The Reverend Wesley Trigg has had a busy life.
And he's still busy! The Uniting AgeWell Preston Community resident has discovered a new hobby he's passionate about. Art.
He creates stunning pieces that belong in frames on the wall. And while Wesley describes it as “merely colouring in,” he’s wrong. He has a portfolio of amazing works of art – just check out the koala in the photograph!
But one thing he's absolutely certain about is that he chose the right aged care provider when his late wife, Una, needed a bit of extra care four years ago.
“Uniting AgeWell is part of the Uniting Church, so that’s where we went,” Wesley explains. “Uniting AgeWell is part of the Uniting Church – and I committed myself to the Uniting Church when I was 18."
Wesley became a minister and worked in parishes and schools across Australia over the years. "I love the church and I know that Uniting AgeWell has the same values of kindness and respect. I’m right at home here.”
And even though he misses Una, especially after 66 years of marriage, he is happy and well looked after. “I cannot speak highly enough of the staff. They are always so kind, nothing is too much trouble for them,” he says.
Wesley also enjoys working on the computer, watching television, doing a bit of reading and occasionally playing on his electronic keyboard. A beautiful wooden lamp also stands in his room – a testament to his earlier hobby of woodworking and his many years as a member of the Men’s Shed.
Early years
Wesley was born to a farming family and literally grew up in the bush – living off the grid with no electricity, milking the cows by hand and learning about the Christian faith through missionaries. He was schooled in Warrnambool and trained as a Uniting Church Minister at Melbourne University.
His first parish was in an isolated mining town on the Tasmanian West Coast. After he and Una were married, they moved to parish in Burnie, Tasmania.
They had three children, and over the years Wesley did a Diploma in Religious Education in the UK and worked at Methodist Ladies College both in Melbourne and in Perth. He went back to working in the community, with his final two parishes in Geelong where he and Una retired.
Over the years, Una changed her career from being a Deaconess in the Uniting Church before they were married, to staying home with the children when they were little and then studying to be a teacher. She taught for many years – and loved it.
Wesley is very close to his family. Two of his daughters are in Melbourne, one is in the UK – and he has three grandchildren. Two of his grandchildren are working towards their PhD in music – and while Wesley is modest about his keyboard playing skills, there are clearly musical genes in the family!