It’s been anything but an ordinary year for Strathfieldsaye resident Graeme Warfe.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In July, he and his wife Marie were excited to be in Europe and poised to watch their son Glenn Warfe compete in badminton in the London Olympics.
But fate had its own plans. Graeme suffered a brain aneurysm, and was rushed to hospital in Paris just before the games.
It was the beginning of a difficult time. The cerebral haemorrhages led to weeks of tests and a medical flight back to Australia, where he is receiving ongoing treatment.
His serious illness has put Graeme’s employment at Strath Haven Aged Care on hold.
But Uniting Aged Care, which runs Strath Haven, wanted to give something back to Graeme for his 10 years of hard work as a maintenance officer.
Yesterday Graeme, 61, was named the Uniting Aged Care employee of the year for Western Victoria at Uniting Care’s foundation day celebrations.
Friend Colin McCarthy, who accepted the award on Graeme’s behalf, said it put things into perspective.
“It’s horrible, he was the last person you would expect something like this to happen to,” Mr McCarthy said.
“He was very sporting. He was liked by everyone here, the sort of person who would do anything for everyone.
“He wouldn’t have wanted the fuss of the award.”
Uniting Aged Care executive director Sharon Donovan said peers had nominated Graeme as someone who was friendly and always willing to meet people’s demands.
“He is a great worker who has always had time for everyone. We send our best wishes to his family and wife Marie. Hopefully he can recover soon.”