Lasallian Service

Luke Torrisi, Tristan Johnstone, Xavier Purcell and Richard Hart, volunteers at Mary MacKillop Aged Care

As part of our yearly curriculum, Year 9 De La Salle students are given the opportunity to see what life is really like outside the schoolyard, and witness the daily lives of the elderly or young people who are physically and/or mentally challenged. It was a time of stepping out of our comfort zone, doing things we wouldn’t normally do. It was also a time for reflection, appreciation and a few wise words from those from the ‘old times’ who have experienced many different events over the years — wars, the Great Depression, living on the other side of the globe, immigrating to Australia. As part of the program, Year 9s seek permission from a local Aged Care Centre to volunteer for a week’s worth of help, devotion, understanding, and making new friendships with the elderly. Here is my story. Blake Fletcher, Marcus Henriques-Gomes, James Delaney and I volunteered at Highwood Court, a community-based nursing home, filled with inspiring and hard working volunteers. At first, we felt awkward introducing ourselves, but thanks to support and encouragement from the nurses staff we soon found our feet. We undertook daily activities — reading the newspapers, bowling, preparing meals, painting and even as simple a task as conversing with residents. One of the highlights during my time at Highwood Court was making a new friend, Ted. Ted shared many stories and taught us many valuable lessons. He was a funny person and loved a joke. Ted had impaired vision, meaning he could only see shadows, not exactly the way we see our way around. He made me realise how lucky I was and, more importantly, made me appreciate how one can live and enjoy life regardless. In my experience at community service, I learned many valuable lessons. The first thing is that we need to appreciate what we have, because we simply don’t appreciate how lucky we are. There are people who suffer terrible diseases — one that I experienced at Highwood Court was the common condition of dementia. For those of you that don’t know, dementia essentially degrades the memory, leaving the sufferer helpless and in great need of help and attention. It is a cruel, yet touching disease, especially when you try to sustain a conversation with someone who has it. The second thing I learned, and something that everyone should learn, is that it is essential to give back to our community. Even though it takes time, the sense of satisfaction you get when you volunteer to give your community a helping hand is magic.

Christian Di Donato