RHONDA'S STORY
Just over three years ago Anna asked me if I could come along to this mums and bubs group and teach them how to sew a breast feeding pillow similar to the one at the centre. I was happy to so we organised the supplies and I borrowed some sewing machines and there was probably about 6 of them that made one, during this time my own daughter who lived on the Gold Coast was pregnant and I was really missing her and the baby.
On one of the sewing days one of the mums was sewing and her baby was fussing. I went over and picked her up and said come to 'Nanny' by mistake. They then decided that I could be Nanny Rhonda. The sewing classes went for about 4 weeks and we all loved it. After that they used to invite me to drop in on the group when they were there for a coffee, which I did. It was during one of these times that I met Vicki and Charlotte. We got on well, chatting and laughing. The mums started having nights for movies or dinner, birthdays, baby showers and it was one of these dinners they invited me too. Vicki needed a lift because she doesn't drive so I took her. She was telling me how expensive the bus was to get to Hobart, so I offered to drive her if she needed to go.
After a few times of taking her to town for doctors appointments, she kept offering me petrol money and I said no it's ok I normally go to town once a week to buy sewing supplies for my toy making business. She asked if she could do anything for me in return, so I started giving her things to cut, then stuff. During these visits Vicki and I and the kids got a lot closer. I call them my adopted grandkids, and Vickie my adopted daughter. I love her dearly and would do anything for her and the kids.
The two older boys are 11 and 10 and now take it in turns to come to Salamanca with me to help me set up, serve customers, give change and interact with people for which I pay them. It's teaching them the value of working for things and they love it.
We see each other at least every couple of days and Vicki and the children are very dear to myself and my husband, we'd be lost without them.
KARI'S STORY
My husband and I moved to Geeveston from Country Victoria in 2006. We came to live here because we loved it and thought it was an ideal place to raise a family. It was perfect but it lacked our own families from Victoria. We made lots of friends and work colleages but something was missing. We had our first child in July 2011 and we felt very far away from Victoria, but Geeveston was such a beautiful place and we had great jobs and a couple of wonderful friends. I made up my own mother’s groups with a few friends that rotated around our houses and I was having fun living here. It was not until 2013 when my daughter was born and wayraparattee opened that our lives completely changed!
I did not go to wayraparattee straight away. I heard it was a great new child and family centre but I had been getting on just fine without them (I guess I did not know any better). My daughter was booked into see the child health nurse at wayraparattee for her 1 month check on a Wednesday. We went there for her appointment and I was in awe at the facilities and the staff care at the centre. We were told of the playgroups and the mums and bubs group and the following week I attended the centre for three days. In fact, that year I attended the centre at least 3 days a week every week. It was my home away from home, my family that was lacking here.
Wayraparattee was not only a safe place to go where I felt supported as a mother and gained vital information about raising children, it soon became the place I could find all my dearest friends. As I said earlier we lacked family in Tassie but it was not long before we could call wayraparattee my family. I will never forget the day my son, who was a bit shy of strangers, threw himself into the now centre managers arms (Leigh) after he hurt himself. I was having trouble giving him the cuddle he needed after he fell over as I was holding my baby daughter at the same time. My son saw Leigh and dived into his arms to get the love and care he needed right at that moment. As I looked at my son and Leigh I felt a tear roll down my cheek (this was the family we lacked in Tassie) Leigh was like my kid’s grandfather, they loved him and they trusted him and so did I.
It was thanks to the support of wayraparattee that my son got the help he needed from a speech therapist. I had some concerns and must have mentioned them in passing because it was not long before he was put on the waiting list for speech therapy and I was given some tools to help my son and I survived the waiting period to see the specialist.
As the years rolled on and my kids grew older, my husband and I went back to work, wayraparattee was always there. We did courses and playgroups and shared our losses and our successes. The friends that I made during the four years I spent at wayraparattee are like my family now. At Christmas (which used to be a very lonely time for us if we did not fly home to Victoria) we meet up with at least 10 families at the beach to celebrate, all of whom I met at wayraparattee at some time or another over the years. It is more fun than any Christmas I can remember growing up and we have wayraparattee to thank! These friends are all there for the birthdays and the celebrations and commiserations.
Wayraparattee achieves all the requirements regarding childhood development programs and delivers fun supportive playgroups and helps out with any of our family’s needs. But I think that the most important roll of wayraparattee was it gave us family. I now live in the most beautiful part of the world and thanks to wayraparattee nothing is missing, not even family.
