“For many years, the Christmas tradition for my wife Joyce and I was to do Meals –on Wheels during Christmas week. We don’t have children so we would have Christmas dinner by ourselves then have our neighbours in for dinner on Boxing Day. They were older than us and are now long departed, but that was always a fun evening.
We would go away, usually in the first week of January, to visit friends in Mildura, Broken Hill, Port Noarlunga or Goolwa.
In mid-2009 Joyce became ill and was diagnosed with a non-aggressive form of leukaemia which could be controlled by tablets. All was going well until mid-2013 when a test confirmed that she was now suffering with non-Hodgkins lymphoma . I cannot speak highly enough of the care and compassion that was afforded to Joyce during this time.
When she entered an Aged Care facility in November 2019, I continued with the Meals on Wheels and travelling but Christmas dinner was now enjoyed with Joyce at the Aged Care facility.
After she passed away on 13 February 2022, I soldiered on by myself. One of the members of the St Arnaud Citizens' Band, of which I am the Bandmaster, invited me to have Christmas dinner with her and her family that year, and I have been invited every year since.
I’ve also changed my summer holiday plans to visit places I’ve never been before. This year I drove to Bourke, next year I am planning to go to Tibooburra.” - Robert (Bob) Wooley, Daffodil Circle member and Gifts in Wills supporter.
