It’s Toni’s luck of the Irish at Bramblewood

One of the most important qualities a Village Manager can have is being a people person, and that is a quality that Bramblewood Retirement Village’s Toni Dunphy has in spades. Toni’s eyes light up as she animatedly chats with village residents and ensures they’re well looked after. Yet, when Toni and her husband immigrated from Ireland five years ago, she wasn’t planning to work in a retirement village.

“My own mother suffered from dementia and was in nursing care in Ireland and I always said: ‘when we move to Australia I’m not working in aged care or retirement’,” says Toni. “I thought it would remind me of missing Mam at home, but actually it had the opposite effect, and I found I was treating the residents how I wanted my Mam to be treated.”

A new start

When Toni and her family arrived in Australia, her husband began working as the chef at Bramblewood. In time, Toni, also a qualified chef, took his place cooking up delicious and nutritious meals for village residents. Very quickly, Toni built up a beautiful rapport with the residents and became an important part of the village.

“Bramblewood, being a small village with a small team, meant that Toni was often covering for the Village Manager while she was on leave,” says Mary Matakitoga, Manager – Regional Operations NSW.​​​​ “Toni has been open to learning and took every opportunity to grow and develop as much as possible before the previous Village Manager left. So, she was already doing a lot of the role already.”

When the role of Village Manager came up, Toni was asked if she would consider the role.

“My manager Mary approached me and asked if I’d be interested in becoming the Village Manager and I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve been in the role two years and have loved it ever since,” says Toni. “I had built up a great relationship with the residents through the kitchen, so I had no problem sliding into the role and giving it a go. Now I absolutely love it.”

Toni’s gift of the gab and natural way of helping people has made her a tremendous success in the role, despite not having a background in office work.

“In the beginning working in an office and behind a computer was a challenge,” says Toni. “But my manager kept telling me it was only a small part of my role; the bigger part of the job was the residents and having a rapport with them. My main thing is I love people, I love talking and I love listening.”

Her manager Mary says: “Toni has shown that she is capable of not only being a Village Manager, but a great one! She’s absolute gem and well loved by her team and residents.”

Toni had developed many of the skills needed to be a good Village Manager in a variety of roles in Ireland. Toni had spent 24 years working in a private boarding school as a chef. During that time and while also raising two children, Toni was also involved in peer-led groups for families dealing with addiction. This type of work has already provided skills that she was able to transfer into her role at Bramblewood.

“I love giving people the tools to navigate and live their lives separate to the challenges going on around them. I think that helped me here too,” Toni explains.

Life in the village

As you step into Bramblewood you can feel Toni’s contagious energy everywhere. Toni and her team go out of their way to make sure the residents have a fulfilling and fun life in the village. The regular theme nights are a favourite among both the residents and the village team.

“We once did a Spanish night, everyone dressed up and Gary in the kitchen made a paella, we had prizes. The residents loved that,” says Toni. “We’ve done a French night and an Italian night. We’ve done a ’60s night and a Great Gatsby night. Everyone gets dressed up, which is all part of the fun.”

Toni says that it’s a team effort at Bramblewood and that she couldn’t do it without everyone who works there: “I wish I could say it’s all me, but of course the team including Gary, Julietta and Karen, are a huge part of Bramblewood. We all pitch in and support each other, so we can support the residents.”

All about the residents

The centre of Toni’s life in the village are the residents and she works hard to ensure they are always well looked after.

“I love the residents. Even when I have a bad day, I love interacting and having a laugh with them,” says Toni. “I love trying make their life more comfortable here by being light-hearted and getting them involved in things. Trying to make their time here as enjoyable as possible.”

The residents all agree that Toni is the life of the village and ensures they live a secure and happy life.

“Toni is wonderful!” says resident Lynne. “She’s a little dynamo who has us all smiling!”

Resident John agrees, saying: “The management here is what makes Bramblewood good. Toni is wonderful, she looks after us all so well. All we need to do is ask!”

It’s not just the residents who benefit from the Village Manager’s kindness and compassion, but Toni herself says she gets so much out of her role.

“To have the opportunity to do something and make a difference, it sounds cliché but it’s true – when you make a difference to someone else’s life you make a difference to your own life.”