Well What a year it has been. Christmas is upon us once again. We are out of lockdown once and for all. Most of the year has been spent in lockdown and now we are out. Over eighty per cent of us are vaccinated and we are opening up again. We have our freedoms back . This is the way that we want to keep it. At the end of last year we thought that we would be out of lockdown .
Guess what happened.
Most of this year we spent in lockdown. Lockdown just dragged on and on and on. We thought that we would never be out of lockdown.
Then we heard some good news.
The government announced that we would be opening up again. Eighty per cent of the population would have to be fully vaccinated. Once eighty per cent of the population was fully vaccinated we could then begin to open up again. We finally reached the eighty per cent mark and everything started opening up again.
Lockdown was a real struggle for everyone in the community. Even the staff at AmeCare were feeling it. Everyone’s routines were thrown out the window. We were forced to stay at home and we couldn’t go to work . We were unable to participate in enjoyable activities in the wider community. It was a real spanner in the works. We all pushed through it and here we are ; eighty per cent fully vaccinated and all our freedoms are back.
I, Joseph Krelle, a resident at one of AmeCare's houses ("Pearce Place") was able to keep myself busy throughout lockdown. These were some of the ways that I kept my busy during the lockdown period...
I was able to build a vegetable patch during the lockdown period. The vegetable patch is flourishing at the moment .
I also participated in my ‘Hope Springs’ art and ‘Hope Springs’ music classes on a Monday morning and a Monday afternoon. They were held on zoom.
Talking to people on zoom was better than nothing because we were not allowed to go and visit people in person and we were unable to have large group gatherings. This was the next best thing.
I was very happy when he heard that indoor cricket would be returning. Michael and myself have recently started playing A Grade outdoor cricket for the Yarraville Cricket Club. In my first match of A Grade cricket I was able to get five wickets for three of four overs.
Residents and staff at AmeCare showed good resilience and looked out for each other including wearing masks, washing their hands and adhering to all of the rules. AmeCare staff and residents looked out for each other during the lockdown period. One person could not have done it all on their own . It was a real team effort. All of us had to be there for each other.
I would like to say a big thankyou to all AmeCare staff for all the efforts that they put in during this particular lockdown period. As I said before one person could not have done it all on their own. We had to be there for one another during this lockdown period.
Thankyou to all AmeCare staff and residents for being so resilient during the lockdown period.
I wish all of you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you in the new year. I look forward to writing many more newsletter articles for you throughout the new year.
By Joseph Krelle
8 Dec 2021
Editor's Note
What a wonderful reflection, Joseph! This year has definitely been challenging for everyone. It's lovely to have your insights on how the AmeCare community has come together and supported each other this year. Thank you too, Joseph, for your resilience and understanding during the lockdown period!