General News
23 July, 2020
Local kindness helps Gordon Selleck celebrate special occasion
A RANDOM act of kindness added extra enjoyment to May Noonan Centre resident Gordon Selleck’s 90th birthday celebration last Wednesday.
A RANDOM act of kindness added extra enjoyment to May Noonan Centre resident Gordon Selleck’s 90th birthday celebration last Wednesday.
Mr Selleck was inundated with cards and posters from the local community to help him celebrate his day as a random act of kindness organised by Inspired Yoga’s Bree Harrison.
Ms Harrison put a call out to the community on social media to create cards for Mr Selleck, who has lived his life as an orphan.
He left St Vincent’s South Melbourne orphanage at age 14 and came to Noorat, where he lived with the Conheady family and worked on their dairy farm at Garvoc.
Mr Selleck moved back to Melbourne at the age of 19 to live with a friend he called Aunty Effele, who he describes as “the mother I never had”.
After moving to Melbourne, Mr Selleck regularly visited the Conheady family on weekends and holidays until about a decade ago, when he made the move to Terang permanent.
He said he was “thrilled” to receive the cards.
“I’ve got a stack of cards sent to me from people I don’t know, even from kids,” Mr Seleck said.
“I’ve even had a two year-old write to me who must know me from part of the family I’ve known.
“You don’t expect these things but to get all these cards is pretty good.”
Ms Harrison, who teaches yoga to the residents three times a week, said she decided to act after the COVID-19 pandemic limited visitations and residents’ ability to connect with the community.
Knowing how much the residents value social connection as well as Gordon’s story, Ms Harrison used her Facebook page to put a call out and was “amazed” with the response.
