Birthday celebrations at Japara

We always look forward to birthday celebrations at Japara; we love to spoil our residents and ensure we create plenty of joyful moments on their special day, particularly when they reach a milestone age.

Here’s a look at some of our residents who have celebrated birthdays recently, and how we went the extra mile to make sure their day was one to remember:

Mavis at Japara Wyong

Mavis Bailey was born in Wyong, a small town on the Central Coast of NSW, in 1919 and has always been an active and valued member of the Wyong community.

Mavis – or ‘Nan’ as she’s fondly known by others within the home – is just one of many generations within her family to have resided at Japara Wyong and today, both her granddaughter and great granddaughter also work at Japara Wyong.

Nan’s family travelled from all over to enjoy an afternoon tea specially prepared by our kitchen team, and we even invited her favourite performer to come and sing a few tunes for an unexpected birthday performance.

Nan was thrilled with her party celebrations and said, “if this is how you throw a party, I can’t wait for next year!”

Nellie at Japara Gympie

One of our lovely residents, Nellie, also turned 100 recently and the team at Japara Gympie put together a poster of other significant events which occurred in the year Nellie was born with some eye-opening facts. For example, the Australian population in 1919 was just under 5.2 million people, that’s less than the number living in the state of Victoria today!

Resident – Japara Elanora

When planning their birthday celebrations at Japara, some of our residents prefer to mark the day by enjoying a private dining experience with their family. This is a great opportunity for loved ones to gather round the table for a celebratory meal just like they would do at home. So, when one resident requested an old family favourite of roast rabbit and a cake topped with fresh fruit for his special day, our chefs at Japara Elanora got to work to create a meal that would provide a culinary trip down memory lane.

The family were astounded by the care and effort the kitchen had put into creating such a wonderful meal, saying: “We were not expecting anything quite like this. This is just like we had growing up!”

Beryl at Japara Kirralee

The community at Japara Kirralee in Ballarat, recently celebrated the 100th birthday of one of their lovely residents, Beryl.

To celebrate reaching such an amazing milestone Chef, Dave, put together a delicious lunch of seafood dishes for Beryl and her family, followed by a very impressive birthday cake.

Irene at Rye Sands

Recently, our Rye Sands community celebrated the 98th birthday of one of their lovely residents, Irene!

Irene chose to hold her birthday celebrations over happy hour – much to the delight of all in attendance!

Trixie at South West Rocks

Trixie was born in Kempsey in 1920 and celebrated her milestone birthday this weekend at Japara South West Rocks.

Trixie grew up in Austral Eden and worked hard all of her life mostly farming. The team at Japara South West Rocks organised a wonderful party for her, surrounded by family and friends, and and she was even featured in the local paper, the Macleay Angus.

Read more under From our homes.