Kym Pregnell and Ian Wheeler with their new RSL ‘Kindness Boxes’. Photo: Supplied.
BY HARVEY SHORE
Ian Wheeler and Kym Pregnell are Wellbeing Officers at the Manly-Lota RSL Club. They keep an eye on the wellbeing of over 200 local Australian Defence Force (ADF) veterans and veteran families.
Having completed an RSL Welfare Course, Ian and Kym began looking at new ways to bring a little extra kindness into the lives of those they care for.
“Some vets struggle a bit with physical, mental or age-related issues,” said Ian Wheeler. “Some have fallen on hard times. We want to reach out to all ex-service members who need a little help, and we want to do it in a more practical way than just saying ‘how are you?’ in the odd phone call.”
Kym Pregnell came up with the delightful initiative of ‘Kindness Boxes’.
They’re large boxes packed with non-perishable goodies at the Manly RSL Hall, and distributed to those most in need. Kym says they’re for all local ADF veterans, not just for RSL members. The Manly-Lota RSL Club pays for the contents of these boxes from money earned recycling bottles and cans from regular club functions.
“So far, our Kindness Boxes have proved a big hit with needy ADF households,” says Kym Pregnell. “They’re especially welcomed by less-mobile members of our community, and delivering them allows our Wellbeing Team to personally meet people, assess their needs, and refer those in need to the advocates and social workers we have at the Manly-Lota RSL.”
The Manly-Lota RSL Wellbeing Team is currently in discussions with Foodbank, hoping to add perishable goods to their Kindness Boxes in the near future.
