Residents get revved up for Bruce McLaren Village’s 10^th birthday

Residents at Ryman Healthcare’s Bruce McLaren Village had the chance to admire three McLaren super cars up close as part of the village’s 10^th birthday celebrations yesterday.

The cars were on loan for the special occasion which also saw Bruce McLaren’s daughter Amanda joining in and meeting residents for the first time.

One resident, Julian Williams, was excited to share with Amanda his memories of Bruce when they both attended the applied maths part of the engineering course at Auckland University in the mid-1950s.

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“I clearly remember one day, we were both interested in racing cars and we were drawing rear suspensions of Ferraris and quietly talking between ourselves,” Julian said.

“We didn’t realise the whole room had gone quiet and the lecturer said, ‘when you two have finished, we will proceed!’”

Bruce was later chosen to go to Europe on a racing programme and when he asked Julian what he’d like to do, Julian said his reply was ‘exactly what you’re doing!’

Another resident, Garry Carter, who also did engineering at Auckland, shared similar memories of Bruce being so fanatical about racing he spent the whole physics class drawing cars!

Amanda told residents about her life and career in nursing, just what it had been like to lose her dad at aged four and what his legacy meant to her as an honorary brand ambassador for McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive.

She brought in a painting of her father, his framed posthumous honorary degree from Auckland University which she had accepted on his behalf last year, and a statue, which was a miniature of one commissioned by McLaren CEO Zak Brown in 2020 to mark the 50^th anniversary of Bruce’s death.

“I was four and a half when my father was killed. I don’t have that many memories, really what I learned of him was stories that my mother told me about their exciting adventures of travelling and working with the team through the 60s and 70s, from his friends, his colleagues and also from people like yourselves,” Amanda said.

“My father was known as an engineer, a designer, a constructor, a champion, an inventor and an entrepreneur, but above all a natural leader who inspired those around him and earned their deep loyalty and trust.

“I know my father would have been extremely proud of what the McLaren name stands for today and everything they’ve achieved.

“Hearing these stories and walking into the village here and seeing all the decorations and the effort that’s been put in to perpetuate that legacy, well it’s just fantastic,” Amanda added.

Bruce’s sister Jan McLaren also joined the celebration at the village, which she helped to officially open 10 years ago.

Village Manager Chantelle Hand, who has been at the helm for seven years, said it was a chance to celebrate the incredible team that worked at the village and also the residents who helped to make it the warm, inviting place it was today.

“All of us who live and work here have become like a big family, and I feel very proud to have been part of that family for seven years, with all the wonderful friendships that have blossomed, the memories that have been created, and the lives that have been enriched.”

It was clearly a great day for firsts – with Ryman Healthcare’s new CEO Naomi James attending her first village event in New Zealand.

Naomi, who grew up in Australia but is half Kiwi, said Bruce McLaren’s legacy in the motorsport world was awe-inspiring and made her feel very proud of her New Zealand roots.

She also acknowledged the responsibility of honouring that legacy in the way the village was operated.

“With that decision to name our village after Bruce McLaren comes an enormous responsibility for us to honour that name.

“By emulating his high standards, his attention to detail and his pioneering spirit in the way we deliver care and retirement living to our residents, we hope that in some way we can do our bit to honour Bruce’s name and maintain his incredible legacy too.”