ASB Good As Gold: Penny Hinchelwood

Penny Hinchelwood is that person who quietly and humbly gets involved in so much, simply because her heart tells her it’s the right thing to do. When help is needed, she’s there without a second thought.

For three tough years, Penny and her partner Steve struggled to pay the bills as they fought a battle with high-risk leukaemia that was threatening to take their beautiful 2-year old daughter, Maddison. Thankfully, Maddison is now in remission.  But this nomination isn’t because of the hardship they have faced… it’s because of the dedication Penny shows to others, and her giant heart.

She’s involved in everything. From collecting and delivering much-needed items for the homeless of West Auckland, participating in community patrol to keep kids safe on the streets, raising funds to save the Kaurilands School pool, being a member of the ratepayers association and organising super hero days at the local school to raise money for families of children with cancer.

For the last 3 years, Penny and her friend have organised the hugely successful Maddi’s Market to support children with severe illness and disability. This year’s Maddi’s Market in August was to help support a local boy with cerebral palsy who needs intensive treatment that isn’t funded.

You might wonder why she does all this, amid the backdrop of her own family life – full of its own emotional and financial difficulties. The simple answer is that she wants to, and in her own words, would be “bored s***less if I didn’t have so much on my plate.”

As with many community warriors, Penny never asks for thanks – and we thought it was time to show her some gratitude. Taking her family to Disneyland has been a long-held dream so we’ve gifted a travel voucher to make this happen! We hope this gives them some great time to relax and have fun together as a family.