Galina was born in Russia in 1929 – she is 95 now – and immigrated to Australia in the 1980s. She and her husband moved into the SGCH-managed Greenway building in 2005.

“When I first saw it, I didn’t like the building. When we approached it, I said, “is it a prison?” It was big and brick, and the windows were small. Then when I walked into the apartment, I didn’t like it either. It was not a good first impression,” she laughs.  

“Then I looked out the window and I realised we had a million-dollar view, out to the harbour. My husband and I had a two-bedroom apartment. He died seven years ago. We were happy living there and now I would never move. Now I like everything. Here in Australia … it’s a paradise!” 

People in Australia are very caring, says Galina. “If I stop walking for a moment when I am out, someone will always ask me, ‘do you need help?’”  

She says she feels lucky to have good support from Catholic Healthcare. “Every Friday a cleaner comes to me, because I have a bad back and shoulders. A massage therapist comes to me fortnightly and a podiatrist monthly because I have bad feet now. I feel so looked after. But I do like to keep active – I still shop and cook for myself.” 

Galina lives alone but says she never feels lonely. “I have Russian friends who also live in Greenway. And I am always friendly with everyone – everybody in Greenway knows me. There are a lot of older residents and we all stop to talk to one another. The atmosphere here is wonderful.”