Community Connections Monthly Excursion Day 22 November 2016

Improving Wellness in Launceston’s ageing Bhutanese Community

A COMMUNITY CARE TASMANIA INITIATIVE

Supported by Tasmanian Community Fund & Dept of Health and Human Services Gambling Support Program

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

PROGRAM

Participants:

Amber Singh Kalikotey

Goma Devi Kalikotey

Lila Ram Basnet

Pokchi Maya Chhetri

Krishna Prashad Chhetri

Lok Nath Subedi

Tek Maya Subedi

Ganga Ram Acharya

Uma Devi Acharya

Gopal Rai

Nirmala Kuikel

Hari Lal Kuikel

Prem Bahadur Rai

Rabbi Maya Rai

Mangali Rai

Sancha Man Rai

Ganga Bahadur Subba

Staff

Bikash Acharya

Rup Koirala

Malati Chhetri

Susan Aykut

Itinerary

Visit To CCT’s new office @ 8 Broadland Drive, Launceston

Visit to Shearing Shed at Western

Junction

Visit to the National Rose Garden,

Woolmers Estate, Longford

By popular demand, on 22 November, participants of Community

Care Tasmania’s Bhutanese Community Connections program

repeated visits to two places they had visited on the pilot excursion

for the program in November 2015. This included a visit to a

shearing shed at Western Junction, and a return visit to the

National Rose Garden at Woolmers Estate.

One new site visit was added to the itinerary and that was a visit to

the new Community Care TASMANIA (CCT) office at 8 Broadland

Drive.

Goma Kalikotey smelling the roses at the National Rose Garden, Woolmers Estate, Longford

Community Connections group meeting some of the CCT team 8 Broadland Drive, Launceston

Page 2

At CCT, 8 Broadland Dr ive, Launceston

Lok Nath Subedi

Tek Maya Subedi, CCT Case Manager Karen Crisp, Lok Nath Subedi,

CCT Roster Coordinator Rachel Pearce & CCT General manager Wendy

Mitchell

Only a few Community Connections

participants are clients of CCT, so

most of the group had not been to the

new CCT premises. Nor had some

participants who are clients of CCT

had an opportunity to see where we

are located.

The group arrived at morning tea

time and were greeted by many of

CCT’s staff who had downed tools

and were informally meeting in the

downstairs staff area.

This impromptu occasion gave both

CCT staff and group members alike a

chance to meet before the group set

off for shearing shed at Western

Junction and the National Rose

Garden at Woolmers Estate near

Longford.

Page 3

Tasmanian Community Fund Vis i t

Old friends: Lok Nath Subedi with Andrew McKenzie, Western Junction

Shearing Shed, Western Junct ion

Local farmer Andrew

McKenzie welcomed the

Community Connections

group to see him shearing

for the second year in a

row.

As many of the Bhutanese

have farming backgrounds,

an opportunity to visit a

farm and a shearing shed

in operation is a highlight.

A number of this year’s

group visited last year and

felt right at home being in

the shed again this year.

Andrew met the group

outside to discuss the ewes

and lambs in the yards,

before taking them inside

to show them him his

shearing prowess.

Group members who had

experience shearing sheep

in Bhutan had only ever

used shears to cut wool.

Even those who had visited

before were intrigued with

the mechanised shearing

system used here.

Once the sheep was shorn,

he showed the group how

to throw a fleece and skirt

it. Many of the women

present were experienced

spinners when living in

Bhutan, and all remarked

how clean Andrew’s wool

was compared to the wool

they remember spinning in

Bhutan.

Local farmer Andrew McKenzie with the Community Connections group at the shearing shed, Western Junction

Page 4

Shearing Shed, Western Junct ion

Support Worker Malati Chhetri with local farmer

Andrew McKenzie & Lok Nath Subedi

Nirmala Kuikel watching local farmer Andrew

McKenzie shearing a merino ewe

The visit to the National Rose Garden at Woolmers Estate was eagerly anticipated by group members

who had been there last year. It didn’t disappoint. The sun was shining and many of the 5000 roses,

showcasing the nearly 500 varieties on display, were in bloom.

Despite a late start to the season, a profusion of colour greeted the eye at every turn, and beautiful

fragrances filled the air. The 72 Westerland climbing roses planted along the arches of the 80 metre

Rose Arbor, were particularly spectacular.

Pauline, one of four volunteers who maintain the garden, picked and presented roses and sweet Wil-

liams to group members while wishing them a pleasant visit to the state. She was fascinated to learn

that the group were local residents and not travellers as she had thought; she was completely unaware

that Launceston had a Bhutanese community.

Following the groups’ ramble among the roses, a shared communal lunch was enjoyed in the parkland

in front of Woolmers’ historic barn. Other tourists at Woolmers were invited to join the party. To their

great delight they discovered one of them had visited Bhutan and they enjoyed hearing of his adven-

tures in their former homeland.

Before leaving Woolmers, group members inspected some of the displays of old farming equipment

and the car collection found in the historic outbuildings dotted around the homestead complex.

Page 5

Nat ional Rose Garden, Woolmers Estate, Longford

L-R: Krishna Prashad Chhetri, Prem Bahadur Rai, Uma Devi Acharya , Nirmala Kuikel , Hari Lal Kuikel, Malati Chhetri, Goma Devi Kalikotey , Amber Singh Kalikotey , Lok Nath Subedi, Sancha Man Rai, Tek Maya Subedi, Lila Ram Basnet

Page 6

Tasmanian Community Fund Visit

Sancha Man Rai & Amber Singh Kalikotey smelling the

roses

Nirmala Kuikel with National Rose Garden volunteer

Pauline

Prem Bahadur Rai & Lok Nath Subedi smelling the roses

Nat ional Rose Garden, Woolmers Estate, Longford

Page 7

Nat ional Rose Garden, Woolmers Estate, Longford

Pokchi Maya Chhetri & Mangali Rai Malati Chhetri & Lok Nath Subedi

Rup Koirala, Ganga Acharya & Gopal Rai