Stan the ‘Shed Man’

Stan Gafney of Modbury feels "very lucky" to have Resthaven Home Support Worker, Wendy, in his life—so much so that he emailed the editor of the Resthaven Review newsletter, asking them to write a story about the importance of Home Support Workers!

Although Stan is very independent, he values the support of his home support worker, Wendy, to assist with household tasks.

"Having Wendy come and help frees me up to do what I want to do," he says. "I’m a shed person you see."

"I was a mechanical engineer, starting my apprenticeship when I was 16," he explains.

"I’m 85 now, so it’s very difficult to shake!"

"At the moment, one of my projects is restoring a 1926 Austin Seven. It’s slow, but I’m getting there."

Another of his projects is maintaining his 1968 Rover 2000TC, which needs lots of tender loving care.

Stan and his wife, Bobbie, moved to Australia from England in 1974, and one of his first projects was to build the shed.

"This house was new then," he says. 

"I’d come from England where everything was wood and brick. Here, everything was galvanised iron. I needed a wooden shed! So I built one myself using timber scavenged from demolition sites."

The shed still stands solidly today, and is a place where he spends as much of the time left over after attending to such items as laundry, finances, shopping, cooking and entertaining family and friends. Stan and Bobbie have a son and a daughter, five grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

His other interests include using his computer and listening to music.

"I like quite a variety of music,’ he says, ‘from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to Pink Floyd, and everything in between."

"I also visit Bobbie every day at lunch time—she lives at Resthaven Leabrook."

"I’m very happy with the services there, too."

With all these interests, it’s no wonder that he is appreciative of Wendy’s support.

"This is a big four bedroom house," says Stan, "I shop and cook and try to keep the garden under control, but I need help with the larger tasks."

"Wendy comes fortnightly for two hours. She changes the bed linen, puts the washing in."

"While that’s working, it’s vacuuming and dusting. Then she hangs the washing and irons some shirts."

"I can’t do the shirts myself. Pillowcases and handkerchiefs I can do!"

Wendy says, "Stan makes it so easy for me—we do all this together so Stan can stay independent. I don’t do anything that Stan can do for himself."

"Stan is so organised."

"Wendy gets stuck in, she does a very good job," Stan says.

"I feel very lucky to have Resthaven and Wendy."

Resthaven community services supports older people to live independently in their own homes throughout metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Murraylands, Riverland, Barossa, Fleurieu Peninsula and the Limestone Coast.