The spirit of community and camaraderie recognised during May's National Volunteer Week is alive and well at Glengara Retirement Village.
A shining example of this is the work of the village’s Residents Assistance Committee, of which resident Brian Meredith is the Chairperson.
“We have a group of residents who volunteer to drive other residents who can’t drive to medical or dental appointments on the Central Coast,” Brian said. “People ring up when they need the service. We’ve done 65 calls since I took over in July.”
Village Manager Andrew Glover said it has been fantastic to witness residents helping each other and building community spirit in the village.
“The Residents Assistance Committee has been of great service to residents since it began in 2002,” Andrew said. “Many have mentioned how it has helped them.”
Brian said that despite the work being of a volunteer nature, he has had no shortage of residents putting their hand up to contribute to the thriving village.
“Over the last couple of months I’ve had five new drivers join,” he said. “Four of them have come from the newly-built villas, and those people have only been here a couple of months. I have a list of when drivers are available, and I very rarely have to make more than two telephone calls to get a driver.”
The work of the Resident Assistance Committee is symbolic of life at Glengara, Brian said.
“While it’s not a high-profile committee, we reflect the heart of the community of the village,” he said. “It gives the community peace of mind.”
