Warrigal Care Auxiliary members with one of the buses for residents. Photo: Supplied.
Warrigal Care Auxiliary started with just 15 women in a lounge room, but has grown into a 50-year legacy that goes beyond the $1.7m it’s quietly raised.
While the funds have made a huge impact on the lives of Warrigal aged care residents across the Illawarra, those behind the auxiliary believe its true value lies in the small moments.
It’s the bus trips for aged care residents to see beyond their front door, through to op shop conversations that leave people “standing a bit taller”.
Warrigal CEO Jenni Hutchins said the auxiliary was formed in 1976, when Warrigal itself was only about nine years old, and began with 15 women who believed they could “add value to older people in this community”.
“I think one of the most impressive things is that this was started by women, for older people, and has been a continuous group for 50 years in this community,” Jenni said.
She said their greatest contribution was not the money, but what that money represented which was often the “icing on the cake” for Warrigal residents.
“What they fundraise for is the luxury things our older people receive in our homes,” she said.
“It’s additional equipment that is a ‘nice to have’; it’s those beautiful memory support units that look like live dogs and cats, but they’re toys and they help soothe and settle the older people; six buses; and furnishings to create that homely environment.”
At the heart of the auxiliary’s work is its long-running Warrigal Op Shop, a modest storefront in Warilla that’s become a social lifeline.
“They actually create a community event every day that the op shop is open,” Jenni said.
“People might come for a $2 dress or a $2.50 cardigan, but they also come for that love, care, commitment and support.”
Volunteer of five years, Johanne Collis, sees that every day.
“One lady sat there talking to us today for half an hour, an elderly woman,” Johanne said.
“They just like to talk. You don’t know them, and they start telling you about their illness or their house or something. And we listen. That’s all people want.”
She said busloads of Warrigal residents regularly visited the shop, not just to browse, but to be part of something.
Jenni said it was that “reflection of being known, loved and connected” and was why the op shop had become “part of the fabric of the community”.
Warrigal Care Auxiliary members from the early years. Photo: Supplied.
“People come in because they feel like they’re listened to and heard and belong in a community,” she said.
“They might come in to buy a few things, but they’re actually unloading their burdens.
“They’re purchasing a couple of things, and they’re going out standing a bit taller and walking a bit higher.
“And I think that’s what these women do — and they make money, and they fund things for Warrigal, and we are forever grateful.”
That love for the op shop goes both ways for Johanne.
“I go there and I have fun. It’s not like going to work,” she said.
“I like the ladies. I like talking to people and helping people.
“Even just to put a dress on the wall, I think, ‘Oh, that looks good, Joh, you’ve done a pretty good job.’ Just simple things.
“Our beautiful little shop, it all goes back to Warrigal.
“I always tell people when they come into the shop, ‘Your donations that we’re selling’, I always point to my badge, ‘this is where they go, to the residents of Warrigal.’”
The auxiliary’s recent 50th anniversary celebration brought together past and present members, sparking memories and underlining just how deep the connections run.
“What I noticed was just how strong the relationships were amongst the women,” Jenni said.
“Some women have been retired from volunteering for a while, but they still felt connected and engaged and interested in what was happening with the auxiliary and proud of their role as well.”
She said the longest-serving member was Sandra Pearson, who was involved with the auxiliary for 45 years and was a Warrigal company member, who passed away last year.
During the milestone event, Warrigal board chair Sophie Ray said “50 years is not simply a number”.
“It is the accumulation of thousands of mornings when someone chose to give their time rather than keep it,” she said.
“It is every item of clothing sorted, folded, and given new life in the op shop.
“Every bus trip gives a resident a glimpse of the world beyond their front door. It is every dollar raised, quietly and persistently, year after year.”
Jenni said Warrigal remained committed to the op shop, with future plans to temporarily relocate it to allow for site redevelopment, before returning it to a refreshed home.
Warrigal Op Shop is located at George St, Warrila.
