ANGLICARE unites golfing duo
When Kylie Scott moved to Sydney with her mum, Evelyn, it signalled the start of a special friendship thanks to ANGLICARE.
Kylie, 30, has Down Syndrome and the move to Sydney coincided with Evelyn needing a knee replacement.
The Support Coordination program for Older Parent Carers in Sydney’s Inner West was able to reach out to Evelyn to determine what help might be needed.
Evelyn told ANGLICARE of her desire to see Kylie practicing golf in the lead up to the Special Olympics to be held in Adelaide this April.
“Just before we left Canberra, Kylie qualified in the golf event as part of the ACT team,” explains Evelyn. “My knees weren’t good and I asked ANGLICARE for some support for Kylie.
“ANGLICARE advertised through its network for a volunteer golf mentor and along came Cheree.”
For Cheree Mills, it was her first introduction to volunteering with ANGLICARE and the opportunity could not have been a better fit.
“I had given up work six months previously and had begun to feel it would be good to do some volunteering,” she said. “So I was googling volunteer roles on the ANGLICARE Sydney website when I came across the notice for a Golf Mentor.”
A keen golfer in her own right, Cheree coaches Kylie in the lead up to her competition which begins on April 17.
Once a week the pair head to the golf course or the driving range.
“We really enjoy each other’s company,” says Cheree. “I hope we can keep meeting after her competition.”
For Kylie, this is her first appearance on the Golf Course at the Special Olympics, although she has played competition tennis in the past.
“As well as Cheree, I’d like to thank the Concord Golf Club who have been very supportive and even provided me with a set of clubs for the tournament,” says Kylie.
Evelyn reflects that ANGLICARE has now been linked to three generations of her family. “Kylie’s grandmother, Marjorie Turner, was an ANGLICARE volunteer in Parramatta for over 20 years,” she says.
ANGLICARE Sydney’s Support Coordination program for Older Parent Carers aims to offer tailored and flexible assistance to people caring for their adult children with disabilities as well as links to social networks and respite opportunities.
For more information about this program visit http://www.ANGLICARE.org.au/our-services/disability-and-carer-services .
Volunteer opportunities can be viewed on the ANGLICARE Sydney website http://www.ANGLICARE.org.au/how-can-i-help/volunteer .
