Happy 100 Years to Errol
BY DI SNEDDON
When Errol Bailey was asked where he would like to celebrate his 100th birthday he was quick to answer he wanted to party with the students at Singleton Heights Preschool.
Errol is a resident of Singleton’s Cooinda Aged Care Home and for the past 10 years the home has shared an incredibly special relationship with the preschool with weekly visits between the locations enjoyed by all.
“These kids are delightful, they are just so lovely to be around and the things they are learning here is marvellous, if these kids keep going the way they are the world will be a better place,” Errol said ahead of his important task of blowing out the candles on his cake last week.
Errol’s birthday is not until next week but with school holidays, the celebrations arrived early.
Along with the cake and cards, the students bought Errol a pair of socks, a coffee cup with his name and a red remote control car which he said he would get plenty of fun out of.
Bridie Imms accompanies the residents on their visits to the preschool and says the intergenerational activities bring so much joy and happiness to the residents and allowed them to be young at heart.
Singleton Heights Preschool director Neisha Dean said the activities were extremely beneficial for the young students.
“A lot of our children’s families are quite mobile, coming here for work in the mines or with defence, and they don’t have grandparents nearby,” Neisha said.
“It helps the students develop their confidence and develop relationships with another generation, the children learn empathy and patience and they are thinking about the needs of others which is really nice to see.”
Errol was born at Belmont and moved to Singleton at a young age and attended Singleton schools before trying a bit of everything in his career.
He had a stint in the Airforce in World War 2 and when his wife passed away 20 years ago he took up tapestry doing it every night to ‘get his head in order to go to sleep’.
“I’m on my 71st tapestry now,” he said.
As the students gathered with excitement together with the Cooinda visitors and staff from both centres, a few shocked faces could be seen when Errol’s age was announced.
And the smile on Errol’s face, the joy as he opened his very special gifts was a beautiful present for everyone in the room.
Happy birthday Errol.
