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Christadelphian Aged Care A U T U M N N E W S L E T T E R
CHAMBERLAIN GARDENS
Address: 53-67 Chamberlain Rd, Wyoming NSW 2250 Phone: (02) 4329 8000 Email: admin@chomes.com.au
Come, said the leaves to the wind one day, Come o’er the meadows and we will play. Put on your dresses
Scarlet and Gold For Summer is gone and the days grow cold. - George Eliot nnn
“God makes everything beautiful in its time” Ecclesiastes 3:11
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Manager’s Message
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Welcome to Chamberlain Gardens Welcome to our first 2016 newsletter. It hardly seems possible that we’re nearly into Easter but as I look back since our last newsletter, I hope that you all enjoyed the blessings of a wonderful Christmas season. And as you’ll see through this newsletter we certainly did here at Chamberlain Gardens. There were great celebrations here with beautiful decorations and wonderful food which our residents and families were able to enjoy. There was even Face Painting for the children who came along with their families for the Drinks and Nibbles night! The staff and volunteers choir is sounding great and even more professional every year too! Thanks to our great team of staff and volunteers for the magnificent effort they put into all the celebrations. This year we’re off to a busy start as you’ll read and as you’ll notice on our Activities Calendars. We’ve also had quite a few improvements from larger TVs for residents to enjoy, to increasing our phone line capacity for more resident phones, new clearer signage around the facility, and a new heavier duty name labelling machine for those who elect to have our laundry staff put their name labels on their clothing. We’ve welcomed new RNs to our Horizon suites with Lynda and Megha joining the team, Abigail joining our team in Coastal and Debbie joining the team in Garden. I look forward to seeing you all during this Autumn season a n d a s a l w a y s d o n’ t hesitate to see me if you have queries, suggestions or concerns. Until next time, Blessings Bev Moss
News & Upcoming Events UPCOMING EVENTS MARCH
APRIL
MAY
Coastal
Coastal
Coastal
3 Joyce Pudig
17 Marjorie Child
1 Betty Mitchell
23 Yvonne Cheney
24 Les Byrne
14 Betty Dumbrell 25 Paul Felton
Garden
Garden
Garden
2 Agnes Davidson
5 Val Grahame
4 Val Ferguson
3 Connie Brady
9 Betty Roebuck
5 Wilma Buist
7 Mary Brown
17 Paul Jung
24 Mervyn Englert
8 Betty Mitchell
26 Hunter Welsh
25 Bill Shrimski 28 Frances Small 29 Pat Cook
Horizon
Horizon
Horizon
1 John Avis
13 Evelyn Byrne
Athol Shaw
9 Noela Dixon
19 Thelma Russell
May Sweeney
14 Marcia Gall
28 Frances Fitzpatrick
Meg Clarke
19 Rita Lane
Robyn Beatty Gwenethe Cane Jean Kelman May Langworthy Dot Skinner Keith Casley
MARCH 11th - Loss Bonkers Band at 2pm
APRIL 27th - The Trevor Rix Concert at 2pm
MAY 25th - Joel Magic Show at 2pm
Aging is not loss, it is a time to add spiritual substance to the soul
Activity Reviews DECEMBER December was a manic month. The RAOs and volunteers decorated many a Christmas Tree and the facility… a huge job!! Garden and Coastal both had their Christmas lunch/party and were entertained by Mark Wheatley during the event on Wednesday 2nd December. The dining areas were decorated by the RAOs, activity assistants and volunteers; it looked amazing with the helium balloons, table decorations and, with Christmas music playing, it had a very festive atmosphere. The kitchen staff provided a beautiful Christmas lunch and there was wine, beer, bubbles and soft drinks provided along with lollies and chips on the table. The staff paid special attention to the residents making sure they were all dressed up for the occasion, so a big thanks to all involved in what is a huge day for staff. Horizon had their Christmas lunch/party on Wednesday 9th December, with “The Gals” (dancers) providing the entertainment for the afternoon. Santa paid us a visit much to the delight of everyone in attendance…..you’re never too old for Santa, and I might add their may have been some friendly flirting between some of the residents trying to catch Santa’s attention!! December was a busy month for concerts. We had Jasper the Performing Dog visit, Evan Haswell (an oldie but very popular!), Julz, who has residents and staff up dancing and tapping their toes and lastly “Loss Bonkers” who are a group of middle aged men who have all been musicians and singers, and now go around playing and entertaining the residents of facilities. Thursday 17th December was our annual Family & Residents Christmas Drinks and Nibbles night. This function just keeps getting bigger and better, this year we estimate about 250/260 people attended. The function was held in the Garden dining room/courtyard area due to the high numbers. After days of rain, we were blessed with a beautiful afternoon. The RAOs and activity staff worked hard decorating the dining room and courtyard and we were lucky to have four year 10 students from Central Coast Grammar come and help for the evening. Our volunteers managed the bar and helped with handing out food and drinks and helped with the mammoth task of cleaning up at the end of the evening. Liz McKay, our Volunteer Coordinator had got a choir together consisting of staff, volunteers, family members and some friends from Liz’s church and I must say they sounded amazing. The choir sang Christmas Carols and it was lovely to see residents and families join in along with many great grand children. We had a face painter come and paint the children’s faces and Santa dropped by to hand out lolly bags. The kitchen provided a huge array of hot and cold finger foods which went down a treat. I would like to thank all the families who came to the evening; it is such a special night for our residents and lovely to see the many generations in attendance. Nights like this could not be achieved with out the help from the RAOs, nursing staff, kitchen staff, maintenance, staff, cleaners, activity assistants and volunteers… so a big thanks must go them all!! see photos on photo page
Photos from Activities
Activity Reviews DECEMBER contd Christmas morning, my son Hilton and I went to every room and handed out Christmas presents to the residents. On our way home, Hilton said “I’m glad I came Mum (he needed to be encouraged as he had a big night and hadn’t been to bed!!). It meant such a lot to the residents I met, but was only a short time out of my day”. That’s what Christmas is about. Many of the staff go the extra mile at Christmas, bringing in some treats and celebrating with residents who, for whatever reason, stay here on Christmas Day. While I am thanking people, I would like to thank the many families who dropped off flowers, chocolates, fruits, biscuits and cards to the staff. It is always appreciated and makes us feel special and that someone appreciates all the hard work.
JANUARY Each year we are lucky to have some young high school activity assistants from the Christadelphian Community come and work the Christmas holidays helping with activities and visiting residents. This year, we had Rachel who worked in Coastal, Koa who worked in Horizon and Frankie and Grace who worked in Garden. Many a friendship was made and we are indebted to all the hard work the girls did while here and wish them well in their final year of school. All the beautiful decorations, that takes all day to put up, were cleared up and packed away for next Christmas. Crafts were orientated around Australia Day, as were word games and quizzes. January is a quiet month as far as concerts are concerned as many of our entertainers take a break and regroup in February. Evan Haswell came and entertained the residents on Monday 18th January and Praise and Worship commenced again. Praise and Worship is on twice monthly and consists of some prayers, stories and singing, run by Volunteers Cindy and Doug Mogg, and is open to anyone who wishes to attend. This year we have some new entertainers coming and we will have the Historic Car Club visiting in April, dates to be confirmed.
FEBRUARY Wednesday 10th we had the popular “Black Sheep”, who provide karaoke, attend. This is a fun afternoon with many laughs when a resident is handed the microphone. Monday 15th February we had a group of 15 residents from the local “Pine Needles Retirement Village” at Erina come and sing. Their sound was amazing, with many a talented singer amongst the group. We are hoping they will be able to visit again later in the year. Wednesday 17th February we will be starting our monthly men’s lunches. This month, we are cooking Hot Dogs on the BBQ , as requested by our male residents. The men will enjoy a chat and a beer in the Garden courtyard. We have been trying to start a men’s group and would like to have a monthly guest speaker attend. If any male family member or someone you may know in the community who has had an interesting life, career, trip or hobby wishes give up and hour to speak to our men could they please get in contact with Sharon Mesic, RAO so we can book you in.
Photos from Activities
Resident Story - Kenneth Singleton Kenneth Singleton grew up in Brooklyn, situated on the Hawkesbury river, a town too small for a doctor hence Ken was born in the closest hospital in the year 1927. Ken was the youngest of four, until the arrival of his sister twelve years later. Life was good but hard going. Days consisted of playing a range of sports and attending primary school three doors down, so having to attend Hornsby Junior Tech for High School was not a welcome change where sport was restricted to once a week and an hour commute was required to get home. After 8 months, Ken moved back to Brooklyn with no choice but to enter the workforce at the age of 13. Ken’s first job at Dangalad Joyce’s, involved opening oysters and selling it to the trains as they stopped through. It was in these years that Ken witnessed a traumatic event where 18 people were killed in an accident involving a bus hit by a train where Ken and several others were left to inspect the damage in hope of finding their loved ones that were missing. Ken, accompanied by a few friends attempted to join the army when he was of age and their forgery would have gone unnoticed if it had not been for Ken’s father ringing the constable to call them out having witnessed war himself. Once he was eighteen, Ken succeeded in joining the army nonetheless and within a few months he was positioned in Japan. Ken thoroughly enjoyed his time in the army where he was promoted to be in charge of a transport office and was able to continue his passion for sports playing football and succeeding well in running. After three years, Ken returned to Maitland in NSW for leave, where he worked for Tally Ho Park making cigarette papers and training horses after work. It was during this time that Ken met his wife dancing on a Saturday Night. A few years later, Ken was discharged from the army and moved to Fairfield, Sydney making spare parts for cars. It was in Sydney that Ken settled down and raised two children with his wife and it was not until the children left home that they moved to Foster due to Betty’s deteriorating health. After she passed away, Ken bought a unit at St Marys where he commenced an early retirement whilst still helping at the local RSL with returned soldiers. Ken is well travelled; he has travelled around Australia and his passion for sports has stuck with him his entire life. Ken is now the proud grandfather of 5 grandchildren.
Poem - Just a Wonder A row of bottles on my shelf Caused me to analyse myself. One yellow pill I have to pop Goes to my heart so it won't stop. A little white one that I take Goes to my hands so they won't shake. The blue ones that I use a lot Tell me I'm happy when I'm not. The purple pill goes to my brain And tells me that I have no pain.
The capsules tell me not to wheeze Or cough or choke or even sneeze. The red ones, smallest of them all Go to my blood so I won't fall. The orange ones, very big and bright Prevent my leg cramps in the night. Such an array of brilliant pills Helping to cure all kinds of ills. But what I'd really like to know . . . Is what tells each one where to go!
International Year of Pulses 2016 The 68th UN General Assembly declared 2016 to be the International Year of Pulses (IYP). IYP 2016 aims to raise public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production aimed towards food security and nutrition. Pulses are an annual plant that is part of the legume family. They yield one to twelve grains or seeds of variable size, shape and colour within a pod, and are used for food for people and feed for animals. The term “pulses� is limited to crops which are mainly harvested solely for dry grain. The term excludes vegetable crops harvested green for food, crops used mainly for oil extraction, and leguminous crops that are used exclusively for sowing purposes. Pulse crops such as lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas are a critical part of the general food basket. Pulses are a vital source of plant-based proteins and amino acids for people around the globe. They should be eaten as part of a healthy diet to address obesity, as well as to prevent and help manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, coronary conditions and cancer. Pulses are also an i m p o r t a n t s o u rc e o f plant-based protein for animals. The pulse plant itself has nitrogen-fixing properties which can contribute to increasing soil fertility and have a positive impact on the environment. The United National website at http://www.fao.org/ pulses-2016/en/ is to be the main platform to share information and relevant resources about pulses, including recipes from various countries around the globe.
Staff Profile - Anne Hird Anne was born in Gosford District Hospital, one of two children, the older a brother. Anne was brought up living in the Mt White district and attended primary school at Mt White where there were 10/12 students. Anne attended Henry Kendall High and completed year 12 before beginning her nursing training at Gosford District Hospital to become an RN. Upon finishing her training, Anne worked for Intellectual Disabilities at Peat Island Hospital, Brooklyn where she stayed for 7 years. While working at Peats Ridge, Anne won an award for “The Best Practical Nurse”. Anne was then a part of a team who took residents with disabilities out to live in the community as a trial after the Richmond Report. Anne went on to run and manage a day program for adults with intellectual disabilities; she was responsible for their care plans and organising activities within the community. This position lasted for 14 years until Anne was made redundant in 2009. After a short break, Anne commenced working at Chamberlain Gardens as a RN; she worked in Coastal and Horizon before taking a position as RN in Garden. Anne currently has her father living with her and is the proud owner of a cat called Mrs P. She has one son and two step daughters and enjoys in her spare time writing poetry, gardening, listening to music - the louder the better, and reading books.
Staff News Many of the residents and families from Coastal will have noticed last year that AIN Team Leader Sarah Ryder’s tummy was expanding. I am pleased to say Sarah gave birth to a little girl on the 20th November 2015 at 2.51am, weighing in at 7lbs1oz (3.2kg) and was 49.5cm long. Sarah and Ben have called their bundle of joy Penelope Jane Hutchinson, and she has changed their lives for the best. Penelope is a beautiful placid baby with a thick crop of beautiful dark hair. The staff and residents wish Sarah, Ben and Penelope the very best of wishes for their future together.
Perks Of Being Over The Hill • There is nothing left anymore to learn the hard way
• Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the guy
• Things that you buy now won't wear out • Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size
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• You no longer think of the speed limit as a challenge
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• Your investment in health insurance is finally paying off
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• You can quit trying to hold in your stomach no matter who
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walks into the room • Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them anyway • You can sing along with elevator music
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on the television Your eyes won't get too much worse Kidnappers are not very interested in you People call you at 9pm and ask, "Did I wake you???? " You can get into a heated argument about pension plans You can eat dinner at 4:00 in the afternoon In a hostage situation you are the most likely to be released first No one expects you to run -- anywhere. You are no longer viewed as a hypochondriac
love
1 John 3:18
Pastoral Care
Let us not with word or speech but with actions and in truth
AN EXTRA DOSE OF PATIENCE
Have you ever noticed the number of times we need to wait… and it’s the little things that require this. Like going to the doctor. If my appointment says 10am, I’m fairly certain I won’t be walking through his door at 10, usually it will be 10.15 or later. Or you wait for that tradesman who said he’d come at 2.00. For some, it’s no big issue. For me, it’s quite a challenge, as I get impatient. I am bound by times, which can often be frustrating. There is a lot of waiting in life. What about when a woman is to give birth to her baby. No-one can tell the exact minute her child will be delivered. As children we wait to start school, and the little boy or girl looks forward to that first day of adventure. In fact, when you think about it for a moment, life is full of waiting. We wait to find our first job. We stop at the traffic lights, annoying when we’re in a hurry. We wait in line at the supermarket. And, if we’re honest, we dislike it. Patience is needed in life, but few virtues are harder to come by than patience. It’s a real struggle . Two of the great laws of life we must eventually learn are: 1) Many circumstances we have in life are uncontrollable 2) Things don’t always go as planned: – Life just doesn’t always go the way we want – Many things in life are beyond our control Especially 3 times in our life we need an extra dose of patience. Let’s take a look at them… 1. When circumstances are uncontrollable. We like to be in control of everything that happens - relationships, work, circumstances. But that’s not really what happens. “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.” – George Bernard Shaw What we need to remember is that my circumstances do not define me. When circumstances are uncontrollable, we often lose our peace. Much of life is beyond your control. You sit in gridlock traffic for hours and miss an important event. A couple keeps trying desperately for a baby, and it just isn’t happening. When these things - big or small - happen, we get frustrated and lose our peace of mind. Did you know God has promised peace of mind, because it’s a fundamental need of your life. One of the Hebrew names of God is Jehovah Shalom. “Shalom” means peace. “Jehovah Shalom” means “I am the God of peace.” If God says, “I’m offering you a gift of peace,” he means it. It’s not something you work for. It’s not something you deserve. It’s not something you try for. You don’t beg for peace. You don’t plead for peace. Isaiah 26:3-4 says “The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm. So always trust the Lord because He is forever our mighty rock”. But here’s what Jesus says to us: “I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27 NLT) 2. When people are unchangeable, we tend to lose our peace. People naturally resist change. And they resent it when we try to change them. The quickest way to lose our peace of mind is to try to change somebody else, because most people are just not going to change. We can’t change people – we can try to influence them. But that’s about all… 3. When problems are unexplainable, it’s easy to lose our peace. We know that life is not fair. But who told us it would be ? A lot about life doesn’t make sense. Not everybody has a happy ending. Things don’t always turn out right. That’s when we need a special dose of patience. 4. What makes it more difficult is that we are not always going to know why. And when we don’t know why, we tend to get anxious, nervous, and stressed, and we lose our peace. God has promised peace of mind, because it’s a fundamental need of your life. One of the Hebrew names of God is Jehovah Shalom. “Shalom” means peace. “Jehovah Shalom” means “I am the God of peace.” If God says, “I’m offering you a gift of peace,” he means it. It’s not something you work for. It’s not something you deserve. It’s not something you try for. You don’t beg for peace. You don’t plead for peace. Peace has nothing to do with problem-free living. It is simply a gift that you must accept, and it’s available to you today. - By Chris Witts
Bereavements
Our deepest sympathies have gone out to the families who have lost their loved ones over the Summer period.
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Volunteer Corner Christmas has quickly come and gone for another year! We ended 2015 with our volunteers helping the residents create some Christmas wreaths to hang on their doors as well as assisting to decorate the facility with Christmas cheer. They also assisted with the Resident Christmas lunches in each section and at our resident and family Christmas party held in the evening of the 17th December. It was again a wonderful success with the Christmas Choir leading the carols, face painting and lots of food, drink family time with a Christmas flavour. Thank you to all those volunteers (and their families and friends) who put in extra time and effort to ensure these activities were wonderful for the residents and their families. We also hosted a Christmas afternoon tea to celebrate another wonderful year of volunteering at Chamberlain. Santa made an appearance and we all felt blessed to sit and enjoy one another’s company and some beautiful treats prepared by the Chamberlain Gardens kitchen staff. For any volunteers who were unable to attend, you may collect your Christmas present from my office next time you are in. I once again was invited to attend the Valley View Primary School end of year assembly on the 4th December. On behalf of CAC, the school was presented with a $100 cheque for the school’s library as well as two $25 gift vouchers from Dymocks Book store, which went to two students one for a values award and one for a citizenship award. A big thank you goes to Valley View Public School children and teachers for their valuable contribution to the volunteer program and their continued support of Chamberlain Gardens’ residents. The Volunteer and Pastoral Care Program will continue to provide its services and assistance in 2016. We will continue to hold our Daily Bible Reading and Prayer Group from 10am in the Coastal Lounge room. This is a group which has been running for over 12 months now and meet nearly every weekday morning to read the bible, chat and pray. We always have morning tea together and have formed some wonderful friendships along the way. All are most welcome to attend either regularly or sporadically and prayer requests are welcomed. The Family and Carers Support Group will continue to run on the second Wednesday of each month in the small lounge room past the dining areas in Horizon. We will commence on March 9th. Any family or friends of residents are welcome to attend. We have a chat about what has been going on in each of our lives, particularly around the loved one in care and we often discuss a particular topic and questions arising from that. We have morning tea together and the two regular members of this group look forward to it and have formed friendships they otherwise wouldn’t have. We always have two pastoral carers in attendance to listen and chat to you about anything on your mind. Please ring me if you would like more information on 4329 8000 or just come along to a meeting. Chamberlain Gardens continues to offer a variety of Spiritual services for residents to enjoy. Services are offered every Wednesday morning, with local churches each taking a turn in the Horizon Lounge Room. We have Anglican (communion service), Catholic and Non Denominational (run by the Uniting Church) services. continued over page
Volunteer Christmas photos
Celebrating another wonderful year of volunteering at Chamberlain. A huge thank you to all of our incredible volunteers
Volunteer Corner We also have a non denominational praise and worship service run by the Christadelphians every second Friday at 10.15am in the Horizon lounge. Each Sunday, we have a Catholic Priest come at 9.30am for Holy Communion and he will also do room visits on request for those not able to make the service. All are most welcome to attend any of the services. I have a list of all the local churches and their contact details in my office if any residents or family members require assistance in making contact with a particular denomination. Most churches are happy to send in a representative on request to visit a resident of that faith. Pastoral Care services are available at Chamberlain for Residents and their Families either by request or referral. If you would like someone to talk to about anything that you are experiencing or would like prayer or to make prayer requests for others, please feel free to contact me directly in my office opposite the horizon nurses station or ask a staff member to page me for you. If you are interested in joining the Volunteer I look forward to another wonderful year at program, please do not hesitate to contact me: Chamberlain Gardens supported by the most Liz McKay on 0435 785 244 amazing team of volunteers. Thanks again for or lmckay@chomes.com.au all you do and give to those at Chamberlain. Volunteer & Pastoral Care Coordinator
SPOTLIGHT ON A VOLUNTEER - Rita Seater Rita has volunteered at Chamberlain Gardens since August 2015. She is a kind and generous person who always has a smile for others. Rita is a proud mother of 2 and a super proud Nana of 3. She enjoys family time and enjoys watching and teaching her grand-kiddies. Rita assists in the Coffee Shop, assists with daily activities, assists residents in the High Care department, has one on ones with the residents, will help residents with anything they need from getting a jumper from their room to walking them outside or wheeling them to an activity. Rita formerly volunteered at Lifeline in Wyoming. She worked in the Op Shop and helped customers with purchases. She also assists her daughter Jaci at Care for the Coast which is a not for profit organisation that helps Central Coast families in crisis. Rita helps with sorting donations, delivering donations and looking after her grandkids if Jaci is needed to help a family in crisis. When I asked Rita what she liked about volunteering at Chamberlain Gardens she replied; “I like the people and staff; it gives me a sense of worth by helping with the residents. I like going to work everyday and seeing everyone's happy faces. I love how they make me feel. I have never felt so appreciated and the residents just make my day worthwhile”. Thank you Rita for choosing to volunteer at Chamberlain Gardens we love having you!!!
Read, Rest & Relax! I'm the life of the party - even if it lasts until 8 pm. I'm very good at opening childproof caps - with a hammer. I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going. I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a thing you're saying. I'm very good at telling stories; over and over and over and over….. I'm not really grouchy, I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, lawyers, loud music, unruly kids, barking dogs, politicians and a few other things I can't seem to remember right now. 7. I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg. 8. I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days, and when did they let kids become policemen? And, how can my kids be older than I feel sometimes? 9. I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150? 10. I'm a walking storeroom of facts - I've just lost the key to the storeroom door. Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Anzac Slice
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats • 2/3 cup raw caster sugar • 2/3 cup desiccated coconut • 125g butter, chopped • 2 tablespoons golden syrup • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda Makes 15 Pieces HISTORY: Anzac biscuits were developed for soldiers in World War I. Oats were chosen because of their high nutritional value and other ingredients for long shelflife properties. For crunchier biscuits allow to cool on the tray. For chewier ones remove from tray and place on a wire rack to cool. You can store biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan-forced. Grease an 18cm x 28cm (base) slice pan. Line with baking paper, extending paper 2cm from edge of pan.
2. Combine flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Place butter, syrup and 2 tablespoons cold water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes or until butter has melted. Remove from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Stir butter mixture into oat mixture.
3. Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Using the back of a spoon, press mixture evenly into pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Cool completely in pan. Cut into pieces. Serve.
CROSSWORD He is not here. He has risen! Words taken from John 20:1-18 (NIV)
Disclaimer: All photos and stories have been published with consent of relatives and residents involved. Thank you for your submissions.