When the Bracken family approached the team at Moran Kellyville following the passing of their mother June Bracken, the team found the perfect opportunity to join them in honouring June’s life. The home’s July High Tea was dedicated to the memory of June who had been part of the community at Moran Kellyville. Residents were joined by June’s son Peter, his wife Karen and their children who shared many memories of their mother’s life before moving to Moran Kellyville. The family also shared stories of June’s love of life whilst at Moran Kellyville especially the bingo, food and other special events. It was an emotional gathering, but a time enjoyed together.
June was a single mother of three children, a hairdresser by trade and later worked at the Formica factory where she was part of the social club (who were lucky enough to at one stage share in winning half a million dollars in the Lotto!). June was also very involved in her children’s activities, particularly with the Pennant Hills Rugby Club where she made many friends and spent most weekends helping out in the canteen. June, like many women of her time, was good at handcrafts and when her neighbour opened a tapestry studio next door, she joined the local ladies creating many beautiful pieces. Unbeknownst to June, her son Peter even entered one of her tapestries in the Castle Hill Show, for which she received a proud ‘Highly Commended’ award.
June’s son Peter speaks fondly of her sense of humour (even likening their relationship to that of Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald in the 80’s TV series Mother and Son) and her community spirit. She lived her retirement years with Peter and his family, never wanting to move to an aged care home but after trying out Moran Kellyville for respite care was surprised how much she enjoyed it, especially the company of other residents. She decided to stay!
June was vision impaired in her later years and was supported by both the employees and other residents at Moran Kellyville to still enjoy lifestyle activities like playing bingo and dining. Kiana Gohar, Moran Kellyville’s Community Engagement & Wellness Manager remembers June very fondly
“On Mother’s Day we had special gift bags for all the ladies at Moran Kellyville and since June could not see, I explained the gift bags to her in detail; the colour, the fabric…she wanted a pink bag and she got pink! It makes us feel very special to be able to help with individual needs like June’s. With June’s passing, the Bracken family will still be visitors to Moran Kellyville, we are now one family”.
In appreciation of the care June received whilst living at Moran Kellyville, the Bracken family donated a beautiful tapestry which was handcrafted by June. The three-part tapestry features familiar Australian pioneering scenes, reflecting the artwork of famous Australian impressionist artist, Frederick McCubbin. June’s tapestries now hang proudly in the Bessie Rouse Room at Moran Kellyville and complement the historic displays which adorn the home’s gallery. A plaque that accompanies the tapestries reads:
“Tapestry completed by June Bracken, 19/10/1929 – 24/5/2020. Donated by her family in appreciation of the care she received while she was a resident.”
If you’re thinking about moving into residential aged care, we invite you to come and see the community at Moran Kellyville for yourself. We have respite care available which is suitable for most care needs including dementia support.
Whilst deciding to move into aged care can be a little daunting, choosing an aged care home just got a little bit easier with the introduction of the Government Compliance Rating System on 1 July 2020. Every aged care provider is required to meet government regulations and standards. This protects and maintains the safety, health, wellbeing, and quality of life for residents. ‘Compliance’ ensures providers meet these requirements and takes actions when they do not. You can check the rating of an aged care home with a new online tool HERE. Homes are rated by a ‘dot’ rating system with 4 dots indicating a home with a good compliance record.
If you’d like to find out more about what Moran Kellyville can offer, please phone our Resident Liaison Team on 9881 4222 or contact us online.