"One day I was walking my dog, and I saw an emu in the middle of a huge paddock all by itself. I couldn't help but think, 'that is going to be me in a few years time'," says Dr Sheila Twine.
She is speaking to a room of community members in Mandurah and they can resonate.
"It is a very humbling situation when you get old and all of your friends have vanished.
"On top of this, your family might live far away - everywhere is pretty far away with COVID."
Dr Twine has been a pillar in the Mandurah community for many years with countless facets to her contributions. She has been the president of local councils and organisations, and has been instrumental in forming non-profits such as the Pets of Older Persons (POOPs), and last year was the recipient of the WA regional senior award.
But this week's presentation is about her new venture, Local Friends, in which she has taken the front seat after being inspired by the work and passion of her late friend David Smeeton, who worked as a board member of Palliative Care WA.
Dr Twine said after her friend David died she realised it was time to tackle the issue of loneliness in old age, which David had been very passionate about.
"After David died, we thought, okay - it's time to do this. And Local Friends was born."
Tackling loneliness
Local Friends is an organisation she set up to ensure that "every elderly resident" has a friend to connect and spend time with. There are both human volunteers and furry friends - with two support dogs also making visits.
"There are a large number of elderly people out there who are feeling lonely. If you ask a doctor, they will confirm that it is very easy for a person experiencing loneliness to slip into a depression," Dr Twine said.
"We started with one friend, then six - now we have 28 friends signed up for our volunteers to visit. Whether it be a meal together, a song, a game of scrabble - quality time and friendship is so important to combat loneliness."
There is nowhere like Mandurah
"When I first moved to Mandurah, my friend Paddi Creevey (former mayor of Mandurah and leading community member) said to me, 'you'll never be lonely here', and you were right Paddi, I have never felt lonely in Mandurah."
Mayor Rhys Williams took to the stage to deliver a speech on the importance of human connection.
"Today I woke up feeling great about today," he said. "Because I am going down south with my best friend and fiancé Skipper - we are going to do all the things we love to do, like surfing and riding our bikes. And I also felt great because I was coming here."
Mr Williams said the reasons he felt great about the day were reasons that aren't accessible to a lot of people in the community.
"I am very conscious that there are people who are going to wake up not feeling great about today - who don't feel like they have those people around them for support. Friendship makes it easier for us to get by. It would be quite easy for you to underestimate how significant this is. If David was here today he would be so proud and grateful."
Local Friends has steadily grown since its inception, starting with two suburbs and a handful of friends and volunteers, with numbers steadily increasing - the team wish to eventually branch into other suburbs and cities.
"Down the road we will be developing the David Smeeton Award, for the volunteer who goes above and beyond expectations," Dr Twine said.
Anyone wishing to apply to be a friend or volunteer, can do so via the Local Friends website.
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
