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Wendy

WENDY

"People are out there, you don't have to be home alone. Enjoy the moments. Life is meant for living."

Wendy has dedicated much of her life to some form of volunteer work. As a girl, she joined the brownies, as a teenager she was a pinkie at the Williamstown hospital. She dreamed of becoming a nurse. The one thing she wanted to do was get her sister's veil, red cape and silver buckle. Yet, as so often happens with the best laid plans…

On the day of her final exam, Wendy gave birth to her first child. Her priorities had shifted, as she created a home for her husband and baby. The family had not long settled in Newport, before Wendy's husband was called up for national service. Alone, with a new baby, in a new house, she suffered a breakdown, and her life was set on a new trajectory.

Wendy recovered from her breakdown through the support of her husband, church community and the nurses of Mont Park, who, upon her husband's advice, let her continue to care for her baby. She cites this is a major influence on her rehabilitation. "My husband told them 'don't take away her baby or you'll never get her sanity back.' I also learnt about the other side of humanity that I didn't see as a child: you didn't see people with mental illness, deep depression, you didn't see drug addicts, they were always locked away. I saw that in there, and that showed me that there but for the grace of God go I and that 'who am I to talk? I've been with you…'

Thirty-five years on, she reflects, "I locked myself up. Never again will I lock myself up. You've got to go out, got to be out. Four walls are no good, sitting at home crying is no good." Having this experience changed Wendy profoundly. It inspired her contribution as a volunteer at the South Kingsville Community Centre, it empowered her. "Well, I am not perfect, I've never been perfect, I don't want to be perfect."

With her three children at school, she was able to dedicate her days to the South Kingsville Centre and Gateway House, in particular the elderly citizens who accessed the centre. "I am a people person, and an older people person and that's where I have always been." She found her passion working with the elderly and went on to complete her Personal Care Attendant certificate. "I have learnt so much from my senior citzs, knowledge, love, understanding, companionship, death, acceptability… their acceptance of me and who I am and what I am."

Wendy's curiosity and energy are infectious. She is constantly learning, whether it be about a new culture or language, all through contacts in her local community. "People are out there, you don't have to be home alone. Enjoy the moments. Life is meant for living."