When Stoney Creek accounts administrator Donna Rieger was diagnosed with terminal cancer, owners Brent and Juanita McConnell stepped up, transforming her final months with extraordinary care and compassion.

Rather than hosting a large Christmas celebration, the McConnells renovated Rieger’s Arataki house in just 48 hours, starting at 8am on Thursday.

Stoney Creek owner Brent McConnell.

“The work began as soon as she left for work yesterday,” Stoney Creek Owner Brent McConnell said.

A cunning ruse was implemented - Reiger was on an overnight pampering while the 50-strong team got stuck into the makeover.

The crew get stuck into the mahi on the Riegers Arataki house.

Every inch of the property would be changed, from the bathroom to the living rooms to the gardens.

The plan nearly unravelled, McConnell said, when a trailer tailgate left at Bunnings sparked chaos as the retailer hilariously tried returning it to Rieger.

Members of the Stoney Creek crew painting the fence.

It was a full team effort and everyone stepped up to help, reflecting the Stoney Creek whānau’s respect for Rieger.

“It’s been like this massive thing, and everyone is grabbing a wheelbarrow,” McConnell said.

“It is incredible.”

Unlimited venison burgers and sausages fuelled the crew during the renovation.

Once the team finished at 2am on December 5, they were back at it at 5am the next day. The crew were fed and watered while working on the project, with “venison burgers on tap”.

The McConnells owned outdoor gear specialists Stoney Creek for 11 years and Rieger had been there the whole way through, Juanita McConnell said.

Mount Maunganui lifeguard Hamish Rieger. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services

In 2016, Rieger and her husband, Greg, faced tragedy when their 17-year-old son, Hamish, was swept off the rocks at Moturiki Island by a wave on January 25, she said.

“Some people just get dealt an awful hand, but you would never know it with Donna,” McConnell said.

Rieger received the diagnosis a few weeks ago, and instead of asking for time off or any special treatment, she went straight back to work as if nothing had happened, according to McConnell.

Following their son’s death, the Riegers have focused on surf lifesaving and charitable causes in Tauranga, including a 2017 scholarship for the Spirit of Adventure, Stoney Creek’s accountant Rachael Coppins said.

“They are such a strong, positive couple.”

The Stoney Creek crew came together to help renovate the house of staff member Donna Rieger, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Fuelled by the McConnells’ leadership, the makeover was planned, co-ordinated and completed in just weeks, which highlighted the determination and teamwork involved, marketing director Brandon Li said.

“They drop everything for a staff member, which is pretty cool,” Li said.

Sponsors and contacts from all over the Stoney Creek business operation were recruited to help with the project, including Daltons, which donated mulch and compost for the yard work.

The Riegers were set to return home at 4pm to witness the crew’s completed transformation, Li said.

“We have to do a bit of clean-up, but many hands make light work.”

- SunLive