RESIDENTS at Fitzgerald Aged Care in Windsor have a brand new raised garden bed with plants to tend, thanks to some keen fundraising efforts by the residents committee along with numerous kind-hearted community members who donated their time and energy.
The facility, which offers 48 beds, recently underwent a $2 million upgrade, and now members of the board and volunteers are working on the garden.
Christine Paine, board member, said the gardens had been overgrown and neglected. She wanted to help the residents feel at home at the facility.
“It’s not the place that makes the place, it’s the people that make the place. We want to make it their home,” she said.
The raised garden bed is the latest addition to the gardens which the community has been working on for 12 months.
Next, a bird bath will be installed, and after that a sturdy outdoor seat with sand under it so the residents can sit in the sun and feel the sand between their toes.
The garden bed is planted with various edibles including lemon balm, sweet rocket, spinach and parsley, as well as polianthes flowers.
A ceremony and ribbon-cutting was held to officially hand the garden over to the residents. Four plunged their hands in the soil and planted the final few seedlings, including resident Rita Taylor whose voice cracked with emotion when she said: “I love my garden!”
Mrs Paine said the idea was for the residents to feel ownership and pride over the place, as well as to get them outside and doing something therapeutic in nature.
“The women told me a few things they wanted and we’re doing our best to comply with that. They’re all out here now enjoying [the raised garden bed] and wanting to weed it,” she said.
“The families of our residents also play a very big role in what happens here and are very enthusiastic about it - we’re very lucky.
“We’re going to plant more flowering things so the gardens are a pleasure to walk through.”
Mrs Paine along with three other volunteers - Lee Hurley, Christine Smith and Jenny Quigley - have all spent the last three months getting the gardens up to scratch.
The raised garden bed was constructed by South Windsor resident Nick Clark from Nick’s Carpentry Services who donated his time because his grandmother Merle is a resident.
“Mum told me they were planning on [building the garden bed] and it’s Nan’s home so I said I’d do it,” he said.
“It’s raised so they can access it in their wheelchairs and walkers and not have to reach down.”
The facility will be celebrating 25 years in November.
Sarah Falson
Daily Liberal journalist. I love telling people's stories. Get in touch at sarah.falson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Daily Liberal journalist. I love telling people's stories. Get in touch at sarah.falson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
