An article from Craig Pett, Keilor Rotary
In 2022, Keilor Rotary was asked to undertake a project that it initially did not understand. The Holloway Aged Care Centre asked it to build a bus shelter. It was not to be on a nearby footpath. It was not even to be beside a bus stop. It was to be within the grounds of the Centre itself. Why? So that ‘escapees’ could feel that, once they had made it to the bus shelter, they were on their way to freedom.
The Holloway Aged Care Centre is named in honour of Mrs. Sarah Holloway, who had dedicated her life to the care of the elderly. Two years after her passing, at age 92, her grandson, the state Member for Maribyrnong, Bob Sercombe, campaigned for a new facility to serve the aged communities of Keilor and neighbouring districts. Start-up funds were provided by the Rotary Clubs of Keilor and Keilor East and the Centre was built off Vista Drive in East Keilor, opening in December 1994.
The hands of many Rotarians and friends-of-Rotary have been put to work for the Holloway Centre. Lauren Arnold, Holloway’s Executive Officer, remembers Don Tucker maintaining the aesthetics of the grounds after his daughter, Carolyn Blackman, had curated the gardens.
Lauren also recalls Rotary’s 2016 proposal to convert an unused shed into a ‘Community Hub’. According to John Dean, “when you first saw the shed, you thought nothing could be done with it”. But Rotarians were soon lining up for work. Norm Draper sourced funding; Simon McGarry took charge of the plumbing; Harold Simpson paved the way with the concreting; John Dean donned his overalls for the painting; Ted Haydon took care of the roofing; Kevin Madex supplied the insulation; and, before long, the residents had a fully-serviced senior citizens’ clubroom.
Many Rotarians have been involved with Holloway Aged Care. Some, such as David Dippie, Ian Wright and Peter Tomlinson, have served on the Board. Others, such as Beverley Thoms, have a loved one in care. Beverley’s husband, Gavin Thoms, was a fighter pilot. Stationed in places including Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, he flew Mirages and, during the Vietnam War, fought with the American 9th Battalion, flying OV10 Broncos along the Ho Chi Minh trail to support the ground troops. Gavin was one of a select number of Australians to be awarded the American Air Force Medal.
In recent years, Beverley has been visiting Holloway every day, where Gavin lives with Catastrophic Brain Injury as a consequence of exposure to gravitational forces. Gavin shows no inclination to want to escape, but, if he did, it would not be by bus. Keilor Rotary would have to find space within the property for an aircraft hangar and a runway.
We will all escape this world one day. In the tradition of Mrs. Sarah Holloway, the Rotary Clubs of Keilor and Keilor East are making the pre-departure years as comfortable as possible.
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