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ReConnect Bathurst:
Cheryl O’Brien
Charlie is sitting on my lap. His mum and dad are now dead. He’s lost. John died in January. And Jenny died last week.
But it had been agreed some time ago that if anything happened, I would take him. I had him for a period of eight months, that was the longest. Because they were both in hospital a lot, and in Sydney. So I would look after him.
And last Tuesday her son called to tell me that she’d had a stroke and wasn’t expected to live. And he said, “while I have you on the phone, Mum always talked about you taking Charlie, is that still ok?”
“Oh, yes,” I said I would take Charlie.
He’s a beautiful dog.
Well, I think men were always meant to do dishes.
So I called my dishwashers George and this one is George mark three.
Yes, in 33 years I’ve worn out my third one.
Friends are very very important, because you can have your family, but family are going to have to go their own ways and make their own lives.
I’ve got a big group of friends and I like to be as independent as I can. And there are people who have been very generous, June, for example, she picks me up and drops me off.
But I can go on the bus. And I like taking the bus.
My neighbour will take me to aqua aerobics.
And then I just have to walk downtown, get some sushi and get the bus home again.
The bus drivers know you and you just have to stand out the front.
And they let you right out the front door.
Only in a country town would you get that service.
At school, I had a lovely teacher. I’ll always remember her, Phoebe Thornton. She encouraged you to expand. And she said, “Cheryl, keep exploring your general knowledge”. Because she said, “that is what will allow you to converse with everyone.” And it’s true.
Unfortunately, when I was in high school, she died. She was a bad asthmatic. But I always remember her. She gave such wisdom.
You can go back and you can find teachers that influenced your life.
Computers should be turned off, phones should be turned off.
And everybody should sit down and have a meal together.
Maybe not every meal together, but it’s most important because if people don’t talk, they forget how to talk.
Listen to Cheryl’s wise words:
And then I came to the ICU here in Bathurst. It was a nice way to spend the last 10 years of my career as a nurse of 46 years.
And I’ve got great friends now. We have what we call retirees lunch. And we meet on the first Wednesday of the month. There are about 20 of us who retired in the last 10-12 years.
So we all get together and catch up with one another. And we kind of keep an eye on everyone and make sure everybody’s okay.
You asked me about a special object.
And it was only when I was out going through the paintings with all the dust that I found this one.
It’s my mum.
I realised that she was a very, very beautiful lady. She was very gentle. It was sad because she developed dementia. Yes. And she, we, had a little dog called Haley. She was beautiful.
She lived with me for about 13 years.
And then, unfortunately, after the ‘wander’ we had to eventually place her.
So she went to Allama.
But I went to visit her every day.
I’d either go after work or before work or after night duty.
Listen as Cheryl talks about her mum and painting:
My father used to say:
“Jam two years of living into every year of your life. And you might get somewhere.”
This project is proudly funded through the State Government’s Local Government Social Cohesion Grant Program. ReConnect Bathurst is an And Then project delivered in partnership with Bathurst Regional Art Gallery.
Current: Cheryl O’Brien
Next: June Paton
Uncle Bill Allen
Bev Cooney
Cheryl O’Brien
June Paton
Gus Gorton
Lonnie Edwards
Yvonne Morgan
Enn Muller
Jan Sheppard
Edgar Coello
Aunty Shirley Scott and Aunty Sandra Peckham
Mike Hardie
Frank Smith
Clive Brabham
Eddy Suttor
RECONNECT BATHURST PARTICIPANTS’ INDIVIDUAL STORYBANKS
PROJECT INFORMATION
WHEN
April – November 2022
WHERE
Bathurst, NSW
WHY
We believe that stories matter and that stories like those shared here hold power and significance.
The vision of the project is to use photo-storytelling and cultural preservation practices to develop social and creative connections and experiences with older people from the Bathurst area. This project celebrates the participants' lived experiences while encouraging dialogue around ageing, isolation and ageism.
Social-arts projects like this are important as they transform public spaces and help to build a sense of community. It’s been wonderful to reimagine Pedrottas Lane in Bathurst and to create an online representation of the physical exhibition with a project made with the community, for the community.
WHO
We were honoured to be invited by Bathurst Regional Art Gallery to create and facilitate ReConnect Bathurst.
16 older people from the Bathurst area. Many of the participants were nominated by local community organisations while others serendipitously came to be a part of the project. We’d like to thank The Bathurst Aboriginal Land Council, The Wiradjuri and Community Aboriginal Elders, The Neighbourhood Center, Bathurst Business Chamber, The Woodies, Bathurst RSL Sub Branch and the Country Women’s Association.
With special thanks to Dinawan Dyirribang (Uncle Bill Allen), Bev Cooney, Cheryl O’Brien, June Paton, Gus Gorton, Lonnie Edwards, Yvonne Morgan, Enn Muller, Frank Smith, Jan Shepard, Edgar Coello, Aunty Shirley Scott, Aunty Sandra Peckham, Mike Hardie, Clive Brabham and Eddy Suttor.
HOW
Our stories are a wonderful connection point. It’s through sharing them with each other that we make space for conversations that can inspire, that can expand our understanding and in some cases, leave us changed.
During this project, we spent time with each person, we talked, reflected on old photographs, made images together and worked through various ways of co-authoring. Socially-engaged practice empowers participants to participate in the creation of their stories, allowing them to represent themselves in the way that they choose.
We often leave a camera with participants and invite them to engage in their own image-making. There’s something raw and revealing about the images made this way, about seeing the world through the participants' eyes.
AND THEN
Through their stories, we see facets of vast lives lived. We witness the snapshots and threads that when woven together create a rich tapestry. Our hope is that as stories wash over us we’re able to make space to contemplate connection and the beauty of community.
This project is proudly funded through the State Government’s Local Government Social Cohesion Grant Program. ReConnect Bathurst is an And Then project delivered in partnership with Bathurst Regional Art Gallery.