October 25, 2024
The Golden Oldies teams from Bindjareb Aged Care are hungry for the top prize in 2025 after nearly achieving it at the Peel LiveLighter Aged Care Games.
Eleven people from the South West Aboriginal Medical Service program participated in the Peel games at Pinjarra’s Murray Aquatic and Leisure Centre on Tuesday 8th October.
There was so much excitement about the activity from SWAMS program clients that they formed two teams in the 12-team event and took out silver and bronze.
It was a thrilling success for the first-time participants, who are believed to be the first all-Aboriginal teams in the 20-year-old games.
“Our team members showed great sportsmanship – I was really proud of them,” Aged Care Coordinator for Bindjareb Natalie Bajcich said.
“They were also really competitive, and they are already talking about bringing home the big trophy next year,” Natalie said, adding that the group sang “We Are The Champions” as they left the venue.
The games feature activities that are specifically modified for seniors who receive aged care support.
They included the bean bag toss, skittles and chair pass ball, however Natalie said the activity that was the most fun and funny was chair hockey, which uses cut-down pool noodles as sticks and a rubber ball.
Bindjareb Aged Care clients put in a little bit of training during September, but they also worked extra hard on the day, with some team members having to play one game twice to make up team numbers.
SWAMS program Bindjareb Aged Care provides in-centre, community and in-home services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members across the Bindjareb (Peel) region.
For more information, go to www.swams.com.au or phone 9514 5995.
SWAMS thanks the Seniors Recreation Council of WA for organising the event with the support of LiveLighter Healthway, Government of WA, Alcoa and the Shire of Murray, and thank you to the organisers for supplying these terrific photos.
Skittles were popular.
Chair pass ball required patience and cooperation.
SWAMS Bindjareb Aged Care brought along two teams to the event; they were the only all-Aboriginal teams at the day, and perhaps in the history of the Peel games.
The team were deservedly proud of their trophy.
The skittles game required accuracy and plenty of movement.