Travel bug as strong as ever for Lois
Helping those who need a hand is a driving force for Lois Otterspoor, who has been a volunteer with the ACH Group Wyatt Holidays initiative for two decades.
South Australia's ACH Group volunteer, Lois Otterspoor, is a companion for people who require assistance to travel.
“I saw a tiny little advertisement in the paper many years ago asking for volunteers,” Ms Otterspoor says. “It turned out the role was to be a travel companion for people who needed assistance to travel.”
These days, Ms Otterspoor’s travel journal is a little dog-eared. But the memories the diary contains are as fresh and exciting as the day she wrote them.
“I’ve had some lovely holidays with some lovely people. My first trip was to Melbourne with a 94-year old woman. Her husband had recently passed away and she wanted a break. We had a wonderful time, visiting the Queen Victoria markets, the beach at St Kilda and riding on the Puffing Billy steam train. We even rode in a chairlift! She hung on for grim death to the rails, but she loved every minute!” she says.
Another time Ms Otterspoor accompanied a veteran who uses a wheelchair to Cairns; and a lady experiencing vision impairment on an overnight trip to Glenelg.
“Volunteering with Wyatt Travel is a great thing to do. Not only do I enjoy the travel, but also I love being able to support people to continue with their passions or find new passions. I get to see so much, but I see it through different eyes.”
Ms Otterspoor also belongs to the ACH Group Sing for Joy choir that performs regularly and every week she picks up another choir member and takes her to and from choir practice – just another way Ms Otterspoor likes to support people to enjoy their passions.
With weekly Scottish country dancing and Meals on Wheels commitments, Ms Otterspoor – mother of two and grandmother of two – is rarely at home.
“I like to keep busy. It keeps me out of mischief,” she says.
ACH Group is a not for profit community organisation promoting opportunities and services to support good lives for older people.
