Sally loves cooking up a feast

When it comes to work, SallyJo Lambkin could not have asked for better: she loves cooking, chatting and being around people.

Sally, as she is usually known, has worked part-time at Currie Park, the OCAV village in Euroa for the past two-and-a-half years.

“It is a home away from home for me; I love the trees, the gardens and the community of residents,” Sally said.

“The village is close to everything and yet it feels as though it is in the middle of the country.”

The rural lifestyle appeals to Sally who grew up in the country, worked on an egg farm before coming to Currie Park, and now lives in Boho, about 20 minutes from Euroa.

“There is something calming about a country life,” Sally said.

A typical day at Currie Park for Sally includes doing the ‘R U OK’ monitoring call to each resident which is then followed by preparing lunch and the evening meal for residents living in the assisted living units. She always welcomes residents popping in for a chat.

“We are informal here but that does not mean we don't do things properly,” Sally said.

“Properly” includes preparing nutritious meals which use seasonal produce and, as much as possible, produce from the village’s edible garden which was established through a grant from the J T Reid Fund.

“It is a central place, next to the community room, where residents come and go, tending to the vegetables, sharing a cuppa, planting seedlings. It is one of my favourite places in the village,” Sally said.

One of her highlights at Currie Park was the 150^th Anniversary party held in late November. The event was attended by over 200 local people and OCAV supporters. Sally was cooking on the barbeque alongside APEX volunteers.

“We ran out of sausages – and we had bought many more than we thought we would need. They were the hottest ticket in town,” Sally said.

For her, the chance to cook and catch up with friends was a great experience but she said the real highlight was talking to people who had never been to Currie Park and were interested in what the village had to offer and finding out more about the Old Colonists’ Association of Victoria.

“People liked what they saw. They like the happy atmosphere, the country games and the fact we had many community groups involved in the occasion,” she said.

Currie Park currently has vacancies in its assisted living units. For more information, please contact Karen Ernest on karene@ocav.com.au or 9433 1100.