A determined 82-year-old Delacombe grandmother has eased the way for other residents through pure persistence.
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When the Delacombe Town Centre opened in September, BUPA Aged Care resident Margaret Griffiths realised there was no path connecting the shopping centre to the facility which was only 300 metres away.
Unable to move without her electric wheelchair, Mrs Griffiths said the only options were to travel alongside the busy Glenelg Highway, or spend 45 minutes in total waiting for and being loaded into a taxi.
“You had no hope of going up straight across,” she said. “There was grass and mud, it was uneven,” she said.
“When going up to the theatre, I’d have to wait and wait for a taxi afterwards, it was tea time when you got home.
“I just wanted to get out and go, not wait around.”
Driven by her desire for independence, and complaints from other frustrated residents, Mrs Griffiths called council for three months.
She had the honour of cutting the ribbon on the pathway yesterday.
“I rang up the mayor when the shopping complex went up and said we really needed a footpath,” she said.
“I’ve never done anything like this before in my life, but I just persisted and kept ringing and ringing.
“We finally got it, and I am so proud of the track.
“Everyone is just amazed I’ve done it.
“You don’t have to make a big noise, just talk to them and keep saying, ‘you haven’t done anything about that’.”
City of Ballarat infrastructure and environment director Terry Demeo said the gravel path currently in place was sub pavement, with asphalt to be laid on Thursday.
Mrs Griffiths said the construction had opened up a new world for residents, while providing some entertainment along the way.
“When they finally came the other day, someone came running into my room and told me there was two council trucks down the front,” she said.
“They’ve all been really pleased about it.”
BUPA Aged Care personal carer Katrina Mannix said residents initially felt they had been forgotten when the centre opened.
“Our residents were riding along the road,” she said.
“It was a safety issue, if they got hit by a car or had a fall on the road.
“Having to rely on us, and pull us out from doing our jobs to accompany them was also frustrating.
“Now we know that they’re going to be safe going up.”
