Ipswich’s biggest heart serving meals for 30 years

There’s an old saying that goes “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”.

Ipswich Meals on Wheels manager Jane White.

THERE'S an old saying that goes "if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life".

Jane White has been working at Ipswich Meals on Wheels for the past 30 years, and she still loves what she does because she knows that every day she's making a difference in the lives of those who rely on the service.

Married to a man in the RAAF, Jane was used to moving around, and it was back in 1985 that she returned to the town where she went to school, then realised she wanted to stay.

"When we moved to Ipswich we rented a house in Pring St, and my father was living with us at the time. He joined a club to play indoor bowls here at the Meals on Wheels hall, and one day he came home and told me they were looking for help in the office," Jane said.

"So I applied and after 12 months was offered the role of co-ordinator, and 30 years on I'm still here.

"Before that I was a housewife and mother, and in those days it was hard to get a job as employers knew that RAAF families tended to move around a lot, and we did, every few years, but that's the life of a defence force family."

Ipswich Meals on Wheels manager Jane White.

For the vast majority of us, we turn up to work, get the work done and go home. For Jane it is different, because she knows that what she is doing every day is making a difference to the lives of the people who use the service, and that gives her a great sense of satisfaction.

"I like the job because we're helping people, and I work with others who actually want to be here - how many people can say that?" she said.

"All the volunteers want to be here, and the staff want to be here. Maybe there's no career path advancement and it's not the highest-paying job in the world but you get great job satisfaction from it.

"I guess I'm just not a person who is obsessed with career advancement, and as long as I'm happy in the job, because I love benefiting people. We all have bad days, but on the whole it's a great job."

Meals on Wheels has a long tradition in Australia and relies on volunteers to deliver meals to people across the city. Often it is the only contact that clients have with another human, and Jane knows it is a service about more than just delivering meals.

"A meal consists of a soup, main meal, dessert, fruit and a juice, which is delivered, and there's a bit of social interaction for people who sometimes don't get to go out," Jane said. "It is also a daily check on that person. If we turn up and there's no answer, we will follow up. Sometimes they've simply gone out and forgotten to tell us, but it's important to know that they are OK.

 

Ipswich Meals on Wheels manager Jane White.

 

"The majority of clients are older people, mostly 80 and over; we do have some under 65 that have disability or mental health issues."

One of Jane's daughters lives in Canada and, on a visit, Jane took the chance to see how the same service operates in Calgary.

"It was a huge organisation and they often have to deliver in the snow and ice," Jane said. "Fundamentally it's the same thing. I was there talking to the manager and she was getting the same phone calls I get every day. I thought 'have I really left home?'."

After 30 years, Jane is now at an age where she is considering slowing down and spending time with her grandchildren.

"I think it will be hard the day I retire," Jane said. "We have two younger members of staff that have come on and I want to train them up. Maybe then I'll cut back. Not everything is written in the job description.

"Meals on Wheels' logo says that it is 'more than just a meal', and that's very true. I've made so many friends doing this job.

"Several volunteers will be leaving this year, and we will need new ones for 2020 to replace them."

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