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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 will 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, John.
Meet John
John and his wife Margaret first moved into our Gosnells Village over 5 years ago.
Immersing himself in the Amaroo Village community, John enjoys spending time tending not only to his own small garden but also to others who appreciate the help.
“I really enjoy living in the Gosnells Village – I love having a garden, I love my shed and also love being around like-minded people”, John explains.
John also shared that the peace of mind gained from Amaroo residents being able to move into one of our nearby Caring Centres, should they ever need to, was a central reason for their move into the Village.
“Before moving here, we lived in Willeton and Margaret was concerned about us not having somewhere like Buckley Caring Centre to move into if either of us ever got sick. But now that we live in the Village, we don’t have that worry.”
Learning to paint
In his early life, John taught English, French and History for 9 years, before studying at Worldview Centre for Intercultural Studies, where he met Margaret. They have now been married for 52 years and have three daughters and seven grandchildren.
The couple moved into youth work and John taught Bible teaching in both camps and churches. Margaret and John were West Australian directors of a mission before they were invited to the UK to do research for a book called ‘Operation World’. The family spent over 16 years in the UK as part of an international agency, during which time John visited thirty countries, speaking and teaching.
When John retired, he decided to honor one of the ambitions he set for himself and learn how to paint.
“I always was interested in painting and drawing. I used to do sign writing for fun. We never did art in school. I had to do Latin and French instead, but I would’ve liked to.”
Over the next four years, he attended Trinity School for Seniors located on St George’s Terrace where he not only attended a course on painting but others on Indonesian and wood carving.
Sharing his talent
John began to share his passion of painting with others when a neighbor of his was instructed to partake in new activities following a significant operation.
Since then, he has encouraged many of our Amaroo residents to take up the hobby.
A group of our residents now paint together every Wednesday at 10:00am in the art room, and John is there to help.
“We put it in the magazine and you guys (Amaroo) set up this beautiful wall for us with all these wonderful strings hanging down [to showcase artwork].”
Making a difference
Not only does John donate his time to Amaroo through his painting classes, but he also graciously volunteered for the past two years as one of our bus drivers.
“I guess I’m still full of energy. I don’t go to the doctor very much because I’m never sick, so I’ve got to do something with myself and it’s nice to be useful.
John currently drives our bus on the fortnightly Friday trip to Maddington shops, ensuring many of our residents are safely transported to and from their destination.
“I understand that not all our residents are in the position to drive themselves around. I really take delight in helping them where I can”, John explains.
So, what now?
John is not ready to slow down in any of his current ventures, least of all his art, in which he continues to further his knowledge.
“I like oils and watercolour, both. Watercolour is unforgiving but you can get the translucent sea of water and the depth in the sky. Some people can do it in acrylics too. I like to experiment, so will have a go.”
You can find several of John’s impressive artworks proudly on display in our art room alongside paintings by other residents whom he has encouraged.