Celebrating the Lives of Seniors on International Day

International Day of Older Persons on October 1^st will be a special time for residents at Mercy Place Edgewater. The not-for-profit aged care home will be celebrating its seniors and the contributions they have made to the community during their lifetimes, as a result of occupations and vocations as diverse as teaching, nursing, fostering and even volunteering, both in Western Australia and overseas.

One new resident at the popular northern suburbs aged care home is 76-year-old Noelene Hughes who, for many years, dedicated her time to helping children in a Balinese orphanage, both by raising funds and securing crucial equipment and medical supplies.

“One day, I was returning from a holiday in Bali and was sitting next to a lady on the plane who explained she was involved with an orphanage and had collected a consignment of clothes to take to the children,” explains Noelene, who was born in New South Wales and is a mother of two, grandmother to five, and has just had her very first great-granddaughter.

“It was just after the Bali bombings and that conversation really changed my life; I knew right there and then that I wanted to get involved, so I bought another plane ticket and I was back in Bali in two days to see how I could assist.

“We did lots of fundraising and ended up raising enough money to build a kindergarten for the orphans. it was an incredibly rewarding experience, and something I loved because throughout my life I’ve always wanted to help others, particularly children.”

Mercy Place Edgewater Service Manager, Pammy Singh, says International Day of Older Persons presents a perfect opportunity to recognise seniors like Noelene, who is also a retired Enrolled Nurse who trained at Concord Hospital in Sydney.

“There are many amazing residents like Noelene at Mercy Place Edgewater who have had incredibly interesting lives and have given their time and energy to help others,” she says.

“Noelene has dedicated many years of her life to helping orphans in Bali, not just by organising books and medical supplies, which she did regularly, but also by helping to start a kindergarten.

“Everyone here at Mercy Health has so much respect for the voluntary work she undertook to help those young children, and we are looking forward to learning more about her life and her time in Bali as she settles into the community here at Mercy Place Edgewater.”

The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Older Persons is celebrated annually on October 1 to recognise the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives.

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