Love is alive at Bupa Portland
Bupa’s Portland aged care home celebrated love in the lead up to Valentine’s Day with a wedding expo that took residents for a walk down memory lane.
Residents and employees shared their photos, brought in their wedding dresses, and even bouquets and cakes that were still intact.
Kellie Davis, Lifestyle Manager at Bupa Portland, said the expo was not just a nice event to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but it was also a great way to encourage residents to share their stories with each other and with their families.
“It’s been really lovely to see residents sharing their stories with their grandkids who have come to see the display. Both the residents and the kids’ eyes light up as they discuss the stories from the past,” Ms Davis said.
The oldest dress on display was that of Edie Bailey who was married over 70 years ago.
“We had 34 dresses on display, ranging from Edie’s – which wouldn’t be out of place at a wedding today – right up to one of our employees’ who was married a year ago.
“We also had saris and other outfits that sparked some really great conversations around different cultural traditions,” Ms Davis added.
One resident, Iris Andrews, was a local wedding dress maker before retiring around 15 years ago. Many of the Bupa Portland employees wore dresses made by Iris to their own weddings and proudly displayed them throughout the week.
Doug and Glennys Troon first met when Doug’s parent bought a house next door to a bakery that Glennys’ parents ran. They’ve now been married for 57 years and live together at Bupa Portland. According to Doug, the secret to their long marriage is ‘lots of give and take’.
