Meet Victoria: Getting to know one of our Garden Village Board Directors
Garden Village Board Director Victoria shares what brought her to Garden Village, what matters to her around the Board table, her thoughts on positive ageing and a little about life beyond the Board.
What inspired you to become part of Garden Village?
I was asked by a previous Board Director, Joan Rafferty, to consider becoming part of Garden Village as she knew my background in aged care and supporting not-for-profit organisations.
She knew me through my audit, compliance, governance and training work in the aged care sector and felt I would be a good fit for Garden Village, bringing clinical skills and experience to the table.
You live outside Port Macquarie. Tell us about your journey to Garden Village.
I live in NSW, just above Canberra, on a 14-acre block. I arrived in Australia in 1999 from England with my husband, as he had been offered a job in computer games programming.
I did some clinical nursing before starting my MBA at the Australian National University. I then worked in clinical and client risk and safety for ACT Health.
I’ve had my own business since 2005, providing training, consultancy, audit and compliance, and critical investigation in aged care.
I now live with my two adult children, Grace and Joseph — both of whom have decided to study nursing!
What is your most impressive observation when you walk through the Garden Village doors?
The smiles, the connections, the conversation, the knowledge and understanding that staff have about residents and the genuine care that I see.
I want a greater piece of that!
For that reason, I have planned for my future visits to Port Macquarie to be longer so that I can spend more time at Garden Village and have more opportunities to talk with residents and staff — anyone who wants to — and hear your opinions, stories and suggestions.
When the Board is making decisions that affect residents’ everyday lives, what matters most to you?
Exactly that! How does this decision affect residents and clients who currently use Garden Village services and/or live at Garden Village?
It is important to grow and be sustainable as an organisation, so all of our decisions must be considered for current and future users of Garden Village.
I also consider the “quality of care versus quality of life” balance. Some things that may be considered quality of care do not always translate into quality of life for a person. This is about respecting people’s right to risk and to make choices that affect their care and quality of life.
Where do you hope to make the biggest difference for Garden Village residents and our wider community during your time on the Board?
I bring strong clinical and care experience to the Board, as well as a quality and governance focus, so my biggest and best contribution is my person-centred approach and my knowledge and experience of the wider aged care sector to support Garden Village to continually improve, thrive and grow.
Connection with people throughout Garden Village is also important to me. During my future visits, I’m planning to spend longer onsite so I have more opportunities to meet residents and staff, hear your stories and listen to your opinions and feedback in an informal way.
What does healthy and positive ageing mean to you personally?
Healthy and positive ageing to me is about connections with people I want to be connected with, being mobile, eating well, choosing what I eat and when, and experiencing joy in each day — such as the beautiful blue sky, a kookaburra laughing or a person singing because they are happy.
It is about people smiling when they see me and genuinely wanting to engage with me.
It is about people seeing me as a person and not a task they have to complete.
It is also about choice. Very much about choice.
I have recently stepped back onto the dancefloor after many years and it brings me joy. I hate all forms of exercise, so I don’t see dancing as exercise!
If any of you would like to dance when you see me, I’m up for it! I’m always happy for a lesson from someone more experienced.
Healthy and positive ageing is also about my mental health — it is about being content.
Garden Village is privileged to celebrate many milestone birthdays, including residents reaching 100 years and beyond. Who would you like to be with when you turn 100, or what would you love to be doing?
I would like to be with my close friends — they’ll be just over or nearing 100 too!
I would like to be with my two children, Grace and Joseph, and their families.
I have just visited my 95-year-old uncle Austin and aunt Elsa in Canada and it was great to see them enjoying life as they grow towards 100.
Port Macquarie has a significant and growing population of people aged 65+. How do you see Garden Village helping to lead the way in our region?
Port Macquarie has a wonderful climate — and it is so green!
Garden Village is planning for the next couple of generations of ageing Australians who may expect different living styles as they age.
Things that we plan now are for the future, so whilst I may no longer be on the Board, I must leave a legacy in my work to ensure that Garden Village leads the way in supporting people to live their life their way and to be content!
A little more about Victoria
What pets or animals do you have and why?
I have two dogs. Leo is a brown Lab/Kelpie cross, who is very Lab and lives to eat. Tully is a black Kelpie and just wants to know where everyone is and round us all up.
We also have a dozen chickens, all Isa Browns at the moment. We recently replenished our stock after a few fox attacks.
What is your favourite food and why?
As a child, we were very much a meat, potatoes and veg family in the 1970s and 1980s in England.
As I grew up and started to travel a bit more, I broadened my palate and now enjoy many different cultural foods. My favourite Asian soup is laksa.
My favourite traditional soup is “summer soup”, as my mum used to call it. There was always a pan on the stove — some-o-this, some-o-that! We never quite knew what food and veggies were in there, but it always tasted fabulous.
Fortunately, I learnt well from Mum and can make a mean summer soup too. “Hearty soup” simply meant that Mum hadn’t bothered to peel the vegetables.
I also love a good piece of grilled fish, but it must be seasoned well with salt, pepper and lemon, preferably served with a few hot chips with salt and vinegar.
I love avocados, mushrooms, feta cheese, fresh asparagus, salmon, chocolate biscuits and mandarins.
Which countries have you travelled to?
Gosh, I have travelled to a few now.
As a child with my family, we travelled a lot in Europe, including Spain, France, Belgium and Germany. We also visited my aunt and uncle in Canada.
As an adult, I have travelled to Tunisia, Turkey, Vietnam, Fiji, France, Malta, Canada again, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as travelling several times to Australia before emigrating here.
I also spent several years travelling back to England to see my parents and extended family.
Which countries would you still like to visit?
I would love to travel to Egypt to see the pyramids. I would also like to travel to Alaska.
Come and meet Victoria
Victoria will be onsite at Garden Village on Monday 28, Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 September.
During her visit, Victoria is looking forward to meeting more residents, families and staff and spending time getting to know the Garden Village community.
Whether you have a story to share, an opinion or suggestion, or simply want to say hello, Victoria would be delighted to have a chat.
Keep an eye out for details about opportunities to catch up with Victoria during her September visit.
