“Setting the world right, in our own little way”
“I was sitting in the cafe in January with my husband and grandchildren, when I noticed a little Befriend postcard on the table. I’d been looking for a long time for something. I’d done some volunteering at Midland Hospital previously, then Covid hit and we couldn’t volunteer for a while. My health wasn’t the greatest, and they stopped seniors volunteering for a while, and when it resumed, I had to think about whether that was the best place for me.”
Following through with the invitation on the postcard, Anne-Maree headed along to the ‘Give it a Go’ social hobby series at Caversham Café hosted by Community Builder Ally.
“I can’t say I was anxious about going along for the first time, because I was ready to do something…If anything I felt excited at the prospect of meeting new people… You can sit alone at home in your house and not even really know your neighbours, and not want to encroach on their space and time, and be wanting to meet people but trying to find an avenue to do that. Just the opportunity to attend the initial series gave the opportunity to step out of the house and meet people. I’d been trying to do that for a long time, but trying to find the right avenue…”
The ‘Give it a Go’ short series created the opportunity to meet new people, enjoy various social activities together, and consider the prospect of becoming a Host of a new social group that could self-sustain into the future. The series culminated in a reflection session ‘Contributing in your Community,’ to consider your next steps. “That’s when Ruth and I decided to keep the group going because we’d made some nice connections.”
Caversham Café (thanks to the support of local business owner Chris) had been a wonderful setting for the initial ‘Give it a Go’ series, so it made sense to Anne-Maree that they continue to meet there as a regular coffee group. There is now a core group of about 8 people from the original series that have sustained the connection together. For Anne-Maree, it’s not the size of the group that matters, but the quality of the connections.
“The beauty with the group being the size it is is that people are building some nice relationships. We’re happy if other people come along, but we’re also happy if it doesn’t get any bigger.”
Anne-Maree and Co-Hosts Ruth and Deb regularly extend the invitation to others they meet, with warmth, but with no expectation.
“You can’t force people to come. You can make the offer, make it known that it’s there, but you can’t drag people along if they’re not ready. It depends on where people are at in their lives.”
Co-Hosting has been a great way of working as a team and sharing the load. Co-Host Ruth remarked “Deb is the ideas girl, Anne-Maree the camera queen and I have some organisational skills. What a team we are, and I’m so proud of what we’re building together for our community.”
For Anne-Maree, the group’s weekly routine has become a simple, easy yet important part of her life.
“It’s good for me because it’s close to home. It’s really just getting together with a group of nice ladies, enjoying each other’s companies, setting the world right in our own little way… Most of the ladies are on their own. They’ve lost partners, or marriages have broken up. I’ve been there, I know what that’s like. It’s important when you’re in those situations to have connection, because it can get very lonely.”
“We can talk anything from our past, through to politics, through to Centrelink! Just about anything we’ll discuss. Some of us have been dealing with serious health issues over the period. Sometimes having an outlet to express that is so valuable. Just knowing there are people who are there and who genuinely care, and actively listen, not just listening to reply.”
These relationships are a vital source of local support, especially when people might be living on their own, experiencing health challenges, and have family living further away.
For Anne-Maree, the connections are real, and continue to take on a life of their own beyond the group’s weekly meetup time.
“We catch up outside the Wednesday catch up. Val is connected with the Swan Athletics Club, she extended an invitation, so two of us went to a cancer fundraising lunch last week. My husband and I are going along to a pasta night there next week. So the connections grow and extend out beyond the group. It’s just what I consider normal friendship…”
“I’m very grateful to be forming the friendships I’m forming.”
Catch Up at Cav Café happens on Wednesday mornings 10am-12 at Caversham Café.