Know your neighbour: Celebrating the stories of people
Dave Stewart was a geologist before he retired and became interested in sharing the news and triumphs of others.
Dave Stewart has been running the newsletter at his retirement village for two years.
“When I first started the monthly publication it was two pages in black and white, printed in the office printer,” he said.
Now, Our Times is between 12 and 16 pages long, featuring news, opinion pieces, a calendar of events, comics, sudoku and puzzles on a fun page and even a few adverts on smooth magazine paper.
Celebration Retirement Estate in Olivedale caters to about 1 000 residents but new homes are still being constructed and when they are complete there will be 970 units for 2 000 elderly.
“I am part of the birding group and the estate has a dam and bird hide, so there is always something about birds. Then other people also contribute their stories,” he said.
Stewart’s own editorial column, per se, features prominently on the front page. Here he writes just about anything – his November issue commenting on the rising cost of living and calling for residents to prepare for unexpected emergencies by preparing a safety bag containing emergency items, and getting to know their neighbours.
“I never have any bad news in the newsletter. The intent is to provide light relief, especially for people who do not get out much.”
This has been a new hobby for Stewart, only starting to write and edit into his retirement after working as a geologist.
He believes everyone has a story to tell and we can stay connected and encourage each other through words.
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