Helping the community
Wendy Gierke
I HAVE been in Toowoomba all my life.
My parents grew up here and I grew up here with my family.
I went to school at Wilsonton State School and then moved on to Toowoomba State High.
I’ve been here (at Meals on Wheels) for two years now. I like the job – it’s a good job - it feels like you’re doing something for your community.
I help prepare 100-odd meals a day, something like that.
Yes, we get feedback from our clients. We had a lovely lady who sent us some chocolates for Christmas – she said she really appreciated the meals she was getting and the effort we were putting in.
When people can’t leave home or they just aren’t quite up to cooking, they can’t stand for long periods or some people have trouble with their hands, that’s mainly why they get meals.
What do I like about Toowoomba? It just feels like home, basically.
Rebecca Bennett
I’VE been in Toowoomba for 11 years, and moved here from Townsville to help care for my Nan. She was sick at the time.
I’m coming up to two years working at Meals on Wheels now.
I like it because it’s just helping the community out, knowing people who are in need are getting fed.
And really it’s not just about receiving meals – if they are feeling a bit low or a bit sad they know they can call us and we can help them out.
What do I like about Toowoomba? The country hospitality, really.
Delmae Cain
I’M RETIRED and have been doing Meals on Wheels for nearly 15 years – just once a week at the moment.
And I do it because I enjoy coming down once a week. The people we deliver meals with are good company.
I’ve made friends with some clients. Even to the fact of some of them who are housebound, Nev and I have even gone round to their places after hours and taken them to my place for a little meal.
Because most of the people we deliver to, 90% are on their own.
When we’re delivering meals we can’t stay very long and talk to them. We pop back from time to time if we know someone’s lonely.
I also volunteer at the hospital one day a week.
What do I like about Toowoomba? Everything - from the climate to gardens to the choice of everything we’ve got here from schools to shops to sporting activities, and I think it’s a community-minded place too. Everyone seems to take care of their neighbours.
Nev Redding
I’VE lived in Toowoomba just more than 40 years.
When I sort of semi-retired, I just wanted to help out in a few different things so I came down here and have been doing it for 17 and a half years I think, every Wednesday, amongst other volunteer work.
Before I retired I was an earthmoving contractor and a farmer previous to that.
I used to go to some of the nursing homes just to visit people but I don’t do that much nowadays.
I still do Red Cross these days. I’ve got an office at the hospital. I do telechat, ring people up in various parts of Queensland.
I’ve got clients from Port Douglas to Coolangatta and west of Emerald. I ring them every week and have a chat to them for 10-15 minutes and yeah, we talk about whatever they want to talk about.
Some are a little bit hard to get a conversation with but after a while they’re pretty good.
They’re not all older people – some are younger people who’ve got problems. I’ve got about seven or eight clients.
What do I enjoy about volunteering? I think it’s putting something back into the community really.
And you mix in with other people which I think is pretty important as we get older.
What do I like about Toowoomba? I think it’s a pretty good climate. It’s got everything you need - not that I love it in the winter. I’ve got a son in Cairns and I usually go up there for a while.