On Monday July 30, Blue Haven Bonaira hosted a special event to commemorate the 2024 Paris Olympics by holding their own Olympic torch relay.

Denis Ryann, who proudly carried the Olympic torch back in 2000 for the relay leading up to the Sydney Olympics, began the Blue Haven Bonaira ceremony by carrying the torch accompanied by flag bearers and bagpipers from the entrance of the Barroul House Cafe.

“I was given the honour of being Wollongong citizen of the year. And that honour gave me the opportunity to run with the torch at Woonona (in 2000). And when I ran it, I had a friend with me who was a bagpiper. When I had finished, I took the torch into the nursing home, and they loved it. And I thought I’d do it for the old people here and I’m proud I did it, because I think the senior citizens of Kiama just loved it,” says Ryann.

Ryann walked the torch to the care home where he handed it to Val Brunker OAM, the former president of the Kiama Netball Association, who walked it into Matterson Hall.

At over 85 years of age, Brunker says that sport is such an important part of a community and that it connects people of all ages together. And that the Olympics is one of a kind.

“I remember watching the Sydney Olympics and I think it was just a wonderful spectacle and the athletes are just wonderful. Sport keeps a community together and it's great for people of all ages, especially the kids. For me, the TV stays on all day next to my bed. I fall asleep and then wake up and something else is on,” says Brunker.

Val Brunker walking the Olympic Torch.

The event brought together the Blue Haven Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) residents, the Independent Living Units (ILU) and the Community Seaside Group and Kristen Delahunty, the acting lifestyle communicator at Blue Haven Bonaira, who stresses the importance of events like these.

“When residents come into a facility to live, we need to look at what their cultural preferences are, how they live their life. They should not have to stop doing the things they like doing just because they are here. So being involved in group events helps them become involved in the local community. Kiama has such a tight knit community, and we want to keep them connected with people,” says Delahunty.

The event also enabled residents who were volunteers at the 2000 Sydney Olympics to reminisce about an important part of their, and Australia’s, past. 

“We’ve got a lot of memorabilia in the foyer from the actual Sydney Olympics. We’ve got flags and welcome presents and all sorts of stuff. And this has been a great remembrance event so the residents here who were volunteers at the Olympics have got their families to dig out their volunteers shirts and tracksuits and they’ve all gotten excited,” says Delahunty. 

Vince O’Sullivan is a resident at Bonaira Blue Haven, and he came to the torch relay with a 2000 Sydney Olympics hat with all sorts of pins and decorations from the games. His wife Linda was also a volunteer.

“We both were volunteers in the 2000 Olympics and we both have our uniforms. Vince was a driver for the officials, he drove them around to the different venues and I was welcoming dignitaries into the venues,” says Linda.

Vince O'Sullivan wearing his 2000 Sydney Olympics hat.

Vince, who suffers from dementia, was in high spirits on the day and Linda praises events such as these.

“It’s very important to Vince, he’s changed dramatically since he’s been here. We, as a family, think we’ve picked the best place for Vince to come, they’re doing such a great job,” says Linda.

“Living with dementia is something that is here and that we have to manage and if you see Vince here today, he's having an amazing time,” says Delahunty.

Other than the fabulous bagpipes soundtracking the relay, there were also some songs from the Blue Haven Ukulele group. Peter Mayes, who is part of the group says that music is very important to the various residents of Blue Haven.

“We’re more than happy to share it with people and we’ll do a monthly thing with the residents because music is a universal language. For people at the end of their lives or they have dementia, music is something that seems to spark them on and take them out of themselves,” says Mayes.

The Ukulele Group, Peter Mayes is pictured to the left with the vest on.

It was announced on May 30 that Blue Haven Bonaira was purchased by Hall and Prior Aged Care, and Mayes, who is also the chairperson of the ILU resident committee at the Bonaira venue, says he is excited about the transition. 

“We’re looking forward to a change of ownership in a way because we’re looking for someone who knows about independent living and the care home. In the last few years, I think the Kiama Council has lost the knowledge base that they had. Most residents came here with the knowledge that there was 40 years of history here, so a lot of us have an emotional attachment to the Kiama model,” says Mayes. “But it is probably just time for Kiama council to focus on doing what councillors do and I think getting someone who is experienced in aged care is the best way to take everyone forward.”

Blue Haven Bonaira is holding many different events over the next two weeks to get the residents involved in the Paris Olympics with showings of medal events as well as Olympic themed happy hours.