Hi all,
It is with very mixed emotions that I tell you that after nearly 23 years Raewyn has made the decision to retire and finish up with The Icehouse. Of course it was inevitable that this day would come, but part of me wanted to stay in denial for just a little while longer. The mixed emotions come from trying to imagine what The Icehouse will be without her in it, but at the same time, the joy and excitement that comes from knowing what she’s planning next. I’ll come back to that.
As employee number two in August 2001, Raewyn took a leap of faith and latched onto The Icehouse vision and the chance to be seconded out of the University of Auckland Business School to bring her passion for people and community, her incredible organisation and interpersonal skills and her never-ending enthusiasm and energy to the world of owner-managed SMEs. I hear firsthand time and time and time and time again, from the multitude of people who have engaged with Raewyn over these many years, how meaningful this has been to them personally, and of course to their Icehouse experience. To be fair, they become like family to Raewyn and she like family to them. We often refer to her as a ‘human CRM’ because she knows every single owner-manager alumni in the community and you/they all know her. And this extended to our Leadership Development Programme alumni when this programme kicked off from 2006.
So to briefly come back to where to from here for Raewyn, she is off to Australia, Queensland to be specific, to begin her next adventure. This will take her closer to her beloved son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters without being right in their backyard. She has other family over there and is looking forward to spending more time with them, socialising and doing lots of other activities she loves. And of course, Lionel is going with her. Raewyn's last day will be April 19th.
And to finish, Raewyn is irreplaceable and so there is no way we will look to find another Raewyn. Impossible!! We will celebrate and immortalise everything she has meant to The Icehouse and our community, and we will farewell and toast the amazing era that was The Icehouse with Raewyn in it. The good thing is, we know she won’t be a stranger.
I’m sure you will all join me in thanking Raewyn for all that she has done and all that she has meant to each of us and all of us. Of course reach out to her for your own farewell wishes, you know she will love to hear from you.
Love you Raewyn! xo
Liz Wotherspoon
Chief Executive of The Icehouse