Mt Gravatt Aged Care Residence had observed 10 days of mourning for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, conducting special activities each day to commemorate the Queen. In their two craft classes, residents made crowns and tissue flower arrangements for the spectacular Devonshire Tea memorial, pictured below. Their bingo sessions throughout the 10 days were ‘Picture Bingo’ played with pictures related to royalty, and the movies each day were royal themed, finishing up with ‘Royal Wedding’ with Fred Astaire. Trivia also tested residents’ knowledge of all things royal, and during happy hour, everyone celebrated and raised a toast to the Queen. The residence has enjoyed plenty of conversations affectionately remembering the Queen and her decades of service.
The Residence’s grand finale to the 10 days was a memorial to the Queen with a very special Devonshire Tea. Featuring the finest bone china, residents flocked to help set up the beautiful setting, and to sign the book of condolence that will be sent to parliament house in Canberra and then sent to London to be added to all the condolences received. The book was filled with beautiful messages expressing both sadness and gratitude. Facility Manager, Paula, gave a beautiful speech in honour of her majesty, and she read out the beautiful poem written by John Pedio, one of the residents, that was shared on our Facebook page on the 22nd of September and that John wrote especially for the Queen.
One of our talented staff, Deb, performed a concert dedicated to the Queen. Deb has had a 45-year-long career as an international entertainer and cabaret singer and was lucky enough to perform in front of royalty. Deb sung the three songs that she performed all those years ago in front of royalty and it transported the audience to an extraordinary place and time.
The Devonshire Tea was amazing as always, as residents have come to expect from Chef Shiv. He treated residents with homemade scones, thick dollop cream, and delicious strawberry jam. To finish, residents sung the British national anthem, God Save The King. All residents who could stand rose up, many with tears in their eyes, as the song was sung with so much passion. It has been a beautiful memorial and a special 10 days.
Find out more about the Mt Gravatt Aged Care Residence here.
