Back: Coomoora Secondary College assistant principal John Kavanagh and year 11 students Pauline Tsao, Stephen Long, Natalie Sun and Anna Dang. Front: Springvale Residential Centre residents Darrell Pigdon, Frances Wakefield and Thomas Berry.By Sarah Schwager
THE generation gap in Springvale is a little closer with secondary school students and aged care residents swapping knowledge.
Year 11 students from Coomoora Secondary College have been visiting residents at Springvale Residential Centre all year and compiling stories about their lives.
Coomoora Secondary College assistant principal John Kavanagh said the school had opened up the program, called “When I was your age”, to year 11s to visit and write stories about the residents.
A total of 30 students were involved, with a book of the stories, play and other material to be published soon.
Mr Kavanagh said the residents had some fantastic stories, including one lady who worked at Post Master General and connected the first phone call between the mainland and Tasmania.
“There are so many stories. It’s a real eyeopener for the students,” he said.
“A lot of our students do not have grandparents living or they are overseas.”
Mr Kavanagh said more than 70 per cent of the college students were from nonEnglish speaking backgrounds.
He said the students had become attached to the residents over the year.
“I drive them down. They were so apprehensive and quiet on the first trip there but when I brought them back I couldn’t shut them up,” Mr Kavanagh said.
He said the students couldn’t believe how nice the residents were.
Springvale Residential Centre manager Linda Wallace said the program had helped the centre develop a good relationship with the broader community.
“I feel that through the project we have broken down walls that exist in the community,” Ms Wallace said.
She said out of the hostel’s 42 residents, 28 were frail, that is, in high level or nursing home care.
Mr Kavanagh said the students had completed a course on dementia and other problems associated with the residents. He said the students had also been helping the residents learn how to use the Internet, so they could send and receive emails.
Mr Kavanagh said they hoped to continue the program next year.
He hoped the book would be released by Christmas with 5000 copies going to family, friends, libraries and schools.
He said they were thinking of having the title ‘When I Was Your Age’ on the cover, with ‘Generation Y Meet the Builders’ in the background, meaning those born after 1982 and those born before World War II.
“We are bringing history to life,” Mr Kavanagh said.
He said they were also hoping some students would decorate the centre for Christmas.
