News
Lowe Street Residents visit Melbourne Zoo
20th June, 2008
A long anticipated trip to the Melbourne Zoo for three residents from East Grampians Health Service's Lowe Street home became a reality on Saturday 31st May when accompanied by two staff and two volunteers the small group set off in the Day Centre bus.
The trip came about through one of the residents, Nancy an avid knitter who had been busy knitting strips and squares to make into blankets for the animal babies in the zoo nursery. Instead of sending the pieces to the zoo, it was decided by Staff and Residents that it would be nice to present them in person.
Included on the trip were residents Nancy Walls, our knitter, Agnes Declerq and Doris Moorfoot together with Lowe Street Activities Staff Nicki Carlyle and Heather Inkster plus volunteers Dawn Siersma and Margaret Young.
It was an early rise for all on the day with a 7.00 am start for dressing and breakfast, organising a picnic lunch plus morning and afternoon teas. Packing the bus looked as if the group were going for a week and not just the day.
For Doris, who had last been to Melbourne as a young girl on the train, this was a major adventure. She was most impressed that Heather, the driver was able to drive all the way down and back as well as negotiating her way through the traffic to the zoo and not get them lost.
Agnes last visited the Melbourne Zoo some 42 years ago with her family, and she certainly noticed the major changes in the landscape within the zoo premises.
The Melbourne Zoo Staff made the Lowe Street visitors feel most welcome and were greatly appreciative of the donation from Nancy.
For the group all were most impressed at how the use of native habitat areas for the animals allows visitors to see them in a more natural light and thus still appealing to the young and those who are young at heart.
Overall it was a wonderful days outing for the residents in addition to giving much pleasure to the staff and volunteers. For the three residents it was a chance to see Melbourne again after many years in such good weather, visit the Zoo which is one of Melbourne's major attractions, buy a memento at the gift shop and indulge on the way home with a treat of dims sims, chips and a good cappuccino.
The measure of the success of the visit is that residents and staff are still talking about this specially organised outing and how much they enjoyed the day.
