Weary Dunlop Retirement Village • Summer edition 2019
Birthday bash Residents and guests join our 5th birthday celebrations
Meet Betty
Introducing Angelica
Stroke Foundation presentation
Greetings from Kym... Our Happy Hours continue to be well attended every week, with new residents being embraced by our community.
Hello and welcome to the summer edition of Dunlop’s Diary. It has been a busy few months at the village with some fantastic events including our spectacular birthday party for our fifth birthday. Thank you to everyone for making our community so special.
It’s a great opportunity for catch ups. Everyone is always welcomed and quickly become a part of the Weary Dunlop village family. My door is always open if you have a query.
With the recent Ryman Healthcare television advertisements, several of our residents have reached celebrity status and are being recognised in the community. As they shop, people are approaching them asking: “Aren’t you the lady/man in the Ryman ad on TV.”
Kind regards,
We’ve also hosted some amazing events at the village. We’ve had a Stroke Foundation fundraiser, open days, and Father’s Day celebrations. There’s plenty more planned as we approach Christmas!
Kym Faulkner Village Manager Ph: 03 8545 1400
A note from Liz... It has been great to welcome so many new residents to Weary Dunlop of late and it’s encouraging to see people moving in to enjoy the benefits of a Ryman village. On one of Melbourne’s most wintry weekends, about 60 people braved the conditions for our open day. Also, an invitation to lunch and to see the show apartments proved very popular. An information session on wills and estates, and a performance by an opera singer, were just a couple of our recent events. For four nights a week we have introduced mocktails and bar food here in the village. There is always something for everyone.
Serviced apartment available now!
Staff haven’t missed out either. Some of our team went to the annual Ryman conference to be entertained, educated, informed and have their health assessed. It was exciting to see how Ryman is growing in numbers and strength.
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Liz Battersby Sales Advisor Ph: 03 8545 1403
Village news
Weary Dunlop’s 5th birthday It was a birthday bash that will linger long in our memories. Weary Dunlop celebrated five years since its official opening in magnificent fashion on August 22, beginning with a breath-taking performance by Melba Opera Trust scholars before residents enjoyed cocktails and cake in the village centre. Young opera stars Cleo Lee-McGowan, Adam McMillan, Stephen Marsh and Samuel Piper brought the house down with a 45-minute performance, finishing with a rendition of ‘Home, Sweet Home’ – a Dame Nellie Melba favourite. The performance set the scene for a glamorous evening event, with many residents dressed to the nines as they toasted the village’s birthday. Pictured: Jean Horsley and Ann Embrey take time to celebrate. Inset: Bill and Trish Speirs enjoy a chance to relax.
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Serviced apartment resident profile
Meet Betty
State School until the age of 16, and then moved to Mont Albert where I worked for a company making tents and canvas items. I met my husband Jack who was a property sales manager and we married in 1947 and continued to reside in Mont Albert, where we had three boys and two girls. We then decided to move to Mardan in the Gippsland area. We purchased 250 acres of farmland, grazing cattle and milking cows. I adjusted to country life really well and became involved in the Country Women’s Association and a church group. Jack very sadly passed away in 1967 not long after we’d sold the farm and moved to Heathmont. I had some very tough times, and built a room on the back of my house for dressmaking and making heavy curtains to help make ends meet.
Here I feel so very safe and H comfortable and I still enjoy activities like knitting.
I enjoyed making porcelain dolls as a hobby and was fortunate enough to win first prize with one of them at the Royal Melbourne show.
Hello, I’m Betty Dennis and I am a serviced apartment resident here at the village. I was born in Surrey Hills in Melbourne, Victoria, one of six children. The family moved to Yallourn, as my father needed to relocate for coal mining work. I attended Yallourn
Five years ago, I moved into Weary Dunlop. Here I feel so very safe and comfortable and I still enjoy activities like knitting. Having my meals catered for me is a huge bonus, and I enjoy knowing care and assistance is on hand.
Queen’s Birthday celebrations Our serviced apartment residents joined in on celebrating the Queen’s Birthday over a delicious array of petit fours, English tea sandwiches and lovely cups of tea. Our serviced apartment residents wore their princess tiaras with style, while some enjoyed the fun side of being
royal for a couple of hours. Our Queen Elizabeth lookalike, Joan Edwards, impressed the crowd. The day continued with interesting stories including some about people’s encounters with members of the British royal family. Pictured: June Brown, Gladys Allen and June Thomson.
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News from serviced apartment residents
News from our care centre residents
Wartime aviation
Father’s Day
Our care centre residents enjoyed a visit to the Australian National Aviation Museum where they saw aircraft dating from the war years. Two displays which were very popular were a DC9 flight simulator and a standalone jet engine.
We had a wonderful time celebrating Father’s Day in the care centre. Our residents were treated to a delicious Father’s Day themed lunch and they also received a gift. A wonderful afternoon spent in great company.
Picture: Some of the planes displayed at the museum.
Picture: Resident Kenneth Lambourne was happy to celebrate the day.
Staff profile
Introducing Angelica
Just being nominated is an honour. It’s a big achievement.
There are more than 5,500 staff members working at 36 Ryman Healthcare retirement villages across two countries.
(Alice Twigley, a nurse at Kiri Te Kanawa retirement village, was the winner), she was thrilled to make the shortlist.
So, you can imagine Angelica Ona’s surprise when she was told she was one of three finalists for Young Achiever of the Year at the company’s annual awards.
“Just being nominated is an honour. It’s a big achievement when you see how many facilities we have in New Zealand, and I was one of the top three so it’s really an achievement.”
The registered nurse at Weary Dunlop was “speechless”.
Angelica has been at Weary Dunlop since it opened five years ago, after immigrating from the Philippines to study nursing.
While Angelica’s name wasn’t in the envelope when it was opened at the awards ceremony in Auckland, New Zealand
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Village news
Fantastic fundraising effort The Australian Stroke Foundation chief executive walked out of Weary Dunlop with a $14,000 cheque, thanks to the efforts of residents and staff. It was the culmination of 12 months of fundraising for the Stroke Foundation, which was chosen as Ryman Healthcare’s charity partner last year. Village Manager Kym Faulkner presented the cheque to Sharon McGowan at an event attended by residents at Weary Dunlop in July. Weary Dunlop residents and staff raised $7,000 for the foundation in 12 months, with Ryman matching their efforts dollar-for-dollar. Pictured: Kym (right) hands over a $14,000 cheque to Sharon, to help stroke survivors access help.
Kym Faulkner Village Manager Ph: 03 8545 1400 Call Kym for general enquiries, or information about low care, high care and dementia care.
Liz Battersby Sales Advisor Ph: 03 8545 1403 Talk to Liz for information about independent or serviced apartments.
242 Jells Road, Wheelers Hill, Melbourne
wearydunlop.com.au