Reflections
Ross Walker Lodge is now a building surrounded by gardens and houses eight people . It is not an institution ; rather the residents form a small loose community with as little as necessary support from wider communities .
In its beginning the concept of the lodge grew in the minds of people in the caring community of St Margaret ’ s Uniting Church in Hackett . Its concept crystallized when funds were on offer for building dwellings for disabled people in the ACT who were eligible for social housing .
People in the Church ’ s Ageing and Disability Committee and Stepping Stones for Life infused life into all the tasks needed to plan a house , get the funds on offer , to work with Uniting Church Agencies and the ACT government people on the building construction and planning its use and operation over the next two decades .
As I reflect on this I marvel at the faith , the trust , the patience and goodwill of the church people involved and not just those of St Margaret ’ s .
The residents with disability and the resident adviser / coordinator in the lodge have been selected with the support of Stepping Stones for Life and by members of the church and others in the community . Before residents moved in there was much discussion among families about what was feasible and desirable for residents to be able live in the lodge .
There is freedom for individuals to live their own lives in a cooperative way among the community with in the lodge ; a place that has a basic structure and supportive environment . How this happens continues to develop within broad guidelines .
Residents have come to show care and affection for each other . I have seen this from instances such as warm welcomes as a resident returns from travels and calling for help when another resident needs it .
I have seen many changes in how residents live in the lodge . Some residents have taken on new skills to help them with household chores both for themselves such as laundering their clothes and in communal tasks such as food preparation and cleaning communal areas . A great change after seven months from the lodge opening was the arrival of a resident married couple and then , about year later , a new baby who enlivened the place .
St Margaret ’ s News 22 RWL Special Issue