When carpenter and furniture builder Wayne retired two years ago, he started to spend some of his free time volunteering at HammondCare Waratah, a short drive from his home. Knowing Wayne’s passion for building, Volunteer Coordinator Emma asked him to create a ‘lolly trolley’ for residents, so they could enjoy a special treat. Wayne has since made a total of eight trolleys, with more on the way.

Emma shares a little about Wayne and his special "lolly trolleys" 

Wayne is a very understated person; he has this amazing passion and skill, which has benefitted many HammondCare residents. He was so professional with his first assignment – presenting me with a proposal, with every item costed out. The trolleys are a great addition to our care homes and are so versatile, from ice cream carts (when we play the ‘Mr Whippy’ theme!), as well as coffee carts and ‘happy hour’ trolleys. 

Volunteers manage the trolleys, but we also encourage other team members to borrow them for special events – hence they provide many ongoing benefits. The familiar treats bring a lot of joy to residents, you can see it in their faces; and of course we make sure there are sugar-free lollies as an option.

Thanks to Wayne giving his time and expertise, the cost of making the trolleys was very minimal, and his communication was great – sending our team photos of each stage of the process. His garage became a production line! HammondCare Foundation has also supported this project by providing funding for six of the trolleys.

We’ve asked Wayne to help make garden trolleys next, for residents who love to garden, so they can use them to pot plants. He’s a joy to collaborate with. We’re very grateful to have Wayne as part of our team, impacting quality of life in such a positive way.

What's behind Wayne's creativity?

My first volunteering role at Waratah was helping residents on bus outings. Then I got involved in coffee mornings – accompanying residents in wheelchairs down to a local café. Or I’d set up and run board games – though I didn’t get home on those days until the board games were over!

Emma is great. We keep in touch and catch up over coffee every now and then. HammondCare is very good at screening volunteers to match their passions and skills with the appropriate task or activity. 

I’m pretty proud of how the trolleys turned out I have to say! And I’m also pleased to be able to use my skills in this way, to help other people. I heard from the team that one of the residents says ‘Oh yeah! The lollies are here’ when they hear it being wheeled around the care home.

To be a volunteer you need to bring a flexible approach, be prepared to stretch yourself a little. It’s very rewarding – works both ways. When you see the residents’ smiles, you know you’ve made a difference to their day.