Ken | Avondale
“Okay, last time I experienced kindness was when I joined the dementia awareness group in Blockhouse Bay.
We go on walks every Friday and take people around the block, and then we go back to The Block Café, and have coffee and, and chats.
I became really friendly with some of the people that we take for walks. It’s very rewarding, especially when their partners tell you how much they appreciate what you’re doing for them. So, yeah, if you’re interested in dementia, get involved. We always need volunteers.
Yeah, well I had a friend that had dementia who passed a few years ago, and made me become very aware of dementia and, and the elderly. Sometimes I think perhaps we could all end up there, you know? So, I thought if I get involved, at least it raises my awareness of dementia. I can keep tabs on myself, and yeah it’s just nice to help some of the elderly to maintain friendships and get out and about, and it’s just a nice organisation to join.
I came from the UK in 1974. I’ve lived in Avondale for the last 30 years. I spent most my time in middle management in factories, and yeah things that are really important to me are my faith. I’m a born-again Christian, and I like helping other people and doing things for other people. Yeah, I think being kind is, is very important especially with Auckland being such a mixed cultural, what’s the word? City.
We, we’ve got to understand and be compassionate to the, the other cultures coming into New Zealand, and understand them. It’s very important to accept everybody on their face value and, and not to label them. Just go out and you can be really surprised by some of the lovely people that you meet from other countries, that you know, you just didn’t understand their backgrounds.”
