Ongoing
Since the beginning of the lodge there have been organised group and individual activities . The variety and frequency increased with the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme , under which individual residents had weekly or more frequent activities with their NDIS support person . These have included painting , cooking , swimming , ten pin bowling and Zumba .
Group activities with the Resident Coordinator Michelle have included walks ( at times with a neighbour ’ s dog ), shopping for groceries and odds and ends at Vinnies , watching TV and videos together , talking around the table after dinner , occasional gardening and watering , barbecues with a regular Saturday sausage sizzle , and more serious chores and fire drills .
Celebrations have been important to the residents , especially festivals like Christmas and Easter , Australia Day , Halloween and birthdays , particularly Damian ’ s with a DJ and dancing .
Regular activities with volunteers have also been something to look forward to , with Kay taking the ladies for coffee outings , Book Club with Pam and Judy providing a range of subjects to look at and share as well as visits to the library , menu planning to contribute to enjoyable meals ( Carl regularly suggesting recipes ), and volunteers sharing meals , particularly on Sunday evenings .
Outside activities with church and community groups have also been an important part of life for some individual Ross Walker Lodge residents , including participation in Stepping Stones for Life music , art and craft , Rough Diamonds , St Margaret ’ s Friendship Group and church services followed by morning tea .
There have also been occasional outside events attended by the group and organised with the help of volunteers or a service provider , to attend picnics , a circus , and a play in which Joel performed . . And who could forget the Stepping Stones “ Gifts and Graces ” concert , in which Julie , Linda and Joanne took part on stage ; an event that greatly boosted the confidence of all those concerned .
With the restrictions on NDIS activities brought about by the Covid pandemic , Michelle took the initiative to arrange more activities for residents within the house . They ranged from jigsaw puzzles , colouring and painting by numbers , artistic kits for making glass mosaics , rock painting , dot painting , decorating face masks , tee shirt stencilling , cook-
St Margaret ’ s News 28 RWL Special Issue