All aboard the shopping bus: Bert Simmons, Mecwa Cardinia Care support worker Ben Leif, Sheila Brandi, Mecwa Cardinia Care day centre and volunteer coordinator Sandra Hayes and bus driver Kaine Harris.By Paul Dunlop
BERT Simmons reckons he’s on a winner.
Even if his weekly lotto ticket does not produce the goods – and his luck’s been good of late – at just $1 for the trip to buy it, he says he’s still way out in front.
Mr Simmons, from Pakenham, is one of a number of local people whose life is made easier by the “shopping bus”, a regular transport service provided by Mecwa Cardinia Care.
Each Friday, the bus takes eligible residents – usually elderly citizens or people with a disability – down to the shops for supplies.
For the cost of a gold coin, it’s a great way to get the week’s groceries, have a bite to eat and catch up with friends along the way.
Clients are picked up from their homes and driven to the shops or wherever else they need to go.
They usually stop for the Friday lunch at the Pakenham Uniting Church Hall before returning home, bags full, mission accomplished.
Mr Simmons is a mainstay of the service. Until support worker Ben Leif joined the team recently, he travelled up front as driver Kaine Harris’s unofficial “navigator”.
“I’ve been on the bus for years,” Mr Simmons said.
“It’s a good social trip; I always look forward to it.”
Sheila Brandi is another resident who enjoys the weekly outing.
“I’d be lost without it,” she said.
“You get everything you need down the shops, go to the bank or post office or wherever and have lunch. It makes it very nice. I think more people should make use of it.”
Mecwa Cardinia Care is a leading provider of residential aged care, community care and inhome care for people of all ages, including frail older people and people with a disability.
The shopping bus is just part of the Mecwa’s transport program. The bus has a wheelchair lift and Mr Harris and Mr Leif are only too happy to pick up people from all over Pakenham, and in surrounding areas.
It is hoped the service could expand to Kooweerup and Emerald.
Mr Harris said he was happy to tailor the trip to meet demand. If people wanted to travel to other centres, that was possible as well, he said.
Mr Simmons said there were not the numbers on the bus that there were a few years ago.
Mecwa Cardinia Care day centre and volunteer coordinator Sandra Hayes said the service would welcome new clients.
“It’s a great way for people to maintain their independence and still be able to access the shops and other services,” she said.
“We could always do the shopping for people and deliver it to their door but this way they get that social contact as well, which is very important.”
