Retirees drive down memory lane this Father's Day
It doesn’t matter how old you may be, a love and passion for cars will always stay with you.That is certainly the case for 95-year-old Bill Prigg. Unfortunately, Bill isn’t able to show off his pride and joy like he once used to as part of his beloved Old Motoring Club which he founded.
So the club members thought it would be a great chance to surprise Bill and the residents of Bupa Aged Care Bankstown by bringing the car club to them. For Bill, it’ll be a vintage Ford Falcon he once owned and the chance of reuniting with his old club members that’ll bring back the most memories.
Car enthusiast and Old Motoring Club Secretary, Tracy Cutrupi will be bringing her 1962 Chevrolet Belair along for all to see.
“The car belonged to my father, he bought it brand new and I’ve owned it ever since he passed away,” Mrs Cutrupi said.
“The Chevy was our family car then, and now, I use it to take my family to our Sunday club events and to special gatherings such as the Father’s Day Show at Bupa Bankstown for our mate Bill.”
Bupa Bankstown Recreational Activities Officer, Ruth O'Toole says the joy that cars from the resident's golden era brings to the home is always great.
"They start talking about their first dates and their first car and all the things they did in them. This is a priceless experience for all the residents at our home and an event I’m really looking forward to."
Bupa’s Head of Dementia Services, Margaret Ryan, says the day will be about bringing like-minded people together irrespective of what they drive.
“Classic cars are a form of nostalgic therapy for our residents. In what other way can someone choose an era where they’d like to return? They simply choose the year of car, pick a model, pick a colour, tune into their favourite AM radio station and they’re instantly transported back to a time and place of their choice. It is a virtual reality for those who were born before the term virtual reality even existed.”
There are more than 400,000 people in Australia who have dementia. Of those people, 50 per cent of them are residents in aged care facilities.
The event which is open to the public as well as the residents kicks off at 10am on Saturday, 1 September at 82 Allum St, Yagoona NSW.
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