Percy Pyne laughs that if he was a cat, he would have used up his nine lives long ago!
He loved every day of his 30-year-career as a supervisor at the local council for the Otways – but admits there were many hair-raising moments. Like when he emerged with just a few scratches after a tree landed on top of his car and crushed it, and how he narrowly missed a landslide that crossed the tarmac in front of him. There were often trees crashing down on the road around him during storms, and emu and kangaroos leaping in front of his vehicle ….
“We’d get call-outs in the middle of the night during storms to say there were trees blocking roads,” explains Percy. “We had to move quickly to keep the public safe.”
The years of experience in safety practices remain ingrained, so it comes as no surprise that Percy, 94, and his wife, Ruby, 90, apply the same rules at home. Both are conscious about the importance of living safely, independently and well in their Drysdale home of the last 27 years.
Both are on home care packages through Uniting AgeWell and receive help around the home and garden and Percy also has personal care as well as podiatry and physiotherapy services. They have installed rails in the bathroom and toilet, and both have used their home care packages to buy electric recliners.
Ruby loves reading and still does a bit of sewing. Percy, who was President and then Treasurer of the Apollo Bay Golf Club for many years, struggles with mobility after a hip and two knee replacements, but loves watching sport on telly.
They attended a sumptuous Mid-Winter Christmas lunch catered put on by Uniting AgeWell for Barwon Home Care clients and also a tea to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Uniting AgeWell as well as length of service awards for staff. It was also a chance to chat to others on home care packages – a wonderful reaffirmation that you can live independently at home with just a little extra help.
Percy and Ruby, who have been married for 69 years, love spending time with their huge family of four sons, 10 grandchildren, 18-plus great-grandchildren and “ten more grandchildren and great-grandchildren acquired along the way.”
“Family is what it’s all about,” says Ruby. “We are blessed to have so much happiness and joy in our lives.”
Ruby still drives around the Drysdale area but Percy, who also has a heart condition, chose to give it up after experiencing a mini-stroke 18 months ago. “There is no way I was going to put other motorists at risk,” he says.
Ruby, who used to do housekeeping services at a local school, says she absolutely loves the Otways. “We lived in Apollo Bay for over 32 years, and every day I would take the dog for a walk on the beach. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the country.” They should know. The pair has travelled across most of Australia over the years.
Both Ruby and Percy are delighted to be part of the Uniting AgeWell family. “They really are very good, they are always so obliging. They do a marvelous job,” says Percy.
Learn more about our home care service in Barwon