GOING FOR Nurse Robert Meinardi’s home visits are music to the ears of his patients – literally. The former professional opera singer will sometimes end a visit with a burst of song!
H
is admirers include Geoff Caddick, who had an inkling that the man who was caring for his wife June following surgery had hidden talents. Geoff should know – he too can belt out a classical tune and he’s used it to raise thousands of pounds for charities.
A SONG
FEATURE
Realising his second calling, he enrolled at the University of York to study nursing. Music is and always will be his first love, but he’s passionate about caring, not just for someone’s physical health, but also their mental wellbeing. “I see the whole person, it’s important to keep people mentally well while they’re recovering physically. I’d never talk about my singing unless I was discussing music, or if someone asked, but once I’ve finished my nursing duties, if they ask I’d always sing a verse or two!”
He told MC magazine: “I said to my wife ‘he looks like he could be an opera singer’. Next time Robert came I asked and discovered he was a professional.” The pair decided to surprise June with their rendition of the Italian classic O Sole Mio, which translates as My Sunshine. Robert booked in as his final appointment of the day. A family member recorded the performance and it’s now gaining attention on YouTube. “It was amazing” said Geoff. “It lifted both our spirits.” Robert, ever modest, keeps quiet about his career unless he’s asked. Yet the Italian born tenor has sung with the Glyndebourne Opera company and performed the English national anthem at Twickenham! After finding it difficult to get roles – he feels because he wasn’t tall enough – Robert became a support worker at a neuropsychological rehabilitation health hospital in Cheshire.
• Watch Robert and Geoff’s duet on Mersey Care’s YouTube channel • Fancy singing yourself? Join a virtual choir by searching online in your area • Did you know? Singing has health benefits, from lowering blood pressure and reducing anxiety and pain.
June with husband Geoff (below left) and being serenaded by Robert Meinardi.
I see the whole person, it’s important to keep people mentally well while they’re recovering physically. 7
