A Client’s Story

Imagine for a moment that you are Mrs Shirley Winter*. Shirley is 83 and, although a little wobbly sometimes, she is still basically fit and well. Her husband Bob died nearly 10 years’ ago and her family, two sons and a daughter, all have families of their own but live interstate. Shirley still lives in the home she and Bob moved into soon after they were married.

Without really noticing it happen, the garden Shirley had tended for years had grown completely out of control. The azaleas and camellias had developed into big trees that blocked the windows and only allowed a little light inside. As a result the house was damp and cold. The entire garden had become overgrown, filled with weeds and looked neglected. It was beginning to look as if no one lived there.

The front path was overgrown and slippery with moss and leaves. Shirley had been too nervous to stay out after dark for a long time, but the path was becoming increasingly difficult to negotiate even on a sunny day. Although she hated the idea, Shirley had begun to think that as she seemed unable to care for the garden and maintain the house, it might be time to move into a retirement home.

At about the same stage a neighbour who was concerned for Shirley told her about Easy Care Gardening. A team of volunteer gardeners was able to come and trim small trees and bushes, clear the weeds and mulch the garden beds. Shirley’s home felt brighter and warmer, her path to the front was safer and the house looked cared for and lived in again. The volunteers were able to stop and enjoy morning tea with Shirley and, as she said, "…it felt like a party!"

Started by just three volunteers in 1988, Easy Care Gardening celebrates 20 years of service in August this year. Today there are nearly 300 volunteers working for almost 1,000 clients in the Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Kuring-gai and Ryde Council districts in northern Sydney. Volunteers are often retired men and women who want to give something back to the community and keep fit and busy, or they might be part-time workers or parents of school aged children with some spare time. Groups of corporate volunteers sponsored by their employer enjoy the real life "team building exercise". No experience is required, but there is lots of gardening experience to be gained! Why not phone and find out more from Easy Care Gardening (02) 9983-1644, or visit our website www.easycaregardening.org.au

NOTE: Easy Care Gardening is a community-based, not-for-profit organisation. Volunteer gardeners work in teams in the gardens of the frail aged (and people with a disability) on a pension, with the intention of making the gardens "easy care" and making it possible for the householder to remain in their own home. Without this service, many clients feel that they can no longer maintain their garden nor can they afford to pay commercial rates for the garden’s upkeep, and they can become vulnerable to premature or unnecessary institutionalisation.

*Mrs "Shirley Winter" might be any one of our clients.