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Christadelphian Aged Care S P R I N G N E W S L E T T E R
ASHBURN HOUSE Address: 20-34 Ashburn Place, Gladesville Phone: (02) 8876 9200
For as the earth brings forth its
sprouts
and as
a garden causes
what is sown in it to
sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and
praise
to sprout up before all the nations.
Isaiah 61:11
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Email: admin@chomes.com.au
Manager’s Message
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Welcome to Ashburn House
Hello residents, family, friends and staff of Ashburn, Spring is just around the corner, with our beautiful gardens coming into bloom. We have been alerted that there have been gastro and flu outbreaks within the local community. We remind you to please steer clear if you are experiencing any symptoms or are exposed to anyone with the symptoms. As the warmer weather starts to creep in, a reminder to all families regarding the labelling of any new resident’s clothes. Without labels, it is extremely hard for our laundry to know who to return these new items to. If items are missing, please check the lost property display in the Activity Room on lower ground floor. Also, for families and friends bringing food from home in to loved ones, please remember to label the food with the date and resident’s name before storing in the fridge. If the food does not get consumed within safe period, staff will discard it. Regarding external appointments organised for residents, please inform the staff so we can ensure your loved one is ready on time and all the relevant documentation is ready. We look forward to all the activities planned for the coming months. Kind Regards, Yan Li
News & Upcoming Events UPCOMING EVENTS SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
5 Joyce G
6 Maria C
5 JoanW 90th
12 Antraneek G 60th 18 Nola B
6 Lorna D
13 Phyllis J 90th
20 Robert R
8 Joyce D
18 Marjorie C
21 John M 90th
9 Dorothy Van
21 Yee Ann L
24 Sydney M
19 Jean B
24 Marie Mc
25 Felicidad G
22 Naomi G 90th
29 Audrey L
26 Elsie W
26 Maryanne K
29 Thelma W
26 Raymond
31 Mary K
7 Betty G
27 Prue McD 30 Cecily C
1st - Henley Day Care Children’s Concert 2nd - Father’s Day Concert 6th - Armchair Travel: Scotland 9th - Entertainer: Miss M 13th - Entertainer: Roseanna Gallo 14th - Fashion Parade & Ladies Clothes for sale 15th - High Tea Club 16th - Men’s Club 21st - Resident & Relative Meeting 22nd - Entertainer: Kiss Singers (Choir) 23rd - Entertainer: Lena Cruze 30th - Entertainer: Charles the Dance Tutor
OCTOBER
5th - Armchair Travel: Vietnam 7th - Entertainer: David Mason-Cox 11th - Entertainer: Roseanna Gallo 13th - MasterChef Class 14th - Entertainer: Ben Little 19th - Hunters Hill Lodge visit 20th - High Tea Club 21st - Men’s Club 28th - Jazz Kingdom
NOVEMBER
“A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow” - Unknown
1st - Melbourne Cup Party 4th - Entertainer: Russell Lynch 8th - Entertainer: Roseanna Gallo 10th - Relative Cocktail Party 11th - Remembrance Day 11th - Entertainer: Peter & Marie 15th - Armchair Travel: France 17th - High Tea Club 18th - Men’s Club 25th - Entertainer: Ben Little 30th - MasterChef Class
Activity Reviews RESIDENT COCKTAIL PARTY - Thursday, July 14 On July 14, Ashburn House held a cocktail party for the residents and family members. The Cronulla Theatre was transformed into an atmosphere that was a small intimate social hub. The residents were able to sit in small groups with their family and socialise and reminisce over a nice glass of wine and some gourmet nibbles that Polash, our Chef, put together. There were laughs, stories and new friendships made. All in all, everyone enjoyed the evening together and it felt like the residents benefited by the normality of the event. It was just like the good old days when the residents could enjoy a social outing. Our next Cocktail Party is on the evening of Thursday, November 10.
CHRISTMAS IN JULY I love an excuse to hold a special event. Nerida and I put up the Christmas tree and other decorations to represent Christmas in the Cronulla Theatre. It was another opportunity for the residents, family and new resident friends to get together over morning tea. Don Shaw, one of our residents, played Christmas carols on the grand piano and it really did feel like Christmas!
ARMCHAIR TRAVEL - Tuesday, July 26 Each month, we have been learning about a popular travel destination. Therefore with the Olympic Games currently going on in Rio, we decided to learn a bit more about what Brazil has to offer. We watched a documentary about Rio and other parts of Brazil and tried our hand at a quiz on the content of what we already knew and had learnt about Brazil.
Betty turns 100
- July 29th
Resident Story - Betty Byrne FLORIST TO THE STARS TURNS 100 JULY 29, 2016 She arranged flowers for the Queen and sent bouquets and love notes for the rich and famous, but a century on and Betty Byrne still keeps some secrets close to her chest. Betty, who now lives at Ashburn House in Gladesville and celebrated her 100th birthday on July 29, worked as a florist at Searls in Sydney for 40 years. Searls used to get all the big business around town and when Queen Elizabeth visited the Royal Randwick Race Club in 1954, Betty was in charge of the decorating. “The luncheon room was all yellow roses and when she came out another time, it was all done in red roses. She only came for lunch, but it was a big deal,” Betty said. “When actress Marlene Dietrich came to Australia we did a special room with mauve orchids and I was the one who put the orchids everywhere.” Arranging flowers for the Queen and celebrities wasn’t Betty’s only touch with fame - plenty of well-known businessmen and celebrities used to come into the store to send flowers to their loved ones. “I had many surprising conversations and some of the messages I had to write on the notes for the flowers... my goodness those love notes! I knew a lot of secrets,” she said. While Betty still won’t name names even after all these years, she did reveal that legendary Australian singer Johnny O’Keefe was one of her fans. “Johnny O’Keefe was funny, he would go from Sydney to Brisbane and when he got into Brisbane he would ring me to send flowers to someone in Sydney,” she said. “I would say to him, Johnny, you don’t have to do this you know, you just ring the florist in Brisbane and they can do it, but he said ‘no, I want to talk to you’, so I let him talk to me.” When Elvis died, O’Keefe refused to deal with florists in the US, but instead asked Betty to put together a giant golden disc of flowers in the shape of a record and have it sent over to Memphis. Betty was born Betty Kathleen Davies on July 30, 1916 and lived around North Sydney when she was very young, before the family moved out to Parramatta because of her ill health. “I started to be a sickly child, believe it or not, I got pneumonia I think four times and appendicitis well before I was 10 years old, but I got through and here I am,” she said. “In those days, strangely enough, if you lived near the water it was supposed to be harmful to you so they sent us out of Sydney to the hills of Parramatta there and that’s where I went to school.”
Resident Story - Betty Byrne …CONTINUED They moved back to the harbour after she finished primary school, and lived around Greenwich and Hunters Hill for years with her parents and two sisters Lorna and Nancy. Betty describes her childhood as a very happy one in which she wanted for nothing. “We went through the Depression, and some of the children at school would be wearing sand shoes and I was wearing the very best shoes so we were very lucky actually. My father had a good job,” she said. “I had a happy life really, a happy childhood life.” During World War II, Betty went out to Lithgow to work at the Small Arms Factory for about two years, where she made part of the Bren guns the soldiers used on the battlefields. At a nightclub in Sydney after the war, she met Mervyn Byrne on a blind date and they married in 1949. “He said it was the best blind date he’d ever had - of course, I suppose they all say that!” Betty said. Mervyn was in the RAAF in England during the war before his plane crashed and he was severely injured, spending 12 months in an English hospital before coming home. “He used to call me “pud” because I used to carry a bit too much weight and he used to say to me “Don’t worry about me, pud, I’ll see 60” but he didn’t, he died before he was 60,” she said. They had one daughter, Diana, who became the joy of Betty’s life. Diana moved to England when she was 22, and ended up staying there and marrying a Canadian engineer. Betty has two grandsons; Sebastian, who is fluent in French and is working as a translator in Chad and Dominic, who works in the theatre. After she retired from Searls, Betty went to live with Diana and her husband in Gabon in Africa and then France, the UK, Canada and Dubai. “Life in Gabon was delightful. They were having parties every night; it was marvellous,” Betty said. Diana flew back to Australia this week to celebrate her mother’s 100th birthday with friends and family, including her younger sister Nancy who lives nearby in Hunters Hill. And the secret to a long and happy life? “A lot of laughs and a lot of love. I think that’s the main thing in life and that’s all you need really; laughter and love.” - Written by Jenny Galbraith Thank you Betty for sharing your story!
Resident Poetry - by Nola Books
Staff Profile - Julie Salked ASHBURN HOUSE MASSAGE THERAPIST I asked, “Julie how long have you been coming to Ashburn House?” She said 10 years this Christmas. Julie said, “There was a little ad in the Gladesville local paper for a Massage Therapist.” She thought it would be a good fill-in job - but quickly made lasting friendships over massages and said she “could never leave!” Julie believes, “It’s a role of friendship and getting to know a generation that have experienced so much wisdom through life experience. The best part of being a massage therapist is I love to talk about life and how exciting life is.” She looks forward to coming next week to hear the next chapter. “Older people tend to say people should follow their dreams. I relate to this concept on life!” Julie explained. “It’s a privilege to be able to give people their first massage or tactile experience. People of this generation didn’t have massages!” Julie saids she likes the “simple things in life” and relates to the people of the older generation who seem to also appreciate this way of life. Julie lives in a very old stone cottage and sleeps in a hand painted Tibetan Mongolian GER. The property is in the lower Blue Mountains and it takes her two hours each way to drive to Ashburn. But she cannot leave these people and looks forward to her weekly visits. She has learnt so much from her clients and sees them as wise people with a lot of good advice on living. The residents also have a delightful and, at times, a wicked sense of humour. Julie has a qualification as a naturopath, yoga teacher and massage therapist. When I asked what her hobbies were, she replied “Horses, among other animals.” Julie has recently adopted a low allergenic curly horse derived from the Mustangs in Canada. They are like the poodle of the horse world. So she picked up ‘Nate’ recently from Victoria and she is three years old and unbroken and is on another life journey to work with this horse. Julie also has an Arabian, chooks, a rooster, rescue dog, dingo and two rescue cats. The dingo came from Broken Hill. I said, “It sounds like you have a farm.” Julie’s passion is definitely sharing stories over massages. She also said, “The family relationships I have made at Ashburn House are also extremely special to me.” Julie doesn’t have a television at home and only watches movies. Julie believes that social interaction is too distracted by TV. “Hearing the residents’ life stories helped me to make the decision to spend more time nurturing relationships.” When asked if she will ever retire from Ashburn House, Julie smiled and said, “Ask me in another ten years….” - Written by Meryl Christian, Diversional Therapist
Volunteer Corner St Ignatius College - The great relationship that Ashburn House has with St Ignatius College continued during June and July, with small groups coming each day during the school holidays. As well as these students, we hosted two students from Year 10 who spent four days with the residents. It was g reat to see the development of intergenerational relationships over the week. In particular, we received a letter from one of the students saying “I met many different people and was exposed to new experiences. I remember how happy Michel was when he realised that I was coming back the next day to continue our chess battle. It was little moments like those that has made me more inspired to come back�. Federal Election Many thanks to the volunteers who helped with the Federal Election. Thanks to their help, the residents were able to participate in something that has been an important part of their lives. Volunteers helped to make the wait to vote enjoyable and ensure everyone was seen in order. Regular Activities Regular volunteers are such a blessing and we are very thankful to all who give their time. We now have two weekly bingo sessions, Sunday devotional service, fortnightly chat groups, and monthly movie mornings to name a few. Bingo continues to be a highlight for the residents - thanks to Rhonda and Joy.
If you are interested in joining the Volunteer program, please do not hesitate to contact me: Nerida O’Neill on 0434 946 184 or noneill@chomes.com.au Volunteer & Pastoral Care Coordinator
Volunteer Corner SPOTLIGHT ON A VOLUNTEER Joy Boland Joy’s connection with Ashburn House started when she had an operation on her foot and needed somewhere to stay for respite until she was able to be up on her feet again. While staying at Ashburn House, she made some good friends and was moved by the friendly staff and atmosphere. This has motivated her to become a volunteer, to continue to see the people she met and to help where she can. Playing bingo, cards or dominoes are favourite past times when Joy comes to volunteer. Those who are able to play love the time spent not only playing the games but having a good chat as well over a cuppa. Joy is always happy to go along with what the residents are up to doing. Joy has lived in the area for a long time, currently living close to Ashburn House in Wharf Rd. Joy has been an active member of the Northside Community Church since 1991, where she ran a “coffee and chat” group for singles and also helped on the pastoral care phone line. Joy became a Deacon and helped with the communion and collections. She still has a strong faith, commenting that: “God opened a door when I Joy with Betty at Bingo was here for respite to allow me to become a volunteer”. In her working life, Joy was a bartender at the local bowling club. She has always been motivated by being around people.The best thing about volunteering for Joy is the opportunity to be able to help others, giving her something to do and chances to develop good friendships.
Read, Rest & Relax! MEANING OF THE OLYMPIC FLAG The five Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world - Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Every national flag in the world includes one of the five colours, which are blue, yellow, black, green, and red.
Apricot Tarts with Honey Cream
• 1 1/2 x 200g packets shortbread biscuits • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 100g butter, melted • 1 1/2 cups thickened cream • 2 tablespoons honey • 4 large (400g) fresh apricots, each cut into 6 wedges • Icing sugar mixture, to dust
1. Grease eight 2cm-deep, 10cm (base) round loose-based fluted flan tins. Process biscuits and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add butter. Process to combine. Divide mixture evenly between prepared tins. Using the back of a spoon, press mixture over base and sides of tins. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. 2. Using an electric mixer, beat cream, honey and remaining cinnamon until soft peaks form. 3. Carefully remove biscuit cases from tins. Divide cream mixture between cases. Top with apricot wedges. Dust with icing sugar. Serve. Makes 8 tarts
Olympic Alphabet Challenge
Can you come up with an Olympic themed word for each le5er of the alphabet?
Disclaimer: All photos and stories have been published with consent of relatives and residents involved. Thank you for your submissions.