It took two Lifestyle staff about six months of planning and the tactical logistics of a squadron going into battle, but the result was an absolute triumph!
A group of residents at Mornington Community, Lillian Martin are still talking about the three-day bus trip to Devonport earlier this year. They are already suggesting a follow up trip to Launceston next year.
“It was fabulous,” says Lifestyle Assistant Veneta Kelly, who along with Lifestyle Coordinator Vickie Pearce organised and went on the bus trip in northern Tasmania. “We did this trip three or four years ago before COVID-19, but this was our first trip since then. Now the residents want it to be an annual event! Of course!”
The holiday makers were four residents, and two staff members, RN Anna Beinssen and Extended Care Assistant Tom Bath who drove the bus.
While the itinerary was comprehensive, ultimately it was flexibility and a sense of humour that made it all work. “We were meant to go to Gunns Plains Reserve on the second day, but it rained so we went to the Maritime Museum instead. The residents absolutely loved that,” says Veneta.
The trip included visiting Ross, Railton, the murals at Sheffield, the Giant Penguin and the big clock at Ulverstone. There was also dinner at an Irish Pub, lunch at a Rock and Roll café where music is piped through extractors and a trip through the great lakes and Liawenee – officially the coldest place in Tassie (July’s weather average is a high of 6 degrees and a low of -2)
“The residents had a ball,” says Venetia. “But to be honest, we enjoyed ourselves as much as they did. It was hugely rewarding watching their faces light up and seeing them have such fun.”
Veneta says one of the highlights of the trip was the first night in Devonport, where they ate fish and chips and played scrabble.
And were there any hijinks on the adventure? Veneta laughs. “To quote what the residents have been saying since they got back, ‘What happens on the trip stays on the trip.”