ST Catherine’s Primary School, Wishart is on a mission to create connections that stand the test of time, even spanning generations.
This saw Year 6 students celebrate the 100th birthday of their newest “grandfriend”, Doug.
The pilot program connects students with residents at TriCare Retirement Community Mount Gravatt, engaging with each other over weekly sessions.
Throughout the term, students and residents have fostered empathy, understanding and mutual respect between the generations.
Students were finally able to meet their “grandfriends” face to face recently, something Year 6 student Hugh had been looking forward to.
Hugh said he enjoyed learning about how different their life was.
“Things like how they kept their food cold, or how they got to school many years ago,” he said.
St Catherine’s principal Paul Mitchell said the joy and excitement were evident on both sides during the in-person meet up and Doug’s 100th birthday.
“This milestone truly highlighted the profound impact of the program on both the students and their ‘grandfriends’,” he said
Mr Mitchell said the program was a collaborative effort with assistant principal of religious education Matthew Armstrong and advice from The Community Crusade founder Sarah Brady.
“The decision to initiate the program was rooted in our school’s mission to build a compassionate and inclusive community,” he said.
“The feedback from both sides has been overwhelmingly positive, and it’s clear that this initiative is enriching lives in ways we hadn’t even imagined.”
TriCare Mt Gravatt village manager Louise Mathers said, “the event had exceeded all expectations, and they will be doing it all again next year, likely with even more residents joining the program”.
“It has been amazing to see the smiles on the resident’s faces,” she said.
“They were so excited, down waiting in reception at 10.30am, half an hour early.
“This has been a great experience for everyone and we will definitely be doing it again.
“They will take it back to the Village now and we will probably have double the number next time we do it.”
In Term 4, Year 6 students at St Catherine’s School will have the unique opportunity to interview their “grandfriends” and write their biographies, deepening the bonds formed throughout the program.
To support the initiative, St Catherine’s utilised part of its Student Wellbeing Grant to purchase equipment, such as cameras, ensuring the program was a success for both students and their “grandfriends”.
