Irene’s Housing Choices Family
Despite being the oldest resident in her building, Irene’s cheeky sense of humour and strong-willed independence leave people shocked to learn she’s the sprightly age of 94. Her Preston unit is homely and filled with life. Irene’s balcony is brimming with lush greenery and cute figurines and sculptures. The longer you look, the more and more cheeky “bits and bobs” are revealed; showing off Irene’s playfulness. Irene was born in Blackburn, and has lived all across Melbourne, with her longest stint 50 years living in Heidelberg at a housing commission home which she then went on to purchase. After her children were grown, Irene sold her house and built herself a granny flat at the back of her youngest daughter’s property in Preston.
Following the breakdown of her daughter’s marriage, Irene’s ex son-in-law sold the property which Irene’s unit was at the back of, and Irene found herself without a home. “Things went from worse to worse. He sold the house and sold my unit and left me with nothing. So, it was very stressful at that particular time.” Homeless at 89, Irene was linked up with Housing Choices through her support services. “I came here, and the nicest people are here, they are just wonderful,” said Irene.“I’ve got a new family here.” The past year has also been challenging for Irene due to some complications with her health. “I was down at that time. I’ve had bowel cancer,
which was stage four and I’ve lost mostly all the big bowel. And then just this year, I’ve had my hand done a couple times. And I had cancer in my face taken out and also had my leg operated on. So I was pretty down,” she said. To lift Irene’s spirits, the Preston Housing Team organised a surprise for Irene. Irene is an avid Richmond Football Club supporter, and her apartment is emblazoned with Richmond FC memorabilia. One Sunday, Francis Bourke, an iconic former Richmond footballer who played in the 60s to 80s, knocked on Irene’s door and paid her a visit. “They said to me, are you going to be home on a certain day…as soon as he walked in the door I recognised him,” said Irene.
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