Glanville residents thank first responders

By Adair Winder

Jun 9, 2022

Appreciative of their service: Gladys Billington and Pat Rowe worked together on a thank you sign for emergency services staff on Thank a First Responder Day (June 8). Photo by Contributed

Proudly hanging at the front of Glanville Village aged care facility is residents’ Gladys Billington and Pat Rowe’s thank you sign which was dedicated to emergency services staff on Thank a First Responder Day (June 8).

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Ms Billington and Ms Rowe decided to show their appreciation of first responders by making the crafty sign and by delivering thank you cards and boxes of chocolate to the ambulance depot, the fire brigade, the police station and to the emergency department at Echuca Regional Health.

Ms Rowe said the emergency services staff were surprised and overwhelmed by the residents taking the time to thank them.

“I just thought it was a wonderful thing to do. Emergency services do their best to keep everybody safe and I think they do a damn good job of it,” Ms Rowe said.

Ms Rowe said it was a pleasure to make the sign which took three hours to make.

“I’m always happy if I’ve got coloured pencils in my hand,” she said.

Leisure and lifestyle facilitator at Glanville, Brooke Thomson, said this was just one of the ways they try to engage aged care residents with the community.

“As an aged care facility, we try to link aged care residents with the community to ensure that their sense of worth is being met. It can be hard for a resident to be a big part of the community at one stage and then move into aged care where that may now be more limited,” Ms Thomson said.

As COVID-19 restrictions ease and activities are re-scheduled, Ms Thomson hopes that residents can be a part of the community once again in a way that is safe and healthy for them.

By Adair Winder