Growing up in Feilding Della Roache used to like going to the pub to pick up her dad.
Being a naturally visual person, she observed everything that was happening and learnt about service. “I used to watch how the barmen poured drinks, watched all the people drink.”
She’s now the bar manager at the Himatangi Beach Cosmopolitan Club. And she’s deaf.
Her hospitality industry is in her blood – her great grandfather worked in a brewery in Wellington and her parents like making different sorts of drinks.
Born deaf, she’s never let that get in her way, and enjoys having a go at anything.
“I have always been a social person and love meeting different people, going to different places and tasting different foods and drinks.”
She communicates in sign language and is a good lip and body language reader.
She finds being deaf while managing a bar no problem. Patrons answer the phone and if communication with customers breaks down she has a list of drinks people can choose from.
“Lots of people don’t realise that I’m deaf,” she says.
She recalls serving one man, who on returning to his group, was told Mrs Roache was deaf.
“He didn’t believe them so he came up to me to ask if I’m deaf.”
While other staff may struggle to hear customers when bands are playing, Mrs Roache has no problem lip reading people and the best part is I have a good memory of what people were drinking.”
Mrs Roache has her club licence and would like to get a general licence.
Hundreds of cossie club patrons signed a petition in support of her application.
“It was very close but I still have a club licence til I get more experience from public pubs.”
She’s been at the club a year and before that was an administration assistant at Manawatu College. For a few months she juggled the two jobs.
She is grateful to president Shane Kennedy for giving her the chance to work at the bar.
The New Zealand Sign Language Act passed last April made sign language the country’s third official language “so it was a good feeling for me to work in the bar that the deaf people can do anything except can’t hear.”
The cossie club doubles in as a weigh-in station and bragging venue for fishers.
There’s a leaderboard for the heaviest fish in different species caught off the coast.
“It’s fun to watch people excited about their fish and to watch their facial expressions.”
While she’s yet to get her name on that particular honours board (“one day, one day”), until last week husband Nigel had the heaviest shark at 35.5kg.
After attending Freyberg High School, Mrs Roache spent a year in Corpus Christi, Texas, on an AFS exchange. She loved it with different things to do and foods to taste. She has a certificate in deaf studies from Victoria University and last year taught sign language at night school.
Challenges this year include doing a hospitality course and learning more about cocktails.
Photo caption: Himatangi Beach Cosmopolitan Club bar manager Della Roache: “Sometimes I forget that I am deaf. I’m just normal like everyone – just that I cannot hear.”
