Capecare Dunsborough’s management fired up the BBQs at their Naturaliste Terrace facility last Thursday to thank local fire brigades and emergency services personnel.

Capecare CEO Tim Nayton acknowledged both the emergency services personnel for protecting residents and facilities during the recent Dunsborough fires, and also his staff who were working on the day.

Tim was at Capecare Dunsborough at the time of the fires and said, while obviously concerned about what was happening on the reserve across the road from the facility, it was reassuring to see the services in action.

“To watch the emergency services teams and know that there was that level of support was amazing to experience, and to witness the confident way, what became quite a threatening fire, was managed,” Tim said.

The BBQ was attended by DFES Area Officer Andy Thompson, Mayor Phill Cronin, Ben Small, Liberal representative for Forrest and a number of professional and volunteer firefighters, Capecare staff who worked on the day of the fire, and Armstrong Village residents and their families.

Andy Thompson also thanked volunteers and said the incident response ran like clockwork thanks to practical exercises carried out with Capecare.

“To our volunteers, thank you. They’ve had a busy past couple of months, including turning out to Windy Harbour and various other fires.

“The accolades also go out to Capecare staff and management. Thanks to pre-planning and on-site training and evacuation drills carried out last year, it went like clockwork.

“Staff knew we were going to ‘protect in place’, which we had planned. We had the resources here, which the volunteers are trained for, and working with Capecare staff and management was faultless. It couldn’t have gone any better.

“It goes to show the strength of all of us working together in the community and the number of volunteers that we have… Fire, Search and Rescue, SES, St John Ambulance… it was a fantastic response and hats off to everybody.”

Mayor Phill Cronin, who was a volunteer firefighter on the day, reiterated the community response.

“As I’m driving down the road, I see a big billow of smoke in the distance. The radio’s chattering. The sirens are going off. The Dunsborough guys were having a bit of trouble at their own fire station. Then I’m hearing: ‘Capecare, get down there’. We get down to Cape Nat, and there’s smoke everywhere.

“We had 125 firefighters. We had 50 units down there. We had two helicopters. The whole point was how we all came together. The DFES guys, they were protecting the structures, we were doing the bush. There were queues of St John Ambulance people down there. DFES were setting up an incident support group. It was all done professionally. We also had a lot of the City (of Busselton) involved.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t lose any properties. There were no injuries. there was no loss of life.

“Everybody here, you all played a part, you made people feel safe. The Capecare guys were out there as well, getting wet and smoky. but we all did a great job and look, I really want to say thank you. Thank you for this event to recognise this and bring us all together.

“The next thing that we are doing is getting the reserve back to how it was. We instantly go into recovery mode.  One thing we’ve learned is recovery is the quickest thing that we can get on top of rather than leaving it weeks down the line,” Mayor Cronin said.

Tim concluded by praising the amazing community spirit, also demonstrated by the generosity of wineries and breweries approached for the event. Special thanks to Shelter Brewing, Eagle Bay Brewing, Baileys Brewing, Skigh Wines, the  Highbury Project and Cape Cellars.

The South West’s only short-stay respite care service has had a busy November as families prepare for the holiday season.

Capecare cottage respite is the only one of its kind in the South West, offering short-term visits for senior citizens who need daily care to give their carers a break.

Unlike normal respite care, which can last for several months, the cottages host guests for only up to two weeks, making the stay more like a hotel service.

Recently the cottages have had a major refurbishment, with upgrades in September making the facilities more welcoming. Guests are able to take part in daily activities and socialise with others while being cared for.

Capecare chief executive office Tim Nayton said the service aimed to help community members support their family while also having a break when needed.

“People come here who live in the community but require a level of care and support to continue to live comfortably, and that care and support often always comes from a family member,” he said.

“It may be a spouse, or it can also be a child, and it is a huge commitment and can be a pretty exhausting commitment over time, which they take on with the best of intentions and love.

“But this does come with a lot of work; for some people it’s 24-7 living with and caring for their partner.

“Having a respite program like this provides an opportunity for the carer to be able to rejuvenate and refresh themselves and to have a bit of downtime, which sometimes is all someone needs.”

Mr Nayton said the festive season could be challenging for families, with the normal rhythm of life interrupted.

“It can be an issue and create difficulty for some people, so having a respite facility like this allows people and carers to feel confident, comfortable and reassured that they are able to give themselves a break and the person they are caring for is being looked after,” he said.

December had been less busy for the cottages, with more family around to help day-to-day carers, but Mr Nayton said November had been a busy month as people prepare for Christmas.

“There is a huge amount of carers who have enormous levels of guilt or a sense of failure if they feel compelled or are encouraged to use respite care,” he said.

“But it just doesn’t need to be; it’s not healthy and there are some real benefits for people using respite in some form.”

View the story online here: https://www.swtimes.com.au/news/regional/south-wests-only-short-stay-respite-care-helps-families-in-christmas-lead-up-c-17147467

Capecare resident Betty Trotter celebrated her 101st birthday this year, recounting her most memorable life moments – and what a life it has been.

From her childhood growing up in Cottesloe with sister Pat, to training as a nurse, creating a rich life in Donnybrook with first husband Glen, remarrying at 82 and skydiving at the age of 92 … Betty has jumped at every opportunity thrown her way.

Owing her long life and limited number of illnesses to a good diet and keeping active, Betty remembers most fondly her time spent with first husband Glen in Donnybrook where she belonged to many different community groups.

“Because I was so involved with [Girl] Guiding when I was younger, when I moved to Donnybrook I pursued a number of community commitments.”

Betty also started Donnybrook’s first arts and crafts group, was on the hospital auxiliary delivering flowers and helping people in need and was one of the first local women to be active in Rotary where she was an exchange student counsellor.

“We would have many students stay with us before they went to their host families. I really enjoyed this because of my experience in Girl Guides,” she said.

“I loved the age group and being able to be part of the students’ experiences.”

She was also an avid golfer. “I played every week in Donnybrook, and my neighbour Kath, who was also a good friend and the captain, introduced me to pennants. But I decided to just play socially in the end and later became the treasurer for the ladies’ golf club – I held that position for quite a while.”

When Betty was 92 years old, another unexpected opportunity came her way when her grandson offered to take her on her first skydive, an achievement she says was one she was ‘most proud of’.

“I was with my daughter, her husband, and my grandson in Jurien Bay, where they live, and my grandson had gotten involved in the skydiving group and was learning all the roles,” she said.

“One day when I was visiting them, he talked me into doing a jump and organised for me to go up to 15,000 feet, which was the highest jump.”

“I didn’t scream when I jumped. It was such a beautiful day – I remember the sea looking like glass, I could see little fishing boats, and the coastline. It was lovely, I really enjoyed it,” she said.

Betty has even appeared on TV but it wasn’t because she went to acting school. While at Fiona Stanley Hospital for a transcatheter aortic valve replacement operation at age 94, Betty was approached by heart surgeon Dr Nikki Stamp who asked if she would be a guest on her television show Heartbeat: The miracle inside you.

“I decided to do it because I was passionate about health,” Betty said.

“Dr Nikki is a wonderful woman. There were only five doctors in WA at the time who specialised in these heart operations, and Dr Nickki interviewed me for the show after my operation.”

The show is available to watch on ABC iView as an episode on science show Catalyst (watch from 48:13 and as well as the operation interview and footage, you can also see her skydiving!)

When Betty was 99, she met Governor Kim Beazley due to her 30-year membership with the War Widows Guild.

“I received a letter in the mail asking if I would go to an afternoon tea for members, and it was being held by the then Governor Kim Beasley,” she said.

“I sat at a table with Kim’s wife and a few other people who were widows from the Vietnam War, and after the tea Mr Beazley came up to me and gave me a gift – I was the only person at the tea who received one.”

Betty had a full family life in addition to her number of community commitments, raising four children with Glen – three boys and a girl who she is extremely close to.

She would holiday with her family in Busselton throughout their marriage, but her life remained in Donnybrook with Glen working on the farm and butcher shop.

Eventually the couple moved to the RAAF Estate in Merriwa, north of Perth, after Glen was diagnosed with Parkinsons and suffered other vascular complications from his time in the war. Betty remained at their Merriwa home for years after Glen passed away.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Betty also did a lot of travelling throughout her life noting her favourite places as Scotland, Norway, and Austria.

Her nursing background also followed on from her mother, with her sister Pat also training as a nurse before moving to New Zealand.

“When I was young, I was a quite naughty girl,” she said. “But I loved school and my time at PLC. My sister didn’t like it as much but we both ended up doing the same thing – nursing.”

Betty received three proposals throughout her life – the first from a Melbourne boy, the second her husband Glen, and the third, at 82-years-old from Lloyd Trotter, which she accepted.

Betty moved to Capecare in October 2022, from her home in Merriwa, and said moving from independent living to assisted living had been tough at first but she settled in quicker than she expected.

“The staff are wonderful, they really are. They spoil me,” she said.

“They always come up to me and throw their arms around me. I don’t have any favourites – they’re all great.”

Happy 101^st year Betty from everyone at Capecare! Keep making the most of every opportunity.

Capecare is the largest regional based independent aged care provider in Western Australia, existing to serve the needs of our older people in the Capes Region.

For more than 60 years Capecare has served the needs of our older people in the Capes Region and is the largest regional based independent aged care provider in Western Australia.

For more information on Capecare’s independent living, community and home care, respite, and residential care services visit www.capecare.com.au