Joan French and June Cuskelly, elderly residents at Meilene Residential Aged Care, find joy in a unique initiative that connects them with local teenagers. This program, a collaboration between St Luke’s Anglican School and the aged care facility, allows students to engage in gardening while providing fresh produce for the home’s kitchen. At 92, French moved to Bundaberg from Bribie Island to be closer to her family. She has wholeheartedly adopted the community gardening initiative as a way to grow and establish these vital, intergenerational friendships.
The initiative, fittingly called the Community Agriculture Club, teaches students how to cultivate vegetables such as tomatoes, cauliflower, and broccoli. This innovative project yummy-odifies the food available to residents. It creates positive relationships between the young participants and the seniors. Students such as fifth-generation farmer Bailey Jansen and 14-year-old Jayden Van Rooyan are fully engaged in the program.
A Flourishing Partnership
The Community Agriculture Club, a mix of young and old members, has become a powerful bridge over generations. The students discuss the challenges of farming with their older counterparts while teaching them some of the modern agricultural techniques they’ve learned about. Greg Cronan, a program alumnus and long-time supporter, emphasizes how this exchange is beneficial to both sides.
“These older people can have a tremendous influence on the lives of these students.” – Greg Cronan
The collaboration allows students to harvest fresh fruits and vegetables for the aged care home, fostering a sense of purpose and connection. For Jansen, who remembers his childhood as a sparkling place of sound and light, with family reunions on the farm, this experience strikes home.
“Dad would play the banjo, and mum would play the piano and us kids would get around dancing and singing.” – Bailey Jansen
For both French and Cuskelly, the program’s beneficial effects spill into every aspect of their lives. French, who has been passionate about gardening her whole life, wishes she could do more, but says she’s unable as time passes with age.
“It makes me feel like I want to bog in and help them, but I’m past that now.” – Joan French
Restoring Joy to Residents
After three years, the pilot project has done more than just bring fresh produce to residents at Meilene, it’s raised the spirits of many residents. Cronan stresses that too many elders are suffering deeply in congregate care settings.
“This is one of the biggest challenges for senior adults in residential aged care.” – Greg Cronan
By reaching out to younger generations with programs like community gardening, residents say they feel more involved and appreciated. Cuskelly draws upon her own childhood adventures to fondly recreate how these simple interactions can transcend generations.
“Riding horses, getting the little pigs and dressing them up in doll’s clothes.” – June Cuskelly
The program and the fellowship both flourish as a result, because it creates such a dynamic, creative environment. Within this bubble, youth and elderly are constantly engaged in meaningful exchanges. Cronan insists that these bilateral exchanges are mutually transformative in deeply meaningful ways.
“What we’re doing with these programs is bringing joy into ageing.” – Greg Cronan
A Shared Love for Gardening
Students such as Van Rooyan enjoy seeing others benefit from the garden and the fruits of their stays. The range of vegetables they cultivate occupies District 12’s residents’ plates. It helps create an incredibly tight-knit community.
“We’ve got tomatoes, like cherries and your romas, and then we’ve got cauliflower, some broccoli, lettuce … even silverbeet and carrots.” – Jayden Van Rooyan
Matthew Cathcart, director of community and service at St Luke’s Anglican School, underlines the value of collaborative programs like these. Connecting students and seniors is the best way to create these invaluable learning experiences in his opinion.
“We’ve got a lot of students that are involved in farming, so it’s great to bring the two together and be able to connect with one another.” – Matthew Cathcart
These young green thumbs are directly improving the quality of life for their aged care residents. Meanwhile, they foster relationships that deepen their own lives and that of their older friends.
