Students Volunteering at Salford Park

BEFORE LOCKDOWN

Wantirna College Students Read to Older Adults at Salford Park

In 2019 a group of Year 9 students dedicated their time to volunteer within our local Community.

These students were Ulysses 9S, Ben 9S, Gemma 9H, Taylah 9H, Danubia 9I and Ella 9I.

We thank them for their time. We acknowledge such positive role models within our school community. A very big thank you to all of our parent volunteers especially to  Helen Batty and Nicholetta Rigano for their time in supporting our students with this program.

Through the eyes of Ulysses.

Visiting Salford Park wasn’t something that I had ever thought of doing, but it was really nice meeting the residents there.  I had never been to a retirement village before and didn’t know what to expect. At first, it seemed like a hospital, but after settling into the cafeteria to talk, it felt more like a staff common room. 

I met with a really nice gentleman called Murray and he was very entertaining.  He told me about his life and asked me about mine.  He had been a carpenter and his son became a tradesperson too.  We actually had a lot in common because my dad is a carpenter. When I told him I want to be in the space program, he was really impressed and had a lot of questions.  He told me about a friend of his who was a pilot.

He was really funny and kept making jokes and picking on me (affectionately).  I could see that reading to him might be a challenge because he did a lot of talking, but that day was only a ‘getting to know you day’. He told me he would be happy listening to me read any type of book to him, but he was most interested in action packed and comedy books. 

I think meeting with Salford Park residents and reading to them is a really valuable thing to do.  Though it improves your reading out loud skills and provides some entertainment, that’s not the best part.  The best part is making new friends who are so knowledgeable and interesting.

From Ulysses 10.B

DURING LOCKDOWN

Pen Friends with the elderly

During the past weeks, the class of 8S have been writing letters to the elderly at neighbouring retirement village Salford Park. Being in lockdown has given this class a chance to give back to the community by writing letters to the elderly. These residents have been in lockdown for several weeks now with no visitors or contact from anyone outside of their residency. The first batch of letters were sent off a couple of weeks ago and by writing to the residents the class has made them feel connected to the outside world. Responses received back were heart-warming and fulfilling. 8S plan to meet their “Pen Friend” in person after harsh COVID19 restrictions are lifted.

With many people struggling all over the world from the pandemic, 8S thought that it would be nice to give the elderly at Salford Park a letter from each person in the class. 8S chose to write their letters to the people in Salford Park Nursing home because residents there have not been able to have any visitors with COVID19 spreading rapidly. Each resident received a letter from someone in the class. 8S’s aim was to give those at the nursing home someone to talk to, and the students wanted to assure the residents that everything would be ok. Some of the students have already received a reply from the resident who they sent their letter to, and from the reply it seems that 8S’s message was understood.

COVID19 has given everyone time to think about how other people may be feeling in lockdown and how they may be struggling. By writing letters to the residents of Salford Park, the students who participated feel like they have made the residents’ day, especially if they aren't coping well in isolation. Reaching out to people who need it most was very beneficial for students and residents, and when receiving their heartfelt reply letters it warmed everyone's hearts. It was rewarding for both the sender and the receiver to communicate during these tough times. Even the smallest act of kindness makes the biggest difference.

Want to join the “Pen Friends With The Elderly” project? If you are interested, please contact mnt@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au  

Written by Elijana Henry, Teegan Bruton and Nathaniel Winters

A big thank you to Leanne Nash and the staff and residents of Salford Park for supporting our students with this program.

Debbie Mantzanidis