After more than 50 years of volunteer service to Meals on Wheels, Bairnsdale’s Helen Gottschalk has been on her last run.
Helen is a spritely 93-year-old who has long been involved in many volunteering pursuits across
East Gippsland.
Working with Meals on Wheels has been a cause she has valued, drawing on a lifetime of caring for others and her family’s early support of bringing the service to Bairnsdale in March 1968.
In her unit in town, Gippsland Lakes Complete Health (GLCH) recently presented Helen with flowers and a letter commending and thanking her for her service, just days before Christmas.
Helen said her time had come to step away from Meals on Wheels.
In recent years, she has worked alongside her friend Shirley Pearce, who drove the car to support
meal delivery.
“Meals on Wheels was the love of my life. But look, I got to the stage with my balance, where I was slow,” Helen said.
“Shirley was just so patient, but I said to Shirley, ‘if we have a hot summer, by the time I get out of the car, pause, and get out and do this and do that, I said look, the meals might be defrosted.’ That was the only reason I gave it up.”
“It was hard for me to give it up, but I realise it was time.”
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Helen featured earlier this year in a history book documenting the grassroots campaign that led to the development of the Lakes Entrance Community Health Centre in 1975.
That centre has since expanded to deliver dozens of services across East Gippsland, including taking over Meals on Wheels deliveries from East Gippsland Shire Council on April 1, 1998.
Helen recalls delivering Meals on Wheels on Christmas Day with her children when they were little, carefully fitting deliveries around family commitments.
Despite stepping back from Meals on Wheels, Helen remains an active volunteer in the community and continues her involvement with organisations such as the Production Line Theatre Company.
GLCH chief executive officer Anne-Maree Kaser thanked Helen, the organisation’s longest serving volunteer, for her decades of service.
“Your contributions over the years are truly inspiring,” she said.
“You have quietly shaped better experiences for countless people, and your legacy sets a standard for service that others will continue to learn from.”
GLCH currently has around 200 volunteers, with most supporting Meals on Wheels.
Today, the organisation delivers about 300 meals each week, with daily runs in Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance and Paynesville.
GLCH welcomes new volunteers year-round and offers roles to suit a range of interests and time commitments – from Meals on Wheels and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program to supporting childcare services and social support teams.
For more information about volunteering with Gippsland Lakes Complete Health, contact volunteer engagement officer Karren Hackling via phone or visit the GLCH website.
