CHERISHED memories of 13 residents at Cleveland’s Freedom Aged Care have been brought to life in a 24-page magazine thanks to the work of aspiring teen journalists.
Freedom spokesperson Juanita Rowe said the book, called Faces of Freedom, was filled with photographs and stories penned by Wellington Point State High School students following weekly visits to the Cleveland centre throughout term three.
She said it was the first time high school students had written stories for Freedom Aged Care, with the Faces of Freedom program likely to be rolled out across other sites due its success.
“The Faces of Freedom program has seen the students and residents meeting over the past few weeks for a good, old chin wag,” Ms Rowe said.
“The residents have enjoyed the chance to chat with a younger generation and help them with their writing.”
While all entries were published in the Faces of Freedom edition, student Eleesha Webb’s biography about resident Joseph earned her a first place laptop prize.
Other winners included Cienna McLean and Sarah Wilson, for their respective stories on residents Erin and Joan.
English teacher Janette Laurie said the experience would likely repeated next year to get other students involved.
She said participating children, in years 7 to 9, had enjoyed visiting the seniors every week to listen to and document their stories
“The students took it very seriously and they wanted to make sure they had written a true representation of the people they were writing about,” she said.
She said while three visits to Cleveland’s Freedom Aged Care were initially organised, students’ enthusiasm for the project meant the catch-ups became weekly occurrences throughout term three.
For more information or to read Faces of Freedom, visit freedomagedcare.com.au.
Winning entry excerpt
By Eleesha Webb, who tells Joseph’s story
I was nine years old.
As I sat down on the soft grass, I looked out across the farm to where the sun was setting.
The evening was becoming cooler as the sun slid further behind the hills.
A voice came from the house behind me: “Joseph you’d better come inside now, it’s getting late, besides you still have to feed the chickens in the shed.”
I sighed as my aching body protested. Being raised on a farm was hard work.
There were always many chores to be done, even with seven siblings to share the load.
Mostly these chores involved helping mother in the house or helping father on the farm.
As I walked back up to the house the smell of a roast meal filled my nostrils, making my stomach grumble.
The soft click of the screen door shutting behind me was barely audible as I walked into the living room.
There, pottering around in the kitchen, was mother and sitting behind the bench was one of my brothers, Erine.
I smiled to myself as mum shooed him away from the food, shaking her head as he tried to plead his innocence.
I grabbed the bucket full of peelings and other food scraps and slipped out the sliding door, popping a few freshly sliced bits of carrot in my mouth and sneaking out the door before mother noticed.
The sun was barely able to be seen now and the night air colder, making my thin shirt useless against the cool breeze.
More story here.
