Former television engineer Andrew McKean now writes stories inspired by the nursing home he lives in with his wife, Patricia. Photo: Andrew McKean.
Andrew McKean never dreamt retirement would mean a brand-new life.
The former television engineer, who worked in London, Canada and across Australia, began to study the English language and fell in love with it.
Now, at 84, he’s the author of a number of short stories that have been published online and self-published in print.
His stories centre around life in the aged care home at Bundanoon where he lives with his wife Patricia, 87, and the animals that frequent the grounds outside.
“There’s a family of kangaroos that live here, and for people in an apartment in London that’s something quite exciting,” Andrew said.
“I write about getting older and all the issues involved in that as well as what life is like in an aged care home, and all the animals.”
Andrew said his writing was inspired by the great authors of classic literature, such as James Joyce and George Orwell.
He was astounded by the response on Facebook, where more than 4000 people follow his stories.
This new chapter of his life may seem unexpected, but Andrew and Patricia were always up for adventure.
The couple first met in London in 1962, where he worked in the emerging television broadcasting industry and she worked for the Sunday Times.
After several years they decided to return home to Australia via Canada.
That stop-off turned into a year living and working in Toronto before they bought a $99 for 99 days Greyhound bus ticket and travelled south to Miami then across America to LA.
There they boarded a Norwegian freighter that took them across the Pacific to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore, where they caught a flight back to Australia.
In 1967 Andrew worked on the Apollo launch at the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station south of Canberra, before the couple settled in Sydney where they raised three children.
Most recently they lived in Moss Vale before health issues meant the couple needed more support, and they moved into the nursing home at Bundanoon three years ago.
The pair still have dreams for the future. Andrew hopes fans of his writing will make a contribution to a fundraiser he has launched to take his wife on a beach holiday in Kiama.
“We rarely had holidays when we worked; we didn’t really have very much money,” Andrew said.
“Old age just crept up on us and we dream of an escape, just for a week.
“Patricia has been a warrior against her health, but to get away we need to hire a carer to come with as.
“I didn’t expect to get much response, and I was staggered by the generosity of people from all over the world who have been reading my stories.
“It was amazing.”
Andrew’s GoFundMe has reached $6400 of his $7000 goal, and he looks forward to taking Patricia to feel the sand in her toes and look out at the ocean.
If you’d like to read Andrew’s short stories, you can find them here.
If you’d like to donate to his holiday fundraiser you can do so here.
Loading ...
