Meet Gerry – Residents of Amaroo

At Amaroo, we are fortunate to have over 450 residents living in our Villages.

Every single resident who enters our Village comes with a unique story, and in our blog series Residents of Amaroo we introduce you to the inspiring people who make Amaroo their home.

In this blog post, we introduce you to one of our Gosnells Village Residents, Gerry.

 

Meet Gerry

Gerry has been a resident at Amaroo for almost 9 years.

He originally moved into our Gosnells Village with his late wife, Bobbie.

“My wife received a cancer diagnosis and that’s why we came here because she was adamant that I should be somewhere comfortable.”

The couple made the move from Roleystone, and Gerry is now surrounded by his friends in our Village who also moved from their old neighborhood.

The residents have formed a close community and enjoy many regular social activities together.

“Normally on Tuesday I go up and play indoor bowls at the Clubhouse. Wednesday, we have our happy hour.

Sometimes the ladies around here will mention having a BBQ. I’ll agree to Sunday and then 15 people will rock up!” Gerry laughs.

 

Escaping conflict

Gerry experienced the uncertainties of life at a young age.

Born in India, his family sought refuge in Australia in 1947 from the India-Pakistan war.

“We arrived in Fremantle and the man who was supposed to help us refused. He said I didn’t know you had six kids, go back to where you came from.

So, four of my brothers were put into an orphanage for the next few years.”

Gerry remained with his parents and one of his brothers.

It was during this time that Gerry saw how a single moment of compassion could make a profound impact.

“We were sheltering under a butcher shop one morning because it was raining, and a truck driver came by and asked us what we were doing.

He took us back to his home and we stayed with him for almost four weeks while things got settled.”

 

Big shoes to fill

From here, Gerry’s father was sent to Nannup, where the family lived for six months.

“My father was a railway guard in India but here he got a job at the weather bureau as a cleaner,” Gerry explains.

When an advertisement for a meteorologist popped up, Gerry’s mother pushed his father to apply, and he ended up receiving a scholarship to Melbourne University.

“He passed top of his class and became a world-renowned authority on weather formations.

They called him ‘God Chapman’ because when he made a forecast that was it.”

 

A significant impact

Before his retirement, Gerry was a dedicated primary school teacher. He spent many years teaching in Aboriginal missions and had the experience of teaching for a year in Canada.

Gerry started volunteering as a teenager and has continued to give back throughout his life. He attributes much of this commitment to his wife.

“We met at school when we were fifteen. My wife was a Sunday school teacher from the time she was twelve and a Sunday school superintendent at sixteen.”

Gerry has been on the state board for the leprosy mission for the last thirteen years, who aid people living with leprosy in India and Indonesia. He initially got involved with this not-for-profit through his wife who discovered them at an op-shop they ran in Kelmscott.

“Everything I do I’ve got into because of my wife. Then she’s moved on, and I’ve stuck with it.”

By ‘everything’ Gerry really does mean it. His diverse volunteering efforts include teaching language classes for new Australians, delivering lectures at a Bible College, and serving as the State Manager for a Japanese exchange student program.

Currently, he volunteers as a driver for St. John WA.

 

The man who won’t say no

Gerry’s can-do attitude seems to attract opportunities wherever he goes.

He shared a memorable experience from his teaching days when someone casually asked him what he had planned for Sunday.

“I said I don’t know, and he said I’m the navigator for a speedboat, but I can’t make it, so I told them you’d do it.”

When we asked whether he had any experience with boating, Gerry smiled and responded, “I’d never been on a boat before in my life.”

His willingness to help others has earned him a fitting nickname that reflects his good nature.

“I’m known as the man who won’t say no because you get a lot of opportunities in life, and you never know where they’ll lead.”

 

Not slowing down

With a passion for travel, Gerry has upcoming trips planned to London and Paris alongside friends.

He recently visited Mexico to witness his son’s work as a mission worker dedicated to rescuing children from sex trafficking.

“It was a confronting experience,” Gerry reflects.

He has two children and sees his daughter, a pharmacist living in Perth, whenever possible.

All five of his brothers also went on to be extremely successful in their respective paths.

Gerry currently serves as a representative on the Residents’ Committee and is the Chairman of the Astley Street community.

Slowing down isn’t on Gerry’s agenda, much like his late wife, who, even in the final stages of her illness, remained vibrant and full of life.

“She used to say, ‘Dying’s a bugger, but death is nothing.’”