Orange City Council’s Choices at Home has chosen the International Day of Older Persons to recognise the service of one of its valued volunteers, Judy Haines.
The International Day of Older Persons is held each year on October 1 to highlight the contributions of older people to society and raise awareness of the issues and challenges affecting older people today.
YEARS OF SERVICE: Meals on Wheels volunteer Judy Haines (right) has been delivering meals for 40 years. She is pictured with her daughter Cathie Slattery, also a volunteer, who delivers the meals with her mum.
Mrs Haines has been delivering Meals on Wheels for 40 years with her church group. She began in 1981 when the youngest of her four children started high school, and nowadays her daughter Cathie Slattery joins her to help out with the meal deliveries.
Mrs Haines said she enjoyed visiting the clients and getting to know them.
“The girls here (Choices at Home) are like family and it’s nice going to see the clients; they always greet you with a smile. You make friends with them. It’s nice to keep going back and seeing them.”
Orange Mayor Reg Kidd congratulated Mrs Haines on the milestone and said the years of dedication and service of many of the volunteers deserve to be celebrated.
“Meals on Wheels is privileged to have such wonderful volunteers,” he said.
“Council relies heavily on volunteers such as Judy, and so do our seniors in the community who get a much-welcomed knock on the door, a volunteer with a smile and their meal.”
The team at Choices at Home recently nominated Mrs Haines for the Central West Senior Volunteer award in the Centre for Volunteering – NSW Volunteer of the Year awards.
The humble volunteer was hesitant about the nomination because she felt she didn’t need any recognition.
“You give what you can. It’s something I can do and it’s no effort. I just like doing it, you do these things, not for your own benefit,” she said.
