once
Now they are familiar with all the office procedures. Now they know that
those hours in the early afternoon are the times to catch up on some sleep.
They also know that summer is the time to do other jobs - any
reorganising, renovating and replanting. They still believe that being
thrown in the deep end was the best way to learn. They also learnt not to
worry about quiet times in the summer as the winter season is so busy.
Heather and Evan coped, but where had they developed the necessary skills?
Heather grew up on a farm. She likes living in the country. Being
principal of a school developed her management skills. She is used to
cooking for a crowd. At thirteen she was able to cook for harvesters on
the farm. She is used to mixing with people from different places and
lifestyles. After years at boarding school in Christchurch she trained as a
teacher, taught in different parts of the country, and then went overseas.
She has had experience in a tourist lodge. Working at a tourist lodge in
Scotland she got first hand experience at different sides of the business,
even entertaining the guests as she played her guitar and sang Scottish
songs. She's increased her repertoire, the guitar is in the dining room, and
music is a feature of many evenings at Toni's Lodge.
As a farmer Evan learnt management skills - how to plan and how to cope
with peak pressure, as at lambing time, especially when the weather proved
stormy. He thrives on involvement with people. On the farm he and Heather
hosted Scandinavian students on a year-long exchange scheme. He is a
Justice of the Peace and a marriage celebrant. He has had long
involvement with rugby coaching and administration - coaching teams at all
levels, president of the local club, ten years on the South Canterbury
Rugby Union. He enjoys meeting people from all over the world and talking
with them about sport and living, farming and skiing in Canterbury.
Following their dream
Like others in this series of articles Heather and Evan are coping with
change and working to achieve their dream. With changing life patterns
they have acquired a range of skills and are putting them all together to
create for their guests a home away from home with the friendly service,
efficiency and warm welcome that are key features of Toni's Lodge, Methven.
18 May 1998
We had an update on their activities from Heather and Evan this week.
"Last season we changed our name to Abisko Lodge. The name change came
after many contributions from guests on our name suggestions board.
Abisko is a national park in the north of Sweden, where people go to
tramp and ski. Features of the area include mountainous area, plain and
river valley.
At Abisko Lodge we are now gearing up for another ski season. The recent
snow on the mountain signals the end of a long hot summer.
We have enjoyed the challenges of the last two years and look forward to
meeting many new and familiar faces in the future.
To find out more about Abisko Lodge you can visit our home pages at
http:nz-holiday.co.nz/methven/abisko
http://www.travel.guide.co.nz/kiwi/abisko/
74 Main Street
Mt Hutt Village
Methven
Ph: 64 3 3028875"
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