Stepping Out - COVID and Out

The blessing of living in a small country town is having a close-knit community, a warm country welcome, a wonderful community spirit and knowing that for some, their families and friends are not far away. 

Lockdown and isolation have meant loneliness and distancing from those they love or spend time with.

However, for four local ladies – three of these being sisters and the fourth a friend and fitness mentor, life recently has taken on a whole new journey. All within the beautiful surrounds of their town and the friendships made.

All shared some of their perspectives with ‘The Bridge’ on life through the pandemic and stepping back out into the picturesque creek landscapes of Cohuna as restrictions ease.

Although a little anxious on how life will look on the other side, each found that companionship and health and wellbeing has been paramount in their lives through this time.

The family has played an important role, especially for the well-known local sisters Dorothy, Margaret Tooley and Judith Toll (nee Dehne) – all growing up and living within the local area for years. 

With 16 siblings, that included 11 boys and 5 girls and now with only 8 family members alive and residing in the local towns of Cohuna, Leitchville, one in Echuca and another in Perth, their family support and connection has been important, now more than ever.

“Through this, I have just been using common sense. Recently. I’ve been staying home and the days have gone so quickly for me anyway,” Dorothy shared.

 “It’s a bit surreal, isn’t it? It’s like life has been put on hold,” Kaye commented.

“I think that we’re really lucky to be in isolation here (in Cohuna) and not in the city. It is so pretty and we can come out in the bush, and we also have the creek. Whereas, in the city, you don’t have something like this,“ Kaye went onto say.

“We just have space here. It’s a beautiful town,” added Dorothy.

 “For the first six weeks, I didn’t leave the house. I had my granddaughter doing the shopping for me. Then I heard that IGA was doing deliveries, so I would ring them once a week for five weeks and they delivered which was great. It is a great service,” said Margaret.

“After six weeks, I just decided to get out a bit and do the shopping myself and go for walks around the creek here and up and around with my sisters and Kaye. Now others will able to join us.

“We all meet up once a week in Garden Park for a takeaway coffee when the weather is good.

 “I’m into exercise a lot and this is our exercise lady Kaye,” said Judith. “Kaye has been wonderful in keeping in touch with us girls, sending us texts to organise our walks. 

 “We have got into a habit of doing this around the creek now, going three to four times a week.

“Now we can have extra people join us. I just love all that sort of thing.

“It’s lovely to be with all the ladies. You need companionship, but we are keeping our distance as required.

“Before the pandemic, I was working through the hospital with a social support group at the hall, and that had all stopped. I was there three days a week and now this (walking) has taken over. 

“Kaye used to have exercise classes three days a week which I thoroughly enjoyed and because this had shut down too, it was really good that she (Kaye) started up a walking group,” said Judith.

“I love to socialise and I enjoy walking. It’s good company and it breaks the day up.

“During the lockdown, I caught up with things that needed doing around the house and kept in touch with my sisters once a week, and connected with my family on Zoom,” she said.

Judith is looking forward to visiting other family members locally with further restrictions lifting.

“We just have to be careful as people return to our towns and not revert to the restrictions that we’ve had.

“Slowly, but surely it will get back [to normal], but I think it will take a while. We’ve been lucky in this town so far.

Local fitness instructor, Kaye Wilson, views  the re-engagement of sessions and community groups as still being far off from getting back to where it was before.

The walking group has been the “step out” in the community that all have enjoyed in the meantime.

“I had been doing a lot of work through U3A with exercise activities and then we would catch up for coffee after. Some of these are housebound members. With the weather, it’s really hard and they can feel isolated at home, so they worry about this.

“I invite my exercise girls every day for a 7km walk that commences at 9am. They can do a shorter walk if they like, and then we go and have a takeaway coffee and I enjoy that. I love my Facebook which is talking face to face with people.

“It is like living in a bubble here. I think it is going to pop and life will go back to normal, but I know it won’t.”