Forty-five years ago, Ann and Bob crossed paths for the second time in their lives and fell in love. Six proposals and 15 years later, and after many Australian road trips together, they got married.
Bob was born in Victoria, in the coastal town of Chelsea Beach. Ann grew up over 500 kilometres away, in a fishing village of New South Wales called Eden.
“My family lived next to the petrol station,” Ann explains.
Bob drove past Eden when he was young, and Ann is convinced he must have stopped at the station to refill his petrol tank.
“And you know what? She holds it against me because I didn’t stop to pick her up,” Bob laughs.
They eventually moved to the Sunshine Coast 25 years ago, where they settled.
The two of them welcomed us to their Queensland home to tell us their story. We sat outside on the porch overlooking their blooming garden and fruit trees. Ann loves sitting there on warm days, looking at the bright lorikeets playing in the branches.
Ann and Bob know what they want and are not shy to share their honest opinions. It is important for them to keep their independence and do as much by themselves as possible. Despite his own breathing and oxygen issues, Bob is the primary carer for his wife who receives palliative care.
The local Annecto team worked with both of them to provide them with the right support to complement their routine, without disturbing it.
Their support worker Dani comes in daily to help with house chores, shopping, transport and medical appointments. Bob takes care of everything else.
Not every day is easy, but the three of them have developed a trusting and respectful relationship.
While they tried having their meals delivered a few times, none of the options were to the tastes of Ann and Bob.
“We like simple foods. We didn’t really enjoy the meals that were delivered, they just didn’t suit our palate.”
Now Bob is the one cooking meals every day, with Dani as his sous-chef.
“We tried cooking, but that wasn’t really successful,” Bob says, teasing Dani.
In every room of the house, colourful handmade lamps can be found among other sculptures, polished gemstones and paintings.
Once they stopped travelling around the country, Ann and Bob developed new hobbies to keep themselves active and busy: painting, knitting and gardening for Ann; and orchid tending, stained glass work and stone polishing for Bob.
When Bob got sick a few years back, he lost movement capability in his body and hands, which led him to discover stained glass work. He says it helped him reeducate his fingers’ mobility and maintain his dexterity. And since then, he hasn’t stopped.
Bob is proud of his work, that he sometimes sells at the local market.
With Annecto’s support, he was able to set up an oxygen bottle in his shed so that he doesn’t have to move it in and out of the house all the time.
He says that his handywork helps him keep his mind and body active, “as long as I can get plenty of air in!”
The couple says that life would be difficult without services from Annecto.
It is important for them to stay in their house for as long as possible and on their own terms.
“We love it here. And what would I do without my shed? It’s a beautiful house and we are very lucky people,” Bob says.
Annecto supports you to live independently in your own home. To learn more about the services we offer, click here.
