Residents at Mercy Place residential aged care were busy last week. From footy tipping competitions to birthdays and Harmony Day celebrations, residents have been keeping themselves entertained.
Sister Eileen celebrates her 90th birthday
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Sunday, March 23, saw Sister Eileen Casey hit the birthday milestone of 90 years old.
She celebrated the day at the Peppermill Inn with family who travelled from Canberra, NSW and Melbourne to sing her Happy Birthday.
Sister Eileen has led an exciting life, impacting those she taught and met along the way.
Sister Eileen trained as a primary school teacher in Ascot Vale where she joined the Sisters of Mercy convent as a nun in the 1950s.
She went on to teach at primary schools across Victoria, including Shepparton, and eventually got an arts degree, which allowed her to teach at secondary level.
Her work led her to jobs across Victoria, and even the United States and Canada, where she developed a passion for special education.
Towards the end of her career, she moved to Western Australia where she set up a program to involve people with disability in local parish communities.
“My idea was that people with disabilities should be included in every congregation,” she said.
“It was about finding ways for people to be involved. Anyone can be involved in a procession. That way people feel a part of whatever's happening and not just on the sidelines.”
Looking back, Sister Eileen said her biggest highlight was her time in the Irish countryside in 1976.
“I got to visit where my parents and grandparents came from,” she said.
“My father came from County Clare and we have first cousins in Ireland, so I was able to find them and bring all that information back here. Everybody else in my family has now visited, I was just lucky enough to be the first one.”
Her advice to the younger generation would be to “just enjoy life as it comes” — and Sister Eileen has done just that.
When asked what the secret to a long and healthy life was, Sister Eileen just laughed and answered, “just keep breathing”.
Mercy Place kicks off with footy tipping competition
Mercy Place has launched its annual footy tipping competition.
Long-time Essendon supporter and footy tipping winner from the past two years Christine Smith is excited for this year’s competition.
“I love the footy tipping competition, I’ve already got four points for the season,” she said.
“West Coast Eagles let me down. Adelaide Crows let me down because Fremantle won. I went for St Kilda to beat Collingwood and St Kilda lost, then I went for Western Bulldogs and they lost so I’ve got four points so far but better than nothing, I suppose.”
After naming some of her top players, Ms Smith concluded that Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti was her favourite player.
“I love when he jumps high to get the ball and jumps back down,” she said.
A loyal supporter, Ms Smith will always back Essendon in the footy tipping competitions, holding steadfast to the belief that it’s not about expecting a win every time.
“I take it as it goes, you win some, and you lose some,” she said.
Not missing a single game, Ms Smith always gears herself up in her Essendon attire, ready to barrack her team.
“I’ve got the beanie, the scarf, shirts, some clappers, the whole lot,” she said.
Harmony Day celebrations
Mercy Place joined in the Harmony Day celebrations on Wednesday, March 23.
Staff dressed in their culture’s traditional clothing and brought a plate of food to share with the residents.
Lifestyle co-ordinator George Jorgji comes from Albania and said Harmony Day was a perfect celebration for Mercy Place due to the variety of cultures among both residents and staff.
“We have people here from England, Italian, Greek, Filipino, Albanian, Australian, of course,” he said.
“It’s beautiful, actually, to share the cultures and especially in these days when the democracy and other countries are not very good, we love it in Australia.
“Harmony Day is important. We work together, we get along with each other, which is great. We’re in the greatest country in the world.
“Australia is diverse. Like it's multicultural, especially in Shepparton, so it is important recognising other cultures and food and traditions.”
Mr Jorgji said the residents enjoyed Harmony Day and that it was a good day for them to get out and interact with each other.
“Today is just about fun, learning something different from different cultures. Doing something from their own culture,” he said.
“They love it, you know, the atmosphere, and they get along with each other.”
Resident Dorothy Walmsley was excited to see Harmony Day being celebrated and said it was important to acknowledge other people’s cultures and make them feel welcome.
“Well, I think we need to get on with more people and countries because people that come here need to feel welcome and that doesn't always happen,” she said.
“My husband was English and it was hard for the ones of his era to come into a country and settle in, it took a long time. Now it's happening more and with everything that's going on, it's been a bit hard for people. We need to step back and have another look at things.”
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