It’s been 50 years since Tewantin Noosa Meals on Wheels dished out their first community meals, cooked, at the time, by volunteers and ladled out of pots carried in the back of the car to clients who collected them in their own bowls and containers.
Their first premises was a small building beside Noosa River on Hilton Terrace that regularly flooded at high tide.
At their Noosaville base to mark their milestone on 7 May, Noosa Meals on Wheels’ Jo Cunningham-Pettet said the organisation, that now prepares and home delivers about 400 meals to clients across Noosa each week from its commercial kitchen, was “a lot better organised now”.
More than 100 volunteers help to cook and clean and deliver the meals that provide not only nutrition but a lifeline for many clients.
Jo thanked the wonderful volunteers and staff without whom the organisation wouldn’t exist and for the care they provide to clients.
“You’re the only people the clients see sometimes. The clients are stuck and they see nobody. They just sit in front of the TV all day. You are the guys who keep them sane and make sure they’re OK and if you see they’re crook you come back and tell Sharran and she gets hold of their family member or, if needs be, we’ve called the ambulance on occasion.
“That’s the important difference of Meals on Wheels. We’re not a drop and go service. We’re a go and check on you service.
“We have found two or three clients like that. One guy was there all weekend until the driver found him on Monday. It sounds dramatic but it can be the difference between life and death.”
Queensland Meals on Wheels CEO Evan Hill travelled from Brisbane to congratulate the Noosa service, describing the five decades as “an amazing period of longevity of an organisation that’s so long serving the community”.
“Think about over those years the amount of interactions that have been made with each delivery and the amount of lives across Tewantin Noosa that have been touched,” he said.
“Today is a day to celebrate.”
Evan spoke about the challenges ahead for the organisation that from 1 July will be covered by the Aged Care Act for the first time.
“It is built around lifting the standard of care for older people,” he said.
“It is in itself a good thing. It’ll mean a range of changes these organisations will have to navigate through. There’s a code of conduct. It’s compulsory the volunteers are trained in this code and for breaching the code there’s a penalty. They’re good things because they lift the standard of care for the community but for these small organisations they’re additional work and challenges for people who are already working pretty hard for no income.”
Among those volunteers is one of their longest serving helpers Jerry Griffiths who for the past 16 years has worked in various roles in the Tewantin Noosa Meals on Wheels kitchen.
“I think everyone of our age should be involved in doing some sort of volunteering,” Jerry said.
“It’s just absolutely critical that people do and yet it’s a problem getting younger people because they’re still involved in their families and their businesses. “When you do get to the situation where you’ve hung up your spurs and you’ve really got nothing on your time only your personal requirements I think everybody should be doing something, and I shall continue to do it until I can’t.
“You meet an interesting array of people. You get a certain glow out of giving back to the community.”
Jerry took pride in the meals produced which he described as being of “a very good standard” and said one the advantages of the organisation was its ability to handle people’s diverse dietary requirements.
Jo was keen for the community to know that Meals on Wheels are not just for the old people, but available for anyone to purchase.
Residents can view the menu online and select what they want to be delivered to their home, with discounts available to eligible clients.
“Anyone can choose what they want,” Jo said. “It’s all individually charged. On the discount rate main meals are $9, without the subsidy it’s $13 and home delivered. Everything comes down to choice”.
For more information or to place an order visit mealsonwheels-tewantin-noosa.org.au
