A COMPETITION run by Blue Care has unearthed 12 seniors doing amazing work across the Redlands.
Blue Care’s Bree Tukaukin said the winners were chosen from a pool of more than 50 people, all nominated by others for their inspiring efforts.
She said whittling the list down was tricky at times. However, some entries for Blue Care’s 2018 honour roll for were outstanding.
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One winner was chosen from each council division, with two others selected for either a Blue Care or mayor’s choice award.
Each Redland City inspiring senior was bestowed a certificate of appreciation on Monday at a morning tea held at Alexandra Hills’ Nandeebie Aged Care and Retirement Living function centre.
Ms Tukaukin told the crowd: “It was amazing to hear your stories and (to hear) not just about what you do, but your histories as well.”
The event was attended by the seniors, their friends and family, Redland City councillors and others.
Redland City mayor Karen Williams said the recipients set a great example for others to follow.
“Many of our seniors contribute significantly to the Redlands community on a regular basis, compassionately giving their time, skills and ideas for the benefit of others,” she said.
“Redland City Council is a proud supporter of this Blue Care initiative, which recognises these generous seniors.
“With a higher than average population of retirees, the Redlands Coast is blessed with many dedicated volunteers, community champions and philanthropists.”
Read transcripts from the awards ceremony below:
Jan Kempers – Mayor’s award
Jan grew up on a dairy farm in Rockhampton as the eldest of five children. Her father was on every local committee.
As a teenager, following her father’s footsteps, Jan sold raffle tickets for the ambulance.
She started to teach youth programs at Sunday School at the young age of 13 and coordinated walk-a-thon events connecting youth in the community.
Jan’s late husband Tony became a Lion for the Redlands Lion Club and Jan joined their auxiliary as a Lion’s Lady.
When Tony passed in 2009, Jan fully joined the Redlands Lions Club, where she remains an active and important member.
Jan has also contributed time to Capalaba Meals on Wheels and to Capalaba Uniting Church, where she serves as church council chairman.
Jan has faced significant health challenges after she suffered third degree burns in a food van fire while volunteering for the Lions at the Redland City Christmas Carols in 2012.
Only in the last 18 months has Jan felt healed and recovered from this severe challenge.
Jan is now again appreciating life’s simple pleasures and keeping connected with the local community to which she has been tirelessly dedicated.
Jan is an inspiration to us all and is a very worthy of an Inspiring Seniors award.
Mavis Rainey – Blue Care award
Mavis has been volunteering with Blue Care for 11 years.
Every Friday morning, she works in the op shop supporting many residents and clients, encouraging her friends and being a positive influence.
Mavis also volunteers at the Redlands Hospital kiosk. For 10 years she has supported all who visit.
As a member of the hospital committee, Mavis helps raise money for the hospital through the craft stalls she organises.
Mavis is a very kind person and has encouraged everyone with her positive approach to life and she is very inspiring to all around her.
Doug Reynolds – division one
Doug was born in Auburn, Sydney and is aged 66.
His community involvement locally is extensive and includes 15 years State Emergency Service involvement, including a ten year service award from the state government.
Doug joined the Redlands Sporting Club’s social golf club in 1991 and the Wellington Point Bowls Club in 1999, where he has been a valued and dedicated volunteer.
He was secretary and treasurer for the golf club for seven years and was awarded life membership in 2000.
Upon joining bowls, he became secretary of the men’s committee and secretary of the overall governing board simultaneously.
He is currently chairman of the bowls club board and a member of the board of the Redlands Sporting Club.
Doug gives so much of his time to the club assisting to ensure a great community service and to create a warm place for people to connect and gather together.
He organises club trivia nights, raffles and competitions.
Always acting with a smile and a genuine sense of appreciation.
Doug has had a continuous, active involvement in a range of community-based groups in an honorary capacity since his arrival in Queensland in 1991.
Doug has been and continues to be a selfless grassroots contributor and is an inspiration to his community.
Kobus Kruger – division two
Kobus leads by example with his community-mindedness and practical action.
He owns and operates the Green Hand Car Wash in Cleveland and actively practices inclusiveness, employing people with disabilities.
He also provides free car washes for persons over 90 years of age.
To keep healthy and able to give back to his community, Kobus keeps active and still cycles at a high level, inspiring fellow seniors and his community.
Recently, Kobus competed at a 220-kilometer charity ride from Toowoomba to Mooloolaba and cycled 600 kilometers through the beautiful French Alps, his idea of a fun holiday.
He delights in setting equally loved and feared indoor bicycle challenges at Healthworks gym to those much younger than him.
He is rarely beaten and is proof that age is indeed just a number sometimes.
An inspiring businessman, an inclusive and active community member, a goal setter and a model of lifelong fitness and health for seniors, Kobus is highly deserving of the title “inspiring senior 2018”.
Albert “Lindsay” Boyd – division three
Lindsay is a genuine, no nonsense, sincere man with strong values and the gift of the gab, who relishes the company of others.
He has an amazing memory and is part of a generation of Aussies who lived through some tough times to understand the value of honesty and hard work.
He is a gentleman, a living legend who inspires those around him to have a positive attitude and not to give up in the face of adversity.
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Lindsay has proven to be a valuable asset with his positive influence on those around him.
His sense of value of life, his humility and easy-going nature are admired by all who cross his path.
Lindsay’s loving family describe him as a humble, ordinary family man whose life has been dedicated to his wife of almost 67 years and his immediate family, as well as those around him.
In his early years in Victoria, he was a member of the rural fire brigade and also held committee positions in his sporting clubs.
In his life, he has been simply a good friend and neighbour.
Denise Foley – division four
Denise and her family bought land on Coochiemudlo Island in 1962 and built a holiday home on the beach and acreage where her father-in-law established a farm.
After his passing, the family home was built on that land, where Denise lives today.
As a pioneer of the Coochie Progress Association, Denise was integral to bringing electricity, water and sewerage to the island in her active community and political roles.
She ran for Redland Shire Council to lobby for a new boat/barge ramp in the 1970s and was a founding member of the Isle of Coochie Golf Club, the community hall and the Coochie Recreation Club, of which she is current president.
Denise was involved with the establishment of the Laurie Burns Reserve and a columbarium at the chapel.
She is still the island post mistress and continues to work full-time as the owner and licensed agent of Baywaters Realty.
She coordinates community hall bookings and correctional services placements for community service on the island and has not missed a single election to hand out and scrutineer at the community hall for over 50 years.
Denise has contributed to the island sense of community through many other acts of kindness and compassion such as driving the elderly to and from the ferry for trips to the mainland, delivering meals, mail and newspapers to those who are less mobile than her and volunteering for many community events and functions over the past 56 years.
And she never misses anyone’s birthday, celebration or funeral.
And she has no intention of slowing down now and always has another project in mind for her community.
Vonnie Vayanos – division five
Vonnie is a long-term Macleay Island resident and a very community orientated person who loves helping friends, family and anyone in need.
Vonnie assists with transport to and from the ferry, attends and assists the Macleay Island Craft Group and volunteers at the Community Blue Care Respite Centre every Wednesday.
Vonnie has been volunteering for Blue Care since 2005.
This social respite group first started at the Boat Club with a social morning tea and activities.
Then Macleay Island was lucky enough to get funding to open the “Shack” as the community Blue Care Centre.
Vonnie makes the morning teas, which is always an absolute feast as she often brings in her own home grown fruit or vegetables.
Vonnie enjoys being an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold if anyone needs support.
Vonnie is always smiling, laughing and enjoying life which rubs off to clients who attend the respite centre.
From the clients, staff and other volunteers at Macleay Island Respite group, Vonnie deserves all the recognition she can get. A true inspiration to all.
Robert Uhr – division six
Bob is an all-round gentleman with a passion for his community.
In his role as vice president, and former roles as past president and grants officer, of the Redland Bay Men’s Shed, Bob has been instrumental in gaining project support and funding, growing the membership and lobbying government entities for support to achieve the now almost complete Redland Bay Men’s Shed facility.
Bob led his group with a shared vision to establish a fit-for-purpose, large men’s shed facility to cater for the growing needs of men in the community.
Bob and his team started on a journey creating a development plan for a place for men to connect with each other in the spirit of promoting health and wellbeing.
They identified a need to cater for a membership base of 200 men, successfully gained an initial $400 grant from the Bendigo Bank and leveraging as they went and many sausage sizzles later, realised their dream of a $340,000 men’s shed.
Bob has spent countless hours with his men’s shed team raising funds through sausage sizzles as well as supporting other worthy causes like the Men’s Cancer Support Group, the refurbishment of the Redland Bay State School seating and provision of temporary facilities in support of the RSL to provide the Dawn Service each ANZAC day for the past four years.
There are many members of the men’s shed who have worked in support of each of these causes and many more but Bob as an early instigator and leader in the group stands out for mention.
Everything that Bob has done has been enabled and supported quietly behind the scenes by his wife Margaret.
Margaret has answered phones, taken messages, made tea and been there every step of the way.
Shirley Edwards – division seven
Shirley has been in the Redlands for over 30 years and for 20 of those years she has been a volunteer.
Shirley is a part of CICADA, which is the Cochlear Implant Club and Advisory Association.
Speaking to Shirley you could see her face light up with the fantastic work she does.
Shirley loves doing this work as she loves watching the people she works with faces come alive when they can hear for the first time or can hear again.
Shirley works with people within the Redlands who are hearing Impaired and may have cochlear implants or hearing aids.
Some of the things Shirley does includes:
– preparing patients for operation and adapting to cochlear implants
– after surgery counselling
– aocial morning tea’s
– editing the CICADA CHORUS magazine
– growing community awareness
– fundraising raffles and functions
– retraining and rehab for patients once they have received their implants
– working alongside other community organisations, including Hear and Say, Better Hearing and Redland Hospital
Another fantastic project Shirley has been working on is with the Redland Hospital, which started two years ago.
It’s a committee to try and educate and provide resources for hearing and visually impaired patients.
They have prepared packs for patients to use and communicate effectively while in hospital.
This has been a very successful program and now other hospitals want to follow suit.
From CICADA and the Redland Hospital, Shirley deserves all the recognition she can get.
A true inspiration to all.
Pamela Boyle – division eight
Pamela has been in the Redlands for the last 15 years after she moved from Wynnum to have her father live with her.
Pamela was nominated for this award from a member of St Anthony’s School, Alexandra Hills, who was very grateful for the hard work and commitment Pamela puts in for the school Mass and reading to students every Thursday.
Pamela has been involved and volunteering for St Anthony’s and St Luke’s Church in Capalaba for 15 years.
Pamela sets up for Mass and transports Redlands residents to and from.
Pamela is involved with Baden Powell Guild, a group of previous leaders in scouts/guides who assist our Redlands guide groups.
They assist other Redland organisations such as Maybanke, Lions and also the homeless with making blankets and beanies.
Pamela has been volunteering and assisting people in Wynnum and the Redlands with simple tax returns for the last 27 years, helping older people and those who don’t use a computer.
Elsie Coulam – division nine
Elsie has dedicated over 16 years of her life to Volunteering for Capalaba State College in the canteen.
It started when Elsie’s grandchildren attended the school but even when they graduated, Elsie enjoyed it so much she wanted to continue.
Elsie is the first to assist when someone is on leave and volunteers fulltime to assist the school community.
Elsie is a very busy woman outside of her fantastic volunteering work.
Elsie also babysits two of her great grandchildren often and actually has 16 great-grandchildren ranging from 17 to six month old.
Elsie has had her own health scares but this has not stopped her from volunteering for the community, playing competitive ten pin bowling and working on a part time basis.
From the students, staff and other volunteers at Capalaba State College, Elsie deserves all the recognition she can get.
Carmen Jackson – division ten
Carmen has been a Redlands resident for 40 years and has always been the kind of person to put the needs of others before her own.
Carmen has always been an extremely busy woman, having 12 milk runs from Sunnybank Hills to the Redlands and out to Wynnum Area.
This work was non-stop day and night.
Her family ran the local service station in Birkdale and then a supermarket at the Gold Coast.
Carmen was nominated for her fantastic work as the treasurer for the local tennis club which she was involved in for 10 to 15 years.
She was always a very keen player until just recently when she hurt her hand.
For 10 years, Carmen has been volunteering as part of the bushcare group that looks after Willard-Weber Reserve.
They keep the local reserves tidy, planting new trees and enjoying a social morning tea after their hard work.
Carmen is the caretaker of this group and local reserves.