About Life Winter 2019

about life Winter 2019

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Lessons learnt from a veteran Australian table tennis champion

Memoirs of country lad Leslie Diercks

Absolutely smashing

Quick as a Cat

about life

Inside cover

This issue...

Written & edited by Andrew Harvey, Manager Marketing & Communications

is a celebration of the stories of Life Care – our people, our achievements and those whom we support to enjoy ‘Inspired Living’.

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Welcome Thoughts from CEO Allen Candy

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Volunteer Recognition Years of Service

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Our People Welcome to the Team

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Absolutely Smashing Lessons learnt from a veteran Australian table tennis champion

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Hard work maketh the man Jeff Marr in profile

WINTER 2019

Life Care’s volunteer family

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Quick as a Cat Memoirs of country lad Leslie Diercks

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An everyday significance Vic Waples asks “What is more important? What you do? Or who you are?”

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Some things are never lost Vic & Audrey

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Awards and celebrations 2018 Life Care Way Awards and End of Year celebration

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Rumpus on the Campus Photo collage of some activities of our campus’ and groups

about life

Welcome Thoughts from CEO Allen Candy As we move towards the halfway point of 2019, it is hard to believe that six months have passed since our last About Life publication.

As I reflect on the last six months and look forward to 2019/20, I am filled with immense pride in the courage, professionalism, commitment and passion shown by the Life Care team as we have strived to provide quality care and outstanding experiences for all those we serve throughout the organisation.

We approach the new financial year with a sense of confidence in our strategic direction and the quality and dedication of our staff. With this firmly in mind, Life Care’s main focus in 2019/20 will be on two significant areas: our customers’ experience, and our people that enable this experience.

In June of this year, we will be launching a range of new initiatives across the organisation to better support our staff in meeting both the changing legislative requirements and our desire to provide a better customer experience. These initiatives include a new Staff Wellbeing Program and a new integrated approach to training.

During the first quarter of 2019/20, Life Care will launch our new client-focused approach to Home Care. This approach will offer our clients greater fee transparency, new service offerings, and improved access to our full suite of services.

With the Morrison Government having been recently re-elected, it is worth noting that despite an ongoing Royal Commission into Aged Care and almost universal recognition of the funding challenges facing the sector, both major parties devoted little or no time to Aged Care in their election campaigns. We hope that the new minister, Senator Richard Colbeck, is able to come up to speed quickly and garner the political courage to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission with a sense of urgency.

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about life The Royal Commission into Aged Care

New Aged care Quality Standards

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety formally commenced in January 2019 in Adelaide and has subsequently conducted hearings around the country. The Royal Commission is due to deliver its interim report by 31 October 2019, and its final report by 30 April 2020.

New Aged Care Quality Standards come into force for all aged care providers from 1 July 2019.

The standards, developed by the Australian Government in consultation with the aged care sector, are a framework for ensuring providers deliver high-quality care and services.

The Royal Commission has to date received over 5,000 submissions and received testimony from a wide range of witnesses, including industry leaders, CEOs, government officials, nursing and care staff and most importantly those receiving services and their representatives.

They apply to residential aged care, home care, and flexible care and services provided under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme.

Choice, independence, and dignity are at the heart of the standards, supported by a strong focus on quality outcomes for residents and consumers.

While some of the testimony has been very bland, many of the experiences shared have been particularly honest and enlightening, even if somewhat confronting. It is particularly clear that the Commissioners are developing strong views in relation to the care of those with dementia. This is evidenced by Senior Council assisting, Peter Gray QC who noted, “The constant theme is to respect the enduring humanity of people in care, no matter how far their cognitive function might have declined, and no matter how challenging their care. Older Australians in residential aged care do not leave their human rights at the front door of the residential aged care facility.”

The eight new standards are: 1. Consumer dignity and choice 2. Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers 3. Personal care and clinical care 4. Services and supports for daily living 5. The organisation’s service environment 6. Feedback and complaints 7. Human resources 8. Organisational governance.

The Life Care Quality Team, and key staff across all of our services, continue to work diligently to ensure that Life Care is ready for the new compliance regime; we welcome any change that helps us fulfil our mission to support older Australians to lead inspired lives.

As previously stated, at Life Care we believe that every older person who needs care and support, and their families, should expect the highest possible standards of care, safety, and service. It should be delivered with empathy and professionalism, regardless of where they choose to receive this support. We continue to work hard to provide exactly that, and we always will.

Volunteer Recognition

Life Care remains a strong supporter of the Royal Commission and believes that through it and its findings a more financially sustainable, robust, customer-focused, world-class aged care system must emerge.

Life Care is truly blessed by having over 185 volunteers that provide more than 26,000 hours of service per year throughout all of our services.

On May 21, over 100 of these dedicated and selfless people joined Life Care staff at Adelaide Pavilion, to celebrate and recognise their significant contribution to those within our care. As I stated at the event, “Our volunteers shine light and hope into lives that would otherwise be dark. And I believe that there is no worthier purpose.”

Once again, I would like to take the opportunity to personally thank and acknowledge all our volunteers.

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Volunteer recognition for Years of Service 5 Years Patricia Dawes Cheryl Williams Kenneth Meyers 10 Years Wendy Steele Herbert Schmidt Caterina de Pinto

15 Years Lynette Craig Barrie Wills 30 Years Audrey Jolly

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SUMMER life 2018 about

Our People Welcome to the Life Care team

Cheryl Lambert Manager Aldinga Beach Court Cheryl has worked across public, private and Not For Profit sectors in leadership and management roles over 27 years. She began her career as a Logistics Officer in the R.A.A.F. in Project and Quality Management. She worked for SA Health in roles such as Quality Manager, Manager of Noarlunga Private Hospital, and Director of Service Improvement at Southern Mental Health. Cheryl left the public service to pursue her own business opportunities in gourmet chocolate, remedial therapy, and consultancy. Since 2012 Cheryl guided thirty Not For Profit organisations in transforming their business and service models to operate successfully under the NDIS. Cheryl is committed to developing person-centred services that improve Quality of Life outcomes for the most vulnerable people in our community.

She comes to the Aged Care sector excited by the opportunities for positive change. She was particularly drawn to Life Care’s Live Every Day philosophy and pursuit of consumer-focussed innovation. She feels privileged to work with residents, families, staff and volunteers alike to continuously improve the quality of care and services at Aldinga Beach Court.

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Sharon Rickards Quality and Clinical Governance Manager

Brenton Lambert Manager Procurement Brenton has been working in Procurement for the last 28 years. Over this time, he has gained extensive experience across all elements of the procurement cycle including needs identification, purchase approval, contract development, contract negotiation and supplier management. He recently completed a three year contract with TAFE SA where he was employed as Manager, Procurement Services within the Facilities and Procurement Services Directorate.

As a Registered Nurse, Sharon is passionate about putting the customer at the centre of everything we do. By creating, implementing and measuring clinical systems, she supports our staff to be the best they can be. She also believes in engaging with the people we support to enable them the live the life they choose. Sharon’s belief is that Quality is what we do when there is no one looking.

Prior to joining Life Care, Sharon’s focus was in supporting organisations to implement governance systems and new accreditation standards.

Her career has primarily been in Not For Profit organisations where the Mission and Values are aligned with her own. She welcomes the opportunity to showcase the great work we do and says, “I want to Live Every Day so it only makes sense that I want to strengthen our team and the people we support to do the same”.

Brenton’s vision is to utilise his skills, knowledge and experience to implement best-practise procurement in Life Care in order to drive improvements in governance, strategic procurement, tactical purchasing, and contract/ supplier relationship management and to ensure Life Care gets the best value for money in our purchases.

Procurement in Life Care is already realising administrative and cost efficiencies through proactive supply market engagement; improved customer communication and support with “buy in” from all internal and external stakeholders. In the end, all improvements made in procurement will end up helping Life Care provide an outstanding client experience.

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Absolutely smashing What does it take to become a veteran table tennis champion?

For Dawn Darwent, it had a lot to do with being the eldest of eight. It may also have something to do with her attitude to life. And of course, having a dad decide the whole family must take up table tennis didn’t hurt.

I met Dawn at Life Care Active, Life Care’s allied health and fitness destination in Joslin, where she regularly attends multiple sessions each week.

From there, we walked across the road to the café at Gaynes Park Manor and enjoyed cappuccinos and scones as we chatted about Dawn’s rise to the upper echelons of the table tennis world!

For someone who has successfully competed nationally in veterans competitions for many years, and who – let’s be honest – looks about 15 years younger than her admirable 74 years, you never get the sense that any of this has gone to Dawn’s head. Her diminutive stature is matched by a warm, engaging yet reserved demeanour; there are no airs and graces with Dawn.

Dawn is the eldest of eight, and from around five years old she was given the task of looking after her siblings.

“I was a little surrogate mum to them. We would all head off to the local playground, without a parent.

Something you’d never dream of today!” said Dawn.

Today, her brothers and sisters refer to her (with affection I gathered) as “The Matriarch.” Clearly, she inhabited the role of the dependable eldest child very well. This early responsibility set the tone for much of Dawn’s life. “I think it’s just made me responsible in many areas,” explained Dawn. “Trying to do the right

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thing myself, because I’m a role model for the young ones. Trying to be a leader, in a way, because I’m the head of eight children.”

well at school,” said Dawn with a laugh. I waited for a further statement to conclude that thought, but it never came!

It’s this sort of language that gives you the sense that Dawn wasn’t unwilling in this role. Nor was she unsuccessful.

“Sport wasn’t encouraged. That is until I was about 20. Then, for some reason, my father decided that we should all take up table tennis!

As she transitioned to school at age six – her mother needed her at home before that – this pattern continued. On her first day, her mother put her on the bus, by herself, with instructions for the bus driver to let her off at school. “It was just what we did back then,” she explained.

“He was quite controlling, and so we all had to join Hyde Park Table Tennis Club. I think we doubled the club’s membership!

“I started in the lowest grade – Division 9 Women. I went to group coaching sessions that were run by the SA State Coach out at the Railways Institute on North Terrace and over three or four years went from Division 9 up to five, then four, three, two and one.

And these were women’s grades; now we don’t have women’s grades as there are not enough women playing. It’s a shame really ‘cause we all have to play the men! And they’re a lot stronger than us.”

Other also recognised her ability to lead: in “Infant School,” Dawn was a Monitor, and then in Grade 7, she became a Prefect.

During her early school years, Dawn focused on establishing a few deep friendships but found it challenging to extend her friendships beyond this inner circle. In part this was due to the size of her family: with a large family all living at home, there was little room to invite friends back.

As I spoke with Dawn, one of the more consistent themes that came out was her appreciation of people. While she is a self-described introvert, she has always placed a high value on the people in her life. Even today, as she continues to work as a transcriber (typing out recorded interviews she receives via email), it is the people she interacts with who make the work enjoyable. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the social aspect of table tennis that Dawn values most.

“If I went to [a friend’s] house, I was never able to reciprocate, so I think I did actually keep myself a bit apart so that this wouldn’t be an embarrassment.”

Dawn’s family wasn’t traditionally ‘sporty’ although Dawn did play hockey at school. Dawn’s parents’ attitude to sport was quite simple: “You had to do

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“I enjoy the friendships. I enjoy going away. We take lots of trips around regional South Australia: Murray Bridge, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, The Barossa, Victor Harbour, Naracoorte, all for regional competitions, and the capital cities for national and Veteran’s Championships.”

beat the young ones!”

You may have noticed that Dawn said: “…they’re old fogies.” This again highlights the way Dawn approaches life. She doesn’t see herself as old. She embraces life and looks to live it to its full.

Of course, it’s all well and good to see yourself as young, but what about when reality strikes? In the lead-up to the recent Veterans Championships, this is precisely what happened: Dawn found she had sustained multiple injuries from two falls during winter. In the lead-up to the championships, during the critical preparation period, she was forced to take six weeks off. She feared that she would not be able to play.

This lifestyle, particularly at Dawn’s age, must sound appealing to others who don’t currently enjoy these social opportunities, and who perhaps struggle with being isolated or lonely. The challenges of age – at a minimum both physical and social – are not to be underestimated. However, Dawn’s attitude may provide some inspiration.

“You have to make up your mind you’re going to do something and then do it,”

Fortunately, Jordan Nelson, her physiotherapist at Life Care Active, was able to help out. While Dawn has attended the Mat Pilates, Equipment Pilates and Strength For Life classes at Life Care Active for many years, at this critical time Jordan was able to do some specific work to get her ready for the championships.

“He helped me enormously and got me back on track,” explained Dawn.

she said simply.

With Jordan’s support, she was able to play. What’s more, she played in career-best form! Dawn won Gold in Over 70s Women’s Doubles with her partner Julie Coombes, Silver in the Over 65 Women’s Teams event, and bronze in the Over 65s Women’s Doubles with partner, Lenore Roder. Ultimately, she achieved a final seeding of Number 4 in Australia for Over 65s Women!

It seems this sort of simple, practical, yet wise advice stems from the Dawn character.

(As a side note, research has shown that our attitude is the most significant factor determining the experience we have as we age. Taking into account all other factors, those with a positive approach to ageing enjoy a much better outcome.)

Dawn’s table tennis career has had a few breaks in it. In the year 2000, Dawn returned after her second seven-year break. She joined the Payneham Table Tennis Club and has attended group coaching and training sessions run by ex-state coach, Bill Oatey, OAM, for the past 18 years. After playing in pennant matches for a couple of years, she was attracted by the possibility of playing in a veteran’s team in the Australian Veterans’ Championships. And by the prospect of travelling with her table tennis friends.

Dawn’s other table tennis highlights include winning the National Over 70s Women’s Doubles with her partner, Denise Tiller. Before the event, one of Dawn’s fingers was slammed in a car door, and it wouldn’t bend; holding the bat was difficult and painful. Dawn came up with a simple plan to get around this issue.

She had previously declined an invitation to join a team but, eventually, she decided it was a good idea. Many would find returning in their mid50s too daunting, but this sort of resilience and determination seems to be a hallmark of this downto-earth woman.

If all of this wasn’t impressive enough, Dawn filled me in on a little fact that makes her resilience and attitude all the more remarkable: she has a chronic auto-immune condition called Primary Biliary Cholangitis. It results in the immune system attacking the bile ducts in her liver. It also means that physically, she ‘hits the wall’ much sooner than she used to and, at times, struggles to complete long matches and think clearly.

“I said to Denise, ‘I’ll get the ball back, you hit all the winners!’ That’s exactly what we did, and we beat the then current World Champions doing it!”

Since her return, she has played in all but three championships. When asked what profile the Veterans’ Championships has in the table tennis world, she responded, “The young ones think they’re old fogies playing. But a lot of the old fogies can still

Couldn’t we all learn something from Dawn’s attitude to getting older?

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Hard work maketh the man It won’t surprise you to learn that Jeff Marr is a big believer in the value of hard work and discipline.

As with most caricatures, the idea that people of Jeff’s era all know what it is to work hard is based firmly in reality. What may surprise you, though, is the kind of man Jeff has become and the role that hard work and discipline has played.

the sister of one of Jeff’s great mates, her family attended the same church as Jeff’s family and lived on an adjacent property. Fortunately, this meant that Shylie was no stranger to hard work herself.

Following their wedding, Shylie inherited her uncle’s property, and Jeff and Shylie took it on as a going concern.

I met Jeff, and his son David, at Gaynes Park Manor – Life Care’s newest residential care home in Joslin. We sat in the living area of Jeff’s ‘house’ near a floor-toceiling window on a bright autumn day. Gaynes Park Manor is designed to facilitate communal-style living and Jeff’s room in one of sixteen gathered around the ‘Oval House’ kitchen, dining, and lounge area. Each of the six houses in Gaynes Park is themed after a unique part of Adelaide city, beaches or hills with Jeff’s themed after the great Adelaide Oval.

“Shylie could do anything,” explained Jeff. “She was a slight, well-built, strong woman, and when it came time to spray the orchard, she would do one row – pulling a 40-foot length of hose – and I would do another.” Shylie was also responsible for milking their seven cows, separating the milk and churning the butter.

Two weeks after they were married Jeff received a call: he was conscripted to the Army’s South Australian Transport Unit.

If you met Jeff on the street, you would argue that, physically, all that hard work has paid off. Given his 100 years of life, he looks remarkably fit and well, perhaps with the exception of some slightly wobbly legs.

This unit was responsible for transporting people and equipment, initially from Keswick to Lobethal or Sandy Creek and later from Alice Springs to Darwin.

The Army provided further opportunity for hard work, as well as an appreciation for being raised under “strong home discipline”.

Jeff grew up on his family’s 40-acre property in Williamstown. It included an orchard, vineyard and a gaggle of farm animals. All of this required plenty of hard work by Jeff and his brothers, but also by the women of the family who picked and packed apples.

Following the conclusion of the war, Jeff and Shylie’s property began to struggle to provide enough income to support the family. To supplement the lost income, Jeff took on other work, initially as a truck driver transporting pines from Mt Crawford to Adelaide and later in his brother-in-law’s sawmill.

Jeff’s main tasks included using draught horses to plough the fields (often with one horse wanting to follow the furrow, the other “having other ideas”) and spraying the apple trees to protect their precious Cleopatra apples from the dreaded Codling Moth.

It was during this time that Shylie carried the majority of the workload on the property. Shylie and a friend would pick and pack apples during the day and then when Jeff arrived home from work – it could be 9 o’clock at night – he would load the apples and drive them to Kersbrook. “They worked very hard and long hours,” said David. “The job had to be done,” answered Jeff simply.

As he recalled the ‘battle against the moth,’ there was a wry smile and pride in Jeff’s voice. As he explained that the apples were to be exported to England, you understand why.

Eventually, South Africa learned how to grow Cleopatra apples. As it turned out, this was a much greater threat to the family’s livelihood than the Codling Moth. Geography being what it is, England chose to source their apples from this closer port than from Jeff.

Sadly, their time on the property had to come to an end. As David explained, “The toxicity of the sprays used in their orchard (they included DDT and Arsenic of Lead!) affected mum’s health, and so they had to sell the beautiful property and move to Fairview Park, much to Dad’s chagrin.”

The hard work didn’t let up after Jeff was married to a young woman named Shylie Brown. Shylie was

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Jeff’s attitude to hard work can best be summed up in his own words. “In those days, you went to school to learn the three ‘R’s,’ but you also had to learn to work!” The final phrase was delivered with absolute conviction.

For David’s brother, Peter, this meant serving as a police officer for 38 years. For David, it meant serving as an ordained Minister across two church parishes, then in a school chaplaincy role for seven years and finally as the Senior Chaplain for SA Police for thirty years.

Having read the first half of this article, it would be easy to imagine all this hard work turning Jeff into a disciplinarian, a man for whom hard work is an end unto itself and someone who feels obliged to criticise those who don’t share this viewpoint. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

This interrelationship of faith and service are at the core of who Jeff is.

To see the ‘real Jeff,’ it is worth starting with how he has influenced the lives of his sons.

“One of the things we learned from mum and dad is how to love people where you find them,” said David.

The connection between hard work and loving people may not be immediately obvious.

Fortunately, David helped make the link: “Out of hard work and discipline comes self-discipline and out of that comes creativity and productivity and achievement.” And when you consider what achievement looks like for the Marrs, the link is clear: it is seen in a commitment to serving people.

For Jeff’s and Shylie, faith and service was part of their relationship from the very beginning. They met at church where Shylie was teaching in Sunday School. “That’s where we made our togetherness,” explained Jeff.

Jeff’s faith and service cannot be separated. As David explained, “He not only professes faith, he practices it. It comes through in his commitment to God, to people and to work.”

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Jeff’s commitment to serving people has, most recently, been exercised at Gaynes Park Manor and its predecessor, Roselin Court.

When Shylie’s health deteriorated, she came to live at Roselin Court while Jeff lived in a unit behind Roselin Court, on First Avenue, Joslin. “In the spirit in which Dad had lived the rest of his life, he began to volunteer, serving the people of Roselin Court.

He still had to serve because it’s part of who he is,” David explained.

“That’s right,” added Jeff, “you can’t sit around moping all day!”

As our conversation drew towards its conclusion, I queried what motivated Jeff to serve. Was it just a commitment to see something through or was it more than that?

“It was the Spirit of the Lord within me. With it, you use your eyes, and you see the needs of people, and you think you can help to relieve some of their problems.”

And what about today? What’s life like now for Jeff, today, this week? Is Jeff’s commitment to serving others still alive as Jeff lives at Gaynes Park Manor?

“If I see someone who needs help, I give it to them,” Jeff concluded simply.

When you look at the legacy of Jeff’s family, and his commitment to service, it’s hard to argue that this is anything other than a life lived to benefit others.

And that’s not a bad lesson to take from a bit of hard work and some discipline.

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Quick as a Cat Memoirs of a country lad “Anthony was born in the Barmera hospital on 28/9/47 without any fuss or bother, except for Rhett, Jean’s Irish Setter.”

So begins one of many engaging, often humorous stories found in the memoirs of Leslie Diercks: author, flying boat Captain, Chair of the SA Lands Board and, according to his daughter Elizabeth, most excellent father.

I met Leslie and Elizabeth (pictured right) in Leslie’s room at Parkrose Village a week prior to reading his memoirs. By the end of that conversation, it was evident that Leslie has lived a full, rich, and fascinating life. The only challenge was that, for Leslie, some of the detail is a little hazy. Given his 102 years of life that’s understandable! Fortunately, some of the gaps were filled in by the 30 handwritten pages of his memoir.

By the time I finished reading Leslie’s memoir, I had been transported into pre-WWII Port Adelaide, the country town of Balaklava, Roseworthy Agricultural College, the inside of a Catalina flying boat and many other fascinating destinations.

And so, rather than simply providing highlights from my conversation with Leslie, this article is going to be a little different. It contains several excerpts from Leslie’s memoirs and an invitation: that if you enjoy reading the article, you can request the full memoir. Details for how to do this are at the end of the article.

Leslie writes in an understated narrative style and, with just a little imagination, it’s possible to be engrossed. So, before we discover how the adventures of Rhett the Irish Setter conclude, let’s jump back to Leslie’s early life.

“In 1927, [my family and I] moved to Balaklava, 60 miles north of Adelaide, to take up the “Excelsior” dining rooms and café and the adjoining fruit shop, which, in its peak years, employed 10 people.

“Social groups such as “The Bachelors”, “The Spinsters”, “The Matrons”, “The Masons”, The Catholic Church, the C of E, & the Hospital were very active [in Balaklava] and each held an annual ball with attendance by invitation and where crayfish suppers were elegantly served at ‘sit down’ tables.”

Throughout Leslie’s memoirs, there are some great one-liners guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Like this, a reflection on his time at Balaklava High: “The High School was new, but the teachers were old, and teaching consisted of dictating or writing notes on the board.”

Balaklava High School was also the scene for the introduction of Jean Moira Palmer, a young lady who would go on to become Mrs. Leslie Diercks.

“Some students, including one – Jean Moira Palmer, travelled by rail from towns as far away as Yacka, 45km to the north, leaving home at 7 am and returning [from school] at 8 pm.”

Leslie and Jean graduated high school together in 1934 with Leslie going on to Roseworthy Agricultural College (R.A.C.) and Jean taking up a position as a telephonist with the P.M.G. Dept. in Adelaide.

In 1937, Leslie graduated from R.A.C. with Second Class Honours in Agriculture. After a 12-month stint on a local farm, he returned to Roseworthy College as a Cereal Cadet.

In typical Leslie style, WWII is announced in the memoirs without any fanfare.

“Although still a Cereal Cadet at R.A.C., I was now almost permanently in camp with the 18th Light Horse and when WWII was declared, the C.O. Brigadier Blackburn offered the regiment, fully trained, vaccinated, and ready for overseas service.

“His offer was rejected because the ‘Vickers’ heavy machine gun was now obsolete and to be replaced with Bren Guns transported on mechanical carriers.

“This change from horses to mechanical carriers did not appeal to me, and with the 18th Light Horse Regiment disbanded, I offered my services to the R.A.A.F. on or about March 1940.

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“In this period, about the 27/7/1940, with my call to the R.A.A.F. due anytime, Jean M Palmer and I became engaged and because of a lack of funds on my part, Jean selected and paid for her rings without any help from me – resourceful girl.”

It was also during this time that Jean acquired the soon-to-be-famous Irish Setter which she named Rhett.

In 1943, Leslie finally moved to a maritime squadron with modern operational aircraft.

It was an underwhelming first experience in the R.A.A.F. in November 1940. No. 4 I.T.S. Mt Breckan had no beds, no uniforms, no equipment, and no permanent instructors. The only up-side was that Leslie commenced flying training on Tiger Moths.

“The training unit for Catalinas [twin-engined flying boats] was at Rathmines and, after a conversion course from land planes to flying boats, I flew to America as 2nd pilot to bring back much needed “Cats” for our 5 Maritime Squadron.

After a total of 142 hours, 15 mins flight time, Leslie was commissioned as a fully-trained, operational pilot on a salary of £17/9 per day.

By the end of 1943, the R.A.A.F. had secured enough Catalinas to form No. 43 Squadron with 4 Catalinas.

“Our main task was to destroy the Jap. shipping in their harbour which we did with mines and bombs dropped from altitudes as low as 300’.

Later, Leslie joined the Reconnaissance Squadron which ultimately covered the east coast of Australia.

His recollections of the time included this matterof-fact account:

On a return trip from Morotai, Leslie received some of the most significant news of his life, reported in his typically understated manner.

“Taking off for one of these patrols, a bomb was dislodged from the bomb rack and, without exploding, smashed the tailplane off the aircraft.

The aircraft, out of control, crashed back to earth and, with the undercarriage partly retracted, ploughed through the perimeter fence at the end of the runway and was ‘written off’ without serious injury to me or the crew.”

“Our first available transport back was a beaten up old Cat. which we flew back in easy stages via Darwin to learn that Japan had surrendered and the war was over.”

Leslie’s final recollections of his time as a pilot included this little gem:

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“My Co-pilot, F/Lt A. Burgoyne, a good land pilot but hopeless Catalina man, also tried to splash down in Cairns. Cairns was a busy ships harbour, and all craft came under the control of the Harbour Master, a Ship’s Captain.

Leslie’s commentary on Jean’s failing health speaks volumes, both to his care and concern for her and to her strength of character.

“From this point on, Jean’s road was never smooth, and the wind was seldom at her back, but she accepted her failing eyesight, her loss of mobility and finally her Alzheimers with wonderful fortitude until her death in her nursing home on 30.9.06 aged 89 years & six months.”

“On approaching Cairns, it was usual to ask for splashdowns for Co-pilot training. I requested 3 splashdowns. Alec [F/Lt Burgoyne] made his usual clumsy approach and hit the water with a thump, shooting the Cat. back into the air before crashing back down again. The Harbour Pilot asked if this counted as one or two splashdowns – sarcastic man.”

Leslie concludes his memoirs as follows: “In this saga, it is now Feb 2008, and in a few days I will be 91 and apart from a few minor health problems I am reasonably fit, play golf 3x week and care for myself. So it is appropriate to close this chapter of my life and allow my children to complete it in due course.”

Leslie was then faced with a difficult decision post-R.A.A.F. – would he hang up his wings for good, or move into well-paid civil aviation?

“I discussed all this with [Jean], and she would never stand in my way, but I know she was more than glad when, after weeks of deliberation and much advice from the Director of Lands, I finally discarded my uniforms and accepted the Dept’s offer of a new posting of Assistant D.O. Barmera/ Loxton.”

Of course, Leslie, at 102, has seen many more years, including his current time at Parkrose Village.

Elizabeth reported that Leslie was quite critical of her mum’s care in the nursing home, so it is with relief and gratitude that I report that the care Leslie is receiving from Life Care’s is “wonderful.” Elizabeth said that Leslie describes living at Parkrose as “A bit like living in a hotel” and notes that he adores the open garden, the trees, and the grass.

But what of Rhett and his aforementioned exploits?

Well, it wouldn’t seem right if Leslie didn’t have the last word.

“On the day I took Jean to hospital, I also had work to do at the Kingston & Moorook Irrigations Offices and with no one at home I took Rhett with me. Crossing the River on the punt at Cobdogla, I called at the Kingston office, leaving Rhett in the car with the window down. Normally, this would have been fine, but not today with his mistress in hospital.

Leslie’s career flourished, initially as a result of studying irrigation in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area in NSW, and later a valuation course by correspondence. The latter ultimately led to Leslie joining the SA Land Board with an accompanying move into Adelaide.

In 1972, Leslie was appointed Chairman of the SA Land Board. This led to him touring NSW, Victoria and WA (at his own expense!) to report on their land acquisition practices.

“As soon as I left him, Rhett must have jumped out of the car, swum the river at Kingston, landed at Cobdogla and then padded his way back to Barmera and the hospital, where he found Jean and scurried under her bed in the labour ward.

Leslie retired from the Land Board on 24 June 1977.

“Still at Kingston, I spent some time looking and calling for Rhett, and it was not until I returned to Barmera in the afternoon and the hospital called to say I had a wife, a baby son and a dripping wet dog, all well and waiting for me at the hospital.”

“Jean, in her interest to keep me occupied, enrolled me in a shoemaking course at Marleston College of TAFE where I finally ended up as an instructor for 10 years.”

The remainder of Leslie’s memoirs details his latter years with Jean including much travel around Australia.

If you have enjoyed reading this article and would like a copy of Leslie’s full memoir, please contact Andrew Harvey, Marketing & Communications Manager, on 08 8239 9800.

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An everyday significance What is more important?

What you do? Or who you are?

Meeting Vic Waples provided a useful opportunity to reflect on exactly this question.

I met Vic in his room at Glenrose Court in Glen Osmond. As he sat in his orange velour armchair, the autumn sun filling his second-floor room with warmth, he began by questioning why anyone would be interested in his story. “It’s a bit boring,” he said in a gravelly drawl that belies his sharp mind, “It’s just me.”

By the end of our conversation, I was again reminded that sometimes it takes someone else to see the significance of a life.

In Vic’s case, what shines through is that his life’s influence has more to do with who he is than what he has done.

Vic was born in Adelaide (Allenby Gardens to be specific) in 1933 as one of four children. From an early age, Vic had an attraction to, and proficiency in, mechanical drawing: the process of producing an accurate, scale drawing of an object, complete with guiding measurements, for use in manufacturing.

“I always liked drawing,” Vic explained. When asked why, he said, “I always liked pretty things. Flowers and gardens and paintings; beauty of some kind.”

Given a chance, Vic feels sure that his interest in drawing would have led him to pursue architecture, like his son Richard. Instead, leaving school after ‘Intermediate’ (Year 10), he had a short stint working in an office, then joined his father in a “motor painting business,” becoming a paint expert, matching colours, tints and reproducing a paint finish equal to that of a new vehicle.

Despite this exposure to paint, Vic steadfastly preferred drawing. He still does. The painting was left to his wife, Mary, a Registered Nurse, who he married at the age of 27.

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Not long after Vic and Mary were married, they started a ‘nursing home’ on Goodwood Rd. (Yes, this does give Vic a unique perspective on life at Glenrose Court!)

Before Vic moved into Glenrose Court, Mary lived there for two years. Vic lived across the road, and visited her every day.

Mary was living with dementia.

“My wife wanted to work… and so we thought if we’re going to work, we might as well do something worthwhile,” said Vic.

“Towards the end, poor thing, I would never have recognised her,” said Vic. “You just cope with these things,” said Vic. “You know it’s coming... She just got slowly worse.

Towards the end, you just sit there.”

“I was pretty smart, and I thought, if she wants to work, we can build a nursing home, and I can manage [the home] if she wants to work! So that’s what we did.

It was a confronting part of our conversation, but one that Vic navigated with a frank congeniality.

“We were an excellent team. We never had an argument. She did her job and did it beautifully, and I did my job and did that well. We were there for over ten years.

Mary died in 2016.

In Vic’s room, there are several original artworks.

Among them is one of Mary’s: a small oil painting of the Anglican Church at Port Elliot. Vic and Mary would holiday there, and on one such trip she took the opportunity to capture the church on canvas.

Vic’s daughter, Naomi, is also an artist and works as a graphic designer. Vic’s walls are adorned with a careful selection of her paintings, including Naomi’s large and stunning reproduction of Baldassare Castiglione by Raphael.

“Even though I wasn’t in a hands-on caring role, I did feel like I was contributing. And the fact that I was there with my wife, well, we got on well together and to be working together was quite good.”

Vic speaks with obvious affection and admiration for Mary. She knew everyone in their home by name, including the residents’ families. Vic speaks of her as a very caring person, and, supported by Vic, they were able to make a real contribution to those who lived there.

Vic has only lived at Glenrose Court for around ten months. While it’s not uncommon for people to fear the transition into residential care, given Mary’s time living there, the decision to move was an easy one for Vic.

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Sitting, drawing, and being able to think and reflect brings Vic a great deal of pleasure in and of itself.

“I knew what [Glenrose Court] was like, I knew it was a good place, and obviously this was the place to come. I put my name down, and within a week they rang me up and said ‘We’ve got a room if you want it!’

“They put them up around the classroom, my drawings, and the kids see them all the time,” said Vic, an unmistakable note of pride and appreciation in his voice.

“I’ve been equally impressed since I moved in. It’s a good place, and I’d recommend it to anyone. The carers are first-class. Rosemary is a good boss, and she is caring and nice to everyone.”

Yes, it is easy to miss the significance of one life when it’s your own. It’s easy to miss the fact that without Vic’s desire to “do something worthwhile,” older people would not have been cared for in his care home. Without his interest in drawing, his son may not have become an architect. Without his love for art, his daughter may not have become an artist, and children would not have been inspired to perhaps one day become artists themselves.

Prior to moving into Glenrose Court, Vic found he was no longer able to do work in the garden. It was at this point that his life-long interest in drawing again came to the fore.

“I had to do something [with my time],” said Vic. “And I never tire of sitting here drawing.”

When you sit with Vic for a period, what becomes even more apparent is that it’s actually his humility, intelligence and passion that have made these interests influential.

Sitting, drawing, and being able to think and reflect brings Vic a great deal of pleasure in and of itself. However, this pastime became even more significant when “Doctor Dan” – a GP who regularly visits Glenrose Court – made an important connection.

Doctor Dan has a friend who is an art teacher in a local primary school. Doctor Dan thought that perhaps his friend’s class might be interested in seeing Vic’s drawings.

“I was happy that someone, anyone, was interested,” said Vic. Doctor Dan took a few of Vic’s drawings to his friend who shared them with his class.

At this point in our conversation, Vic turned to a nearby drawer and extracted two hand-made cards.

Inside were messages of thanks and appreciation from two children. The cards express how much the kids enjoyed receiving Vic’s drawings.

On the front of the cards were two drawings that appeared to be copies of Vic’s art. Vic explained that they are actually original drawings that the children created, inspired by Vic’s drawings.

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Some things are never lost “Any new birds here?” asked Vic as he arrived at the dance.

“There’s a new nurse over there, but don’t get fresh with her or she’ll slap your hand!” replied the man at the door.

This is how Vic Techritz recalls the day he met Audrey Anne Agars – as she was then known – his wife of 67 years.

The advice about Audrey didn’t stop there.

“Are you taking that bird from the hospital round?” asked another friend. Vic responded in the affirmative. “I’ll give you a bit of basic philosophy,” replied the friend. “Make sure she can cook!”

“What do you do for work?” asked yet another concerned citizen.

“I’m an Electrician,” replied Vic. “You’ll never afford her!” came the advice.

Oh, crikey, thought Vic. And so, off he went to university to turn his electrical trade qualification into an Electrical Engineering degree. Audrey was the only motivation he needed.

Having met Audrey, I can understand why.

Audrey is softly spoken, with a gentle smile and a twinkle in her eye. She lives with Vic at Gaynes Park Manor, Life Care’s newest Residential Care Home in Joslin, SA. As with many great partnerships, Vic and Audrey come from entirely different backgrounds.

An only child, Vic initially lived in Norwood, later moving to Whyalla. Audrey, one of three girls, grew up on a farm 30 miles out of Port Lincoln. From Vic’s point of view, this makes Audrey just about perfect; he credits Audrey’s common sense to this down-toearth upbringing.

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about life “She’s got the common sense,” said Vic. “She understands the practicalities which I find awfully valuable. If I start talking hot air, she says ‘That’s not correct Vic’, and I really appreciate that.

“You have to have that sort of attraction to give you motivation,” continued Vic. “If she was ‘nag, nag’ all the time, it would kill any motivation.

“Another thing I value about Audrey,” said Vic, “is that she’s helped me develop my character, my positivity. I got that from Audrey.”

“Where I grew up you had to be positive,” said Audrey.

“If you weren’t positive you didn’t exist! There was no TV… My mother was a very positive person. A wonderful person.”

Audrey’s natural positivity was further enhanced through yoga, which she taught for many years. “I taught both the yoga ‘positions’ and the ‘mentals’ as well,” explained Audrey. “I think that’s been a help.”

Audrey and Vic moved into Gaynes Park Manor when Vic was diagnosed with “memory loss”. Audrey could have stayed at home, but as she said, “It wouldn’t be much without Vic’s company. Here we can still enjoy each other’s company. And we couldn’t be anywhere better than this place.” Vic concurred, saying “Yes, it’s a lovely homely atmosphere here.”

Things like the importance of a supportive companion as well as this little gem from Vic:

“A foreman once taught me that you’ve got to listen and understand before you start doing silly things.

“I always listen to Audrey ‘cause she talks common sense. Not only does she talk common sense but she looks good too. If I wasn’t married and was walking down the street, I’d still ask her to marry me!”

When Vic went to the dance that day, he ignored the advice of the man at the door. And you know, Audrey never did ‘slap his hand,’ and they’ve been dancing ever since. Of course, if you’ve been paying attention as you read, you would’ve already known that.

Memory loss is a reality for the couple. But by the end of the conversation, this was not what stood out.

It was the privilege of seeing Vic and Audrey for who they are, something that has not been lost.

Truth be told, I was happy to listen to the same story a couple of times, given the value of the rest of the conversation. For if I left earlier from lack of patience I would’ve missed some real gems; wisdom hard-won and still accessible.

Simple things like a reflection on the value of working for an organisation that values its people (and the fact that Vic’s early elocution lessons helped him represent BHP in front of the Arbitration Commission).

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2018 Awards Night and End of Year Celebration

It was a balmy night on the 23 November 2018 as many Life Care employees gathered at the Glenelg Golf Club for the annual Awards Night and End of Year Celebration.

The evening featured a ‘Bond 007’ theme, complete with 007 ice sculpture, a James Bond quiz, large framed photos of Mr. Bond around the room, and an animated collection of staff and client photographs presented to Carly Simon’s James Bond theme song “Nobody does it better.” Everyone was dressed to the 9’s and enjoyed a fun evening of food, drink and dancing.

The formalities of the night saw the usual cheers of celebration as many services were recognised across the awards.

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Drum roll please...

2018 award winners included: Life Care Way Award Amanpreet Kaur Unsung Hero Award Anne Griffin Customer Experience Excellence Award Emily Burt Team of the Year Hoffman Team Reynella Lodge Expansion Team Gaynes Park Manor - Move and Opening Team We also recognised the following people for their many years of combined service with Life Care!

5 Years Alison Shipp Tina Parker-Taylor 25 Years Sam Khoury 30 Years Stavroula Liapis 35 Years Marie Noble Miriam Lloyd-Smith

We thank all our sponsors for their continued and valued support: Salary Solutions Hesta CCK Lawyers NNT One Fell Swoop RAA TENA Terry White Chemists YNA

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Rumpus on the Campus Life Care people show us what they get up to every day...

Reynella Village - ‘Young at Art Group’

Aldinga Beach Court - Show Day

At Home ‘On the Go Group’- visit Wildlife Park at Cudlee Creek

Gaynes Park Manor - Visit to St Peter’s Anglican Cathedral

Gaynes Park Manor - Travelling farm visit

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Gaynes Park Manor - Cook off

Parkrose Village - Mother’s Day lunch

Aldinga Beach Court - Gardening fun

Life Care - staff, clients and families Parkinson’s SA Walkathon

Life Care - staff, clients and families Parkinson’s SA Walkathon

At Home ‘On the Go Group’ - Visit historic Carrick Hill

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Norman House -Walk at Wittunga Botanic Gardens

Parkrose Village - Adelaide Crows 19th player talking strategy

Aldinga Beach Court - Pet Appreciation Day

Glenrose Court - Lest they be forgotten Anzac Day 2019

Reynella Village - Adelaide Crows making a mark

Reynella Village - Go Crows !

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Norman House - Spot the dolphin!

Images courtesy of “Take on the Icon” Adelaide Oval Roof Climb

Gaynes Park Manor - Jill does the Adelaide Oval Roof Climb

Aldinga Beach Court - Rory Sloane makes time for a chat

Aldinga Beach Court - Fox in the hen house

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About Life is the official publication of the Churches of Christ Life Care Inc. Would you like more information about Life Care or to receive your own copy of About Life?

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