LNP candidate for Morayfield Darren Grimwade payed a visit to aged care neighbourhood Tall Trees Caboolture Monday 23 and shared morning tea with residents and discussed the issues of the day.

Tall Trees at Caboolture is earning a reputation as a hotspot for local politicians, with the federal member for Longman Wyatt Roy paying a visit to the aged care neighbourhood in November last year.

Sharon Brown, networking co-coordinator at Tall Trees Caboolture, says such visits are a great way for residents to get through to politicians about issues that are relevant to them.

“At Tall Trees, we’re committed not only to providing the best care for our residents, but also to furthering the interests of all seniors in Australia,” Ms Brown says.

“With politicians such as Darren Grimwade and Wyatt Roy paying visits to our neighbourhood, our residents have a fantastic opportunity to be heard by some of the movers and shakers in Queensland.

“Our residents immensely enjoying meeting Mr Grimwade on Monday and enjoyed sitting with him for discussion."

Tall Trees Caboolture is the home of 93-year-old female pioneer Francis Smith, the first ever female to be a licensed taxi driver in Brisbane in the late 1950s.

Francis owned a taxi business in Capalaba with her husband that ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 14 years.

During this era women who had held wartime jobs were expected to abandon their careers in order to provide employment for men returning from war.

Francis overcome all opposition to her actions of working in a man’s world and helped pave the way for women to claim their position in the workforce.

Francis says she originally started driving taxis to help her husband out when he was unable to drive, but it wasn’t easy in the beginning.

“My husband owned the business and when he became ill I thought we would lose our livelihood if I didn’t take over,” Francis says.

“When I went to get my taxi license the men at the office would think ‘why give a woman one when there was a waiting room full of men applying?’ but I went there every day for three weeks trying to apply.

“I finally got it in the end – but I think it was only to get rid of me and it was restricted so I could only drive in Capalaba.”

Francis says that she persevered despite the challenges she faced during her taxi-driving career.

“It seemed that even though I had my own license and was legally allowed to drive, it was always going to be strongly opposed,” Francis says.

“Taxi inspectors gave me grief about driving and tried to stop me, but I always stood my ground because our business was providing for seven children.

“We had two children of our own and for five years my husband and I cared for my friend’s five children after his wife passed away giving birth to the fifth child.”

Francis says her husband’s best friend was a policeman from Cleveland and she believed he helped her gain a full taxi license.

“My original license only allowing me to drive in Capalaba was no good, so I eventually got an unrestricted taxi license and I think our friend made it possible,” Francis says.

“I would make many journeys to strawberry growers and pack the car up with the fruit and drop if off at the huge trucks to have the strawberries taken to the markets.

“A lot of our clients had an account with the business and we were often paid by farmers with watermelons, strawberries and even pets.”

Francis says she got used to working around the clock every day of the week.

“I would often get called upon to go to somebody’s house miles away to put the roast on or turn the chook over in the oven,” Francis says.

“Although I faced many obstacles pursuing my license and keeping it, I did what I had to in order to keep our business going.

“After 14 years we decided to move on and so we sold the business and bought a hotel.”

Francis has long since retired and has recently moved to Tall Trees Caboolture.

“Many of my friends living here have also lived in the suburbs of Brisbane most of their lives and we enjoy looking at how much has changed over time,” Francis says.

“Although men laughed at the thought of it originally, I am glad I stuck to it to become the first of female taxi driver, and set an example for women to follow.

“Doing this set a good example for my children, and my daughter was the first female barmaid over in New Zealand.”

An initiative to find two of the most outstanding seniors in Logan has drawn to a close, unearthing some fantastic stories in the process.

“Outrageous and Courageous” has been run in partnership by supported living operator Tall Trees and Logan Community Bank® branches of Bendigo Bank, and has sought to find outstanding seniors in Logan who embody the spirit of adventure and excitement, or who are great examples of personal strength and giving.

Today saw the announcement of the two winners: Olive Webster for the category of “Logan’s most outrageous senior”, while Deidre Grigg took out the category of “Logan’s most courageous senior”.

Olive Webster was chosen for the fact that she celebrated her 90^th birthday with a ride on a Harley Davidson around Sydney, while 77-year-old Deidre Grigg has tirelessly dedicated her time to coaching and supporting the gymnastics program at the local PCYC.

Tall Trees director Mr Usher says that Outrageous and Courageous has been won by two very worthwhile seniors.

“The central focus of this competition has been about getting people to think about the different ways in which seniors break away from some of the tired, old ideas that people have about seniors,” Mr Usher says.

“What we have in both Olive and Deidre is an incredible spirit that proves that age really is no barrier to achieving great things.

“To jump on a Harley Davidson at any age is a pretty outrageous thing to do, but to do it at 90? That’s just amazing.

“On the other hand, to still be teaching gymnastics well into your 70s is an absolutely massive achievement.

“I extend my congratulations to both of our winners—they’re an incredibly deserving pair of these titles.”

Mr Usher says initiatives such as this are vital in order to recognise the ongoing role that seniors play in our communities.

“Too often, there are stereotypes that people have about seniors that just simply are not true—and the results of this competition prove it,” Mr Usher says.

“As a provider of supported living, a major part of our ethos is ensuring that seniors are able to get the absolute most out of the day-to-day lives as possible.

“We will continue working in the future to create programs that recognise the important part that seniors play in our local communities."

http://www.agedcareguide.com.au/news.asp?newsid=6796