Sarah: How you going?
Aged care worker: I'm good and you?
Narrator: Sarah volunteers to visit Queenie every week at the Juninga aged care home in Darwin.
Sarah: Hi Queenie, how you doing?
Queenie: Cool.
Narrator: They have fun painting, chatting and laughing together.
Sarah: When we first met, I thought that you were very funny.
Queenie: The woman that tells jokes and everything?
Sarah: Yeah, that's you, you're a comedian.
Queenie: That's the one.
Sarah: And I thought you were very easy to talk to as well.
Queenie: Really? I never heard anybody say that to me.
Sarah: Do you wanna go down there?
Queenie: Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.
Sarah: Yep, yep, yeah. Okay, ready? Best part.
Queenie: Turn around.
Sarah: Wee.
Queenie: Woo!
Narrator: Phillip, another volunteer visitor, regularly visits the residents of Juninga since retiring as a staff member from the facility. To the residents, he's a beloved member of their big family.
Phillip: How would you describe me in three words?
Roy: Friendly young chap.
Phillip: Oh gee you're good. I knew I liked you for some reason.
What are the things you value most in life?
Roy: Mostly friendship, it means a lot to me. I need a friend, people around me.
Narrator: Volunteer visitors to Juninga help foster the strong sense of community at the centre, improving residents' emotional wellbeing and feeling of belonging.
Sarah: Can I tell you why I decided to come volunteer?
Queenie: Yeah, why did you decide to come and visit me?
Sarah: Because I think that you guys have the most life experience. The best stories, the most wisdom. Your stories, the yarns that you tell me, are probably the best stories I've ever heard.
Queenie: I like you and your friendship. We'll always be friends.
Sarah: Always be friends.
Phillip: I like to come to be happy, enjoy people's company.
Listen to you talk, your smile, your wit.
Roy: I appreciate things like that, and I thank you for doing that.
Queenie; What would you say to someone thinking about signing up to volunteer?
Sarah: I would say, "Absolutely do it. It's the best thing that you can do."
You're the best part of my week Queenie.
Queenie: I will take that.
Narrator: We're looking for aged care volunteer visitors in your area. Go online and sign up today.
Volunteer visitors Sarah and Phillip visit Queenie and Roy at the Juninga Centre in Darwin. They open up about the importance of friendship and sharing stories that foster a strong sense of community.
Viewer Advice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this video contains the images, voice and name of someone who has passed
We thank Queenie’s family for letting us share her story.