Carinity Home Care client Nancy Fermoyle has lived in Hervey Bay for nearly 85 years. The changes she has witnessed in her hometown during this time never cease to amaze her.
"The Bay has changed so much from the small coastal town it was. I grew up on a cane and dairy farm in the outer suburbs," shares Nancy.
"The town is now encroaching on our farm with houses built right out to us. You can access the rest of the world from the airport, and there are so many traffic lights and people milling about."
With a population of approximately 2,000 people, services were limited in the Bay when Nancy was growing up in the 1940s. The closest hospital was over 30km away in Maryborough, and the local school closed due to declining student numbers. Living her childhood on the farm with her younger sister was a simple time, full of fun and adventure for Nancy.
"My sister and I loved our dolls. Our cousins would come over and we'd go up the hill behind the house and play with them. I also loved climbing the big tree out the back," Nancy said.
"One day my last jump didn't land as well as planned and I ended up with a broken arm. I'd just received my first bike for my sixth birthday, so I quickly learnt to ride as a one-armed bandit!"
After initially starting school some 12km away from home, Nancy and her family were delighted when her daily travel was reduced due to the local school re-opening after a 10-year closure.
There was only one catch: the re-opening was conditional on Nancy's four-year-old sister being enrolled to make up the mandatory minimum numbers to justify re-opening.
"While she was too young to start learning, she just needed to turn up. She would wander around the school and nap under the desks in the classroom," Nancy lovingly recalls.
Finishing school in Year 10 Nancy commenced work at Caswell's Radio Centre in Maryborough, followed by a short stint at Hyde's Fashion Centre.
She then worked as a secretary to the manager of the Lennox Street Holden dealership, where she met her husband, Dennis.
Nancy and Dennis married in 1960, the same year they bought Nancy's family farm. Nancy left her town days behind and commenced working on the farm, where she and Dennis had their two sons.
The tough manual work of stripping the cane to the stalk was offset by the joy she had planting the cane. She is still proud that her planting strike rate was far better than everyone else's!
While she loved the farm life, it was one that presented plenty of challenges. Nancy recalls that the trial of daylight savings in the late-1980s and early-1990s threw a spanner in the movement of cattle for milking, and the 1969 drought saw the farming industry dry up.
Until 1984, Dennis worked during the week delivering fuel, only attending the farm on the weekends. Nancy continued the milking on her own and even painted the family home.
Now, at 84 years of age, Nancy enjoys slightly quieter days. Her son has taken over managing and working the farm, allowing Nancy to relax and reflect on her wonderful times there.
"The history and memories my home holds make this a special place to me," Nancy said.
Nancy enjoys reading the paper and completing the daily puzzles - certainly a long way from the days of cranking the 32-volt battery in the garden shed to get it charged for the evening!
While she can no longer participate in the physical game, Nancy's love of tennis continues, and some Sundays she shares her home baking with friends from the tennis club. Summer days are filled with back-to-back viewing of tennis and cricket.
She remains very connected to her friends and family, getting out and about with friends for their regular monthly luncheon as well as birthdays and other special celebrations.
The Carinity Home Care Hervey Bay team support Nancy by ensuring she's ready and set for her days out and about. Each day her carers shower and support her with getting dressed, and each fortnight they assist with cleaning and other duties to keep her safe at home.
"I first met the team at Carinity Home Care after I was discharged from hospital and needed further nursing care for my foot wound when I got home," Nancy said.I have been with Carinity since then, and now receive care and support funded under a Home Care Package."
"I have never been so well treated and supported. I am treated with respect and great care. The Carinity care staff are all wonderful, they do everything you request and always ask if there is anything else I need before they leave. It's the personal touches. Love them to bits.
"I would not be without Carinity Home Care. If I didn't have Carinity I wouldn't be here in my home."
