Twists and turns in book of life
On Wednesday every week, you will find June Wyatt and Joan Whittingham tucked away in a nice, quiet corner at Lawrence House in Te Aroha.
June pulls a book out of her walker tray, puts her specs on and begins to read, while Joan listens intently.
And so begins a journey where the two ladies drift off to wherever in the world that particular book takes them.
These reading buddies are precious.
Between the two of them they are nearly 200 years old. June turned 100 earlier this year and Joan is 97 and almost completely blind.
Once an avid reader, losing her sight suddenly due to Charles Bonnet Syndrome, was a devastating blow for Joan who was a keen reader and creative writer who had her work published in the Christchurch Star.
’’It makes me so happy (listening to June),’’ Joan said.
‘‘When I first came here I was really lonely, so after I realised that June was interested in reading and English I clung to her.’’
Both ladies have never been drawn to participating in sports and don’t rate their sporting abilities very high.
‘‘I couldn’t hit a ball with a bat the size of a house,’’ Joan said.
‘‘I think you’re either one or the other. I’ve always been interested in books, the arts and English. When sports skills were being handed out, I didn’t get any,’’ June said.
June, who is a long time Te Aroha resident, often goes into character. This is when her love of the arts and the theatre come to light.
She has had plenty of practice and has got a lot of pleasure out of reading to her friends, a lot of whom have passed away after succumbing to long illnesses.
‘‘Books were made for reading out loud,’’ June said.
The heads of other Lawrence House residents often turn when the pair break out into hysterics.
‘‘Some times we forget that there are other people around us,’’ Joan said.
‘‘That’s the beauty of a good book, it can take you wherever you want to go.’’
Joan who was born and raised in London and came out to New Zealand on the Rangitoto in 1955, is philosophical when it comes to what life is all about.
‘‘Life is like the plot of a good book with many twists and turns. You never know what is around the corner.’’