At 98, Nance has some wonderful stories to tell. Growing up in Sydney’s St Leonards, as a child she used to race outside at 8am every day to see the Brisbane Mail Plane fly past. She also witnessed the first electric train on the North Shore Line at St Leonards, causing much excitement in a world where steam trains were the norm. Nance could hear the steam trains of a night, and a couple of years ago revisited this form of transport, taking a ride on a stream train once again.

Memories of the “Lavvy Man” who would come with his truck to clear out waste, the iceman delivering a block of ice to keep food chilled, the “Rabbitoh” who sold fresh rabbits, the “Prop” man who sold props to hold up washing lines, are all fresh in Nance’s head, from a time that was so different from today. Money was left on the doorstep along with bread tins for the baker to deposit bread into, and a billy can for the milkman to fill. There were few cars then and the milkman and baker delivered via horse and cart.

Nance also recalls visiting the Airport at Mascott before WWII, where there were only 2 hangars and limited planes. This changed once the war began, and the airport grew significantly.

When Nance met and married her husband, they moved to Cremorne, where if you leant over the balcony, you could see Fort Dennison. Moving to Eastwood a little later, they lived in this suburb where chicken farms were the norm, and there was no sewer or sealed roads.

Nance, who has now called the Central Coast home for 30 years, played tennis regularly and swam in the ocean every day until she was in her 80’s. Doing her housework to Opera such as Lo Boheme and Madame Butterfly, Nance has a love for music and finds that it gives her great joy. Nance also loves historical TV shows and has a DVD collection that includes Downtown Abbey and Young Victoria.

Nance makes the most of everything and tries to remain as independent as she can, catching the public bus to the local shopping centre regularly to do a bit of supermarket shopping. She also has a weekly catch up with friends there, and visits to the local club for lunch every fortnight are also on Nance’s social agenda.

Nance goes out nearly every day and is quite happy with what she’s doing. Socialising is important to her, and this is one of the reasons that she’s attended our Community Restaurant at Bateau Bay for 15 years, the second longest attendee there. The Community Transport bus picks her up every week, and Nance says she is very well looked after at Community Restaurant and appreciates that she’s given a choice of which beautiful meal to have for lunch.

Our Community Restaurants provide an important social outlet for many of our clients, and we are grateful that we form part of Nance’s very busy social schedule.  It was wonderful to chat with Nance, who continues to inspire us with her grateful and positive attitude.

More information about our Community Restaurants can be found here.

At 100 years of age, Nellie lives independently, keeping active and appreciating the simple things in life.

Growing up in Boronia Park in Sydney, Nellie helped in her father’s Delicatessen business, assisting alongside her twin sister in the shop, getting paid 6 shillings for her efforts. They also made ice cream in their shop and would buy rabbits to bake, so they could provide hot meals twice a week to their customers.

Having lived on the Central Coast for many years, Nellie calls Bateau Bay home and has a circle of friends that she meets on a weekly basis to play cards with, as well as having regular Sunday afternoon Upwords gatherings.

Knitting is also a passion of Nellie’s and she uses her skills to knit squares for Knit 4, a charity that puts together blankets out of donated knitted and crocheted squares, to wrap people up to stay warm.

Receiving regular weekly deliveries from Meals on Wheels Central Coast, Nellie loves having chats and sharing a joke with the volunteers who deliver meals to her regularly.

Cottage Pie ranks as one of Nellie’s favourite meals, and she appreciates the little gifts that turn up from us on special occasions throughout the year. Small touches like an Australian Flag serviette for Australia day make her meal delivery extra special.

Nellie says our meals are handy to have on hand and it makes her mealtimes so much easier knowing she can just heat one up when she needs it. We are so glad that we’ve been able to help Nellie in this way and help give her more time to enjoy her outings with her friends and family.

RB, the parent company of brands including Glen 20 and Pine O Cleen, and Woolworths, have come together to support Meals on Wheels customers around Australia with a new initiative that will see up to 50,000 Hygiene Packs donated to Meals on Wheels customers nationally.

From 24 March until 4 May 2021, each purchase of Glen 20 or Pine O Cleen products from Woolworths will trigger a donation to Meals on Wheels of Hygiene Packs which will then be distributed by Meals on Wheels Volunteers to Meals on Wheels customers nationally in the coming months.

Each Hygiene Pack will include a can of Glen 20 Surface Spray Disinfectant, which is listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) for effective use against the COVID-19 virus. The product kills the COVID-19 virus on hard surfaces around the home. Always read the label and follow directions for use.

Hygiene Packs are valued at $28 RRP, and include the following products:

• Glen 20 Surface Spray Disinfectant, Original, 300g
• Pine O Cleen Wipes, Lemon, 120 pack
• Pine O Cleen Multipurpose Spray, Apple, 750ml
• Pine O Cleen Disinfectant Gel, Lemon, 400ml
• Woolworths ‘Bag for Good’ (re-usable green bag)

Please note, products listed as inclusions in the Hygiene Packs may vary, and an alternative product may be substituted at the discretion of  RB and Woolworths.

Hygiene Packs will be distributed by Meals on Wheels Volunteers to existing customers* at the conclusion of the promotional period.

*An existing Meals on Wheels customer is defined as someone who commenced their Meals on Wheels meal delivery service prior to 24th March 2021.

If you are an existing customer, there is no need to contact your local Meals on Wheels Service to request a Hygiene Pack. Your local Meals on Wheels service will automatically deliver a Hygiene Pack once they are available. Hygiene Packs will not be available for collection at your local Woolworths store.

Please note, it is the intention of RB and Woolworths to provide Hygiene Packs to as many Meals on Wheels customers as possible, however in some instances it may not be logistically possible to provide a Hygiene Pack to some customers. If this relates to your local Meals on Wheels Service, we will reach out and let them know as soon as the information becomes available.

At the age of 99, John gets our meals delivered twice a week. A keen football fan (soccer), John supports Liverpool and Everton in the English Premier League (EPL) and enjoys watching them play on the TV. He also likes watching cycling and the feats that these athletes achieve.

John, who was a Merchant Seaman during WWII in England, has lived on the Central Coast for many years and now happily resides at West Gosford. In a career that involved working on Power Station boilers, John was also able to travel around the State, to places that included Lithgow and Muswellbrook.

Still helping with babysitting duties once a week, John enjoys time with his family, and doesn’t mind pottering around his rose bushes either, which we can report are beautiful.

John says that our service makes things easy for him at mealtimes and he is very pleased with the assistance that he is receiving.

It was wonderful to chat with John, who told us that our volunteers and helpful staff made all the difference to his life.

Media Release

Across the Central Coast, a handful of centenarians and those approaching this milestone, are still living independently in their own homes, thanks in part to the services that they receive from Meals on Wheels Central Coast.

The well respected Central Coast organisation, that has been assisting our community for over 53 years, is honoured to be able to assist this select group of clients.

“One of our main aims is to assist members of our community to stay independent in their homes for longer,” said Dennis Taylor, CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Coast.

“By delivering meals to our clients regularly, we can ensure that they are eating a balanced, nutritional meal. This is especially important for our more elderly patrons,” he said.

The team of volunteers who support Meals on Wheels Central Coast are also instrumental in assisting these remarkable citizens.

“Welfare checks are performed at every meal delivery. Our volunteers will not just leave meals at the premises without being assured that all is well with the client. This a vitally important aspect of our service, and can put our client’s minds, as well as their loved ones, at ease.

“Sometimes, this can be the only social interaction that a client receives, which makes our service even more important,” Mr Taylor said.

Whilst some of these valued clients opt to receive regular meal deliveries, others attend the Meals on Wheels Central Coast Community Restaurants on a weekly basis.

These outings constitute an important social outlet for the clients, who go along to make friends, playing games such as trivia and bingo, as well of course as enjoying a hot meal.

Looking after the welfare of clients is of paramount importance to Meals on Wheels Central Coast, and they look forward to offering their unique brand of support to the community for many years to come.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast are currently compiling snippets of stories on this select group of clients, and they will be sharing these on their website and social media over coming weeks.

From her living room in Ettalong, Alison sits and watches the world go by. Her blue armchair is one of her favourite places to be, and not a day goes by that she doesn’t find something interesting to wonder at. Her view, after all, is pretty spectacular, looking out onto the blue waters of Ettalong as well as a bustling footpath and road. Alison loves to be near the water, having lived at Connells Point in Sydney prior to her move to Ettalong over 30 years ago.

At the age of 100, Alison still lives in her own home, receiving regular meal deliveries and attending our Community Restaurant at Woy Woy on a weekly basis, enjoying not only the company of fellow patrons but also the volunteers and staff who run the centre. The raffles and the prizes that go along with that have also been a great hit with this valued client.

The Community Restaurant provides an important social interaction for Alison, who also spends two days a week participating in Integrated Living Zoom activities such as bingo, craft, quizzes and online travel. This wonderful centenarian certainly keeps busy.

By having her meals delivered, Alison knows she doesn’t have to worry about cooking for herself. With her daughter on a separate diet, dinner time is made easier as meals can be heated and served in minutes, saving hassle and bother. Alison counts our pie meals and soups as some of her favourite fare, as they are not only delicious but are the perfect size to suit her smaller appetite.

As well as observing the hustle and bustle of her local community, Alison also loves to watch sport. Golf, tennis and rugby are her favourites, and she says she is ‘so lucky’ to be living a wonderful life.

We are lucky to have you as a client Alison, and we are so glad that we’ve been able to help you out. We look forward to seeing you on a weekly basis and are so glad that our volunteers and staff can bring a smile to your face.

Thelma’s Story

We were recently able to sit down and have a chat with Thelma, one of our valued Meals on Wheels Central Coast clients. At the age of 99, Thelma had a few stories to tell, and we were more than willing to listen!

Having lived at Bellingen and Coffs Harbour for the majority of her life, Thelma and her husband Gar ran a cake shop in Coffs Harbour called Orchards for many years. Thelma said Gar was the ‘best pastry cook’ and the reputation for their business and their delicious goods spread far and wide over the years. They not only had regulars in their community frequent their shop, but vacationers who had sampled their wares would keep coming back for more year after year. One client even found out about how good their cakes were from a stranger on a train trip. To this day Thelma still loves her cake and eats it every day.

Thelma was a Jack of all trades in their business, doing whatever needed to be done, at the same time bringing up three children. It was an extremely busy life, especially when Thelma also needed to fit in another love of hers …. dancing.

Thelma loved to dance. ‘Dancing was my life’, she told us, and she has ‘worked hard and partied hard’ during her life but ‘never hurt anyone along the way’. She also ‘hasn’t run out of swear words yet.’

With three children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, Thelma says it’s lovely to revisit the memories from the past years, some, of course, being of life during WWII.

Thelma can also be found watching tennis on the television, having played the game herself until she was 94, only giving it up as she got a tad puffed. She also counts David Baldacci as one of her favourite authors, and this was evident by the many books of his that lined her book shelves in her home. She also loves a good crossword puzzle to help keep her brain moving.

It was an honour to sit down and talk to Thelma, and we are so glad that for the past year or so our service has been able to assist her with her meals and save her the chore of cooking, as well as helping Thelma remain independent in her own home.

We’ve Been Nominated in Greater Bank’s #GreaterCentralCoast community funding program

We have been selected for this month’s voting round of #GreaterCentralCoast, a Greater Bank Community Funding Program, and we’d love your help!

Voting for us is easy. Just head to https://www.greater.com.au/greatercentralcoast, click on the Meals on Wheels Central Coast profile and hit the small triangle to vote.

You can even vote once an hour!

Voting closes at 5pm on Wednesday 27 January, and we’d love it if you could support us in this #GreaterCentralCoast initiative.

There were smiles and laughter all round as we celebrated our volunteers at their annual Christmas party last Friday, 4th December.

Thanks to The Object Project for providing great background music as our guests enjoyed lunch, which was followed by presentations to acknowledge long standing volunteers. The much anticipated raffles were also a great hit with many lucky winners on the day!

Thank you to all of our volunteers for their dedication during what has been a slightly challenging year. We appreciate each and every one of you.