Being able to get out and about safely, to enjoy a scenic stroll and share good company: these are some of the things that our volunteers enable people who are blind or have low vision to do on a regular basis here on the Central Coast. Five years ago, our volunteers established two vision-impaired walking groups, one in Gosford and one in Woy Woy and now, in 2012, they have thrived and grown.
However, not all our clients are able to get to the meeting points or appreciate the early hour of the walks - in the case of the keen Woy Woy Walkers, 7.15 a.m.
This is where our two volunteers Fred Leake and Janet Smith came to the rescue. Themselves not too keen on a 7.15 start, they have for the last five years been meeting specific clients, rather more elderly and less mobile than the average walker, and conducting their own walks, in a safe and secure environment and always incorporating a sit-down for a chat and a cup of coffee.
"We enjoy these outings as much as the clients." says Fred, aged 87. "The social component is as important for them, if not more so, than the physical one. We don't walk fast but the important thing is to have the outing. And we celebrate special anniversaries and birthdays."
Most recently there was a very special birthday - Janet's 90th - but neither Fred nor Janet are thinking of giving up volunteering any time soon and Vision Australia is only one of the organisations to which they give their time.
Thanks to people like Fred and Janet and thanks to all our recreation volunteers on the Central Coast, people with blindness or low vision are not cut off from recreational activities and can enjoy a weekly walk on a beautiful waterfront amongst friends.
