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A Local Voice - Terry Sturgess
A LOCAL VOICE
A LOCAL VOICE
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Terry Sturgess Terry and the Para Hills group
Terry Sturgess shares his story about how he became a carpenter…and how his retirement years are all about woodburning, friendships and men’s outings.
Terry migrated from England to Australia in 1973. He started as a carpenter, then moved on to work as a telephone technician for 30 years. He’s also married with three kids. Terry retired at age 67 and discovered the Jack Young Centre after visiting the Council offices.
He toured the senior centre and decided to give woodburning a go, and has been doing it for seven years now. It has also led to Terry leading a new woodburning group on Tuesdays at the Para Hills Seniors Centre. It’s very popular, with 24 people attending the morning and afternoon sessions. Terry has also connected well with other woodburning blokes Kym and Graham. His friendship with Kym has grown to include sharing transport to the centres, assisting each other through life’s health issues, and volunteering as part of the senior centres advisory committee. Both men have said “one of the benefits of being connected to the senior centres is that they host people who are experts in My Aged Care. They are great at steering you through the aged services process. They know what they are doing and have the right connections that will help guide you to suitable services that you are eligible for and need, like gardening, transport and cleaning.”
Kym and Terry are also involved with the men’s group outings. Terry is a big believer in the importance of connecting socially, getting involved in activities and having mates to lean on.
“We organised the men’s outing. We took a bus from Salisbury to the city (while the trains weren’t running) and then a tram to Glenelg. One of the blokes who joined us had never explored the city and Glenelg before. It was his first time after 44 years thanks to the outing,” Terry said.
Terry’s philosophy is “you’re never wrong to do the right thing.” He looks forward to seeing readers of this magazine at the many seniors centres throughout the City of Salisbury.
For information on Senior Centre programs, visit
