General News
12 May, 2024
A legacy of care and community
A Dimboola aged care resident has left a legacy that will nourish appetites and spirits for years to come.
David, a retired dairy farmer, and local artist Colleen Bouts, together transformed a tired campus courtyard at Dimboola Care Community.
Colleen was approached after another resident, Graeme, suggested at one of the community meetings she would be the ideal person to give the area a facelift by painting a mural on the garden wall.
The Bretag Garden is one of a handful of courtyards where residents can catch some fresh air and sunshine, but it was beginning to look a little jaded.
A student aid at Dimboola Primary School, Colleen had previously painted other murals at the campus after she began a part-time role as a personal services assistant after hours at the campus.
While Colleen started the long project to complete another huge painting, David decided he wanted to muck in and upgrade the garden.
He had a passion for gardening and a plan that would complement his enthusiasm and turn an area of neglect into a sustainable vegetable plot.
Dimboola campus manager Keshia Roche said David was completely self-sufficient in his quest.
“David had a trailer that he would hook up to his mobility scooter and he would head down the street and get the soil he wanted, along with the seeds and plants and all the bits for the sprinkler system,” Ms Roche said.
“Then he would come back and toil away in the garden each day.
"He would go out there every day, weather permitting. He just loved being out there.”
Sadly, David passed away only days after he was photographed in this picture.
Meaningful Life coordinator at Dimboola Megan Naylor was supporting David throughout his project.
She said everything he had grown was either consumed at the campus or given to the
community.
“A lot of the produce is utilised in our activities with the residents,” Ms Naylor said.
“The residents have already made David’s beetroot relish, which has proved a big hit.
"He will be remembered fondly every time we enjoy the fresh produce from his tireless work.”
Dimboola Care Community used part of a Department of Health $20,000 kitchen garden grant to pay for the garden components.
Grampians Health acting director of Aged Care Services Sarah Kleinitz said Dimboola’s
encouragement toward David was a great example of how aged care communities actively supported a person’s entitlement to live an engaged, meaningful and purposeful life.
“Our care communities, and the commitment of David and Colleen, demonstrates how our ‘Meaningful Life’ model of care operates on the principle that it takes a community to support our residents to live a meaningful life,” Ms Kleinitz said.