"... Christine steps in when there is a gap and a need. She is a true friend who knows how to ease the burden of loneliness in old age, mostly with visits, cake and listening. She has sat with so many friends in their final hours and given them companionship and peace."

Address to the House of Representatives, Adjournment - Ms Christine Dwyer

Thursday 9 March 2023

I rise today to acknowledge one of my constituents, Christine Dwyer. Christine has been a member of the Canberra community for over 40 years and has spent many of those years volunteering for organisations like Meals on Wheels and the Canberra Hospital ICU. However, it's the informal service she gives to the Canberra community that I want to acknowledge today.

Christine is a friend to all, but particularly a friend to the elderly in Canberra. She has supported many elderly Canberrans who have no family here to their end of life. She does this not just for friends of many decades but for strangers who she makes into friends. She takes them to coffee, to lunch, to the doctor and to hospital appointments. She has helped move them to nursing homes and thoughtfully taken care of household possessions and affairs, tasks that are not easy and that most of us will only ever do for our parents. But Christine steps in when there is a gap and a need. She is a true friend who knows how to ease the burden of loneliness in old age, mostly with visits, cake and listening. She has sat with so many friends in their final hours and given them companionship and peace.

She has also been a constant presence for friends who are caring for their own elderly family members, offering an understanding shoulder to cry on when this task gets too heavy. And she has supported children who have lost their mothers too early, children who are now young adults but who have had Christine watch out for them and mentor them throughout their lives. On behalf of the Canberra community and on behalf of, in particular, Trish, Christina, Olive, Constance, Bette, Carole, Margaret, Harry and the many others who we do not know about and who are not here to say it for themselves: thank you, Christine.