Smiles all round as Mid North Coast team take to the green

There were plenty of laughs, some friendly rivalry, and one client who simply didn’t want to leave the green, when Dovida’s Mid North Coast social program spent an afternoon playing lawn bowls at Park Beach Bowling Club.

The outing is part of a regular social calendar run by the local Dovida team, which has grown into a firm favourite for a close-knit group of older residents. Past outings have included trike bike riding and feeding the penguins, with the group’s next adventure a dance afternoon in Bellingen.

Joyce, one of the clients who joined the bowls session, hadn’t played in nearly two years. Once she got going, she was in her element.

“It’s just really good to see them doing the activities and enjoying them,” said Michelle, Dovida’s Community Engagement Coordinator for the Mid North Coast.

“Afterwards we all sit around and talk about what they’d like to do next, so it really is their social calendar. They come up with the ideas, and we help bring them to life.”

The session was made possible thanks to the generosity of Park Beach Bowling Club, who donated three greens and two hours of play after Michelle reached out to staff member Nikki.

For Michelle and the team, the value lies in watching clients like Joyce rediscover activities they’d stepped away from, and in the friendships that have formed along the way.