Narooma VIEW Club

Our Zone Delegate and ex-President Glen Pisanos was the winner of the 'Most Stylish Christmas Hat Competition' as judged by Santa.

Laurelle Pacey agricultural scientist, author, journalist and historian spoke at our October meeting on the history of the All-Saint’s Church in Bodalla. Laurelle was a freelance journalist over 15 years and as the was honoured with an OAM for her service to the community and to local history.

Laurelle spoke of her fascination with investigating questions that need to be answered which led her to take a deep dive into the reasons why the All-Saint’s Church was built in stages. In an effort to gain insights into what was happening in the life and times of the church and its people she discussed many interesting details of Thomas Sutcliffe Mort and his many pioneering interests, including the establishment of the commercial production of cheese in Australia, and Edmund Blackett, an ecclesiastical architect.

It was particularly interesting to note that it was Maryanne Mort, (second wife to Thomas), who ultimately drove the completion of the church with the help of Edmund’s architect son and many largely unknown / un-named locals.

It was a very enjoyable step back in time for us all.

Thank you Laurelle

Our September meeting saw a warm and generous presentation by Dr John Brown, who spoke of his 50-year career as a general practitioner, cruise ship and hospital medical officer. John spoke of his time working in Papua New Guinea, Mudgee, Narooma, and on the “Fairstar”, a career which is soon to come to an end, as he plans to retire in November.

Dr Brown spoke about working across the life     span or ‘from womb to tomb’ and of the challenges and joys of working in rural, remote and isolated communities.

Members were entertained with stories of cruising illnesses, life in PNG, and medical developments such as keyhole surgery and improvements in maternity care. Dr Brown recognises his good fortune in having developed some lasting relationships with high level specialists which he was able to translate into improved access to medical care for regional and remote patients. He spoke with fondness of what he sees as the privilege of having provided medical services to so many people throughout his working life.

He also mentioned at the end of his presentation especially for Margie Ryan (who secured him as our speaker at the last minute) that many patients, as they leave the consulting room comment that there was often “just one more thing”, which usually translated into much more…

Dr Brown offered words of appreciation for his family, for the Narooma area, which he has called home for 22 years, and he acknowledged the importance of VIEW Club in the area and the value of our efforts in supporting The Smith Family.

We are thankful for John’s contribution to our community and wish him (and Larry) all the best on his upcoming retirement.

A big VIEW Club thank you to Rachel McInnes who this month shared her experiences volunteering for WIRES. WIRES focusses on the rescue, rehabilitation and release of native wildlife. Rachel shared stories of 15 minute and 2 hourly night time feeding of baby mammals and the joy of raising tiny birds who fail on their maiden flight. Members were encouraged to contribute sheets or pillow cases to be used to make pouches. Some members even took patterns to crotchet wool baskets.

Accompanying photo of:   Di, Rachel and Marg 

It was with interest and pleasure that the Members received the presentation of Safety for Older Adults delivered by three Regional Officers, Constables Dean – the Aged Crime Prevention Officer: David - the Crime Prevention Officer and Tony - the Youth Crime Prevention Officer at their last Meeting. The presentation was full of pertinent information such as what the role of the Crime Prevention Officer is. It is NOT to investigate elder abuse but rather to develop partnerships with local police; give referrals to appropriate services; engage in community education, police education & training; to liaise with community and conduct safety audits.

Rather than leave it at that, the Police visitors went on to detail what elder abuse is. They emphasized that a person, looking after his or herself, even though very poorly, is not in an abusive situation. It’s people and institutions which can be guilty of neglect as well as physical, sexual, financial, and mental abuse.  Members were fortunate to receive the booklet Safety Information Guide for Older Adults which looks at topics such as how to report a crime; the Emergency Services App; safety tips for living alone and how to protect yourself from Scam Artists.

The very useful  Next of Kin Register form was also distributed. It can be filled in and lodged at the local Police Station and in a time of emergency such as a car crash, may assist the ambulance and police to contact the nominated person.