A tribute to Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford was a founding member of HANZA and our first life member.
Joan passed away on 15 March 2023, on her own terms surrounded by her family. She holds a special place in many hearts in the Homeshare community, particularly those of the founding members of Homeshare in Victoria.
When Joan joined the original Homeshare Committee in 1998, she brought with her 20 years of experience in aged care and housing related issues. She worked as a volunteer with the Homeshare team for our first 10 years.
Joan was keenly aware of the desire of older people to age in their own homes and stay in their communities. It was from this perspective that Joan supported and believed in the work to establish Homeshare as a viable housing option.
Joan’s contribution to the establishment and growth of the Melbourne Homeshare program was enormous. In true Joan fashion, she unobtrusively guided and influenced how the program developed and how our team worked.
Left to right:
Denise Cooper, Homeshare Coordinator,
Beris Campbell, Homeshare Manager,
Shirley Anderson, HANZA President and
Joan Crawford, HANZA Board Member.
She was a reliable sounding board for little or big issues, a lateral thinker and problem solver. Joan would bring a fresh set of eyes to the trickiest of problems and offer suggestions and solutions. This was invaluable in the critical first years of our Homeshare journey.
In the first two years, it was just Joan and I in the MECWA offices. I treasured the few days a week she was in the office volunteering, helping with every aspect of the program. She was one of those people who could see what needs to be done before being asked to do it.
One of the most effective training methods for newly recruited Homeshare coordinators, was to sit them in a room with Joan. The recruits would listen to her match monitoring calls with householders and homesharers, take notes, and then discuss the calls with her. Watching Joan in action was better than any training video!
Joan has been recognised for her tireless efforts and successes in aged care, particularly her advocacy work at the South Melbourne Council. She has been acknowledged with an Order of Australia, Public Service Medal for Services to Aged Care and the Rotary Club’s Jock Andrews Award for Vocational Services to Older People.
Joan’s contribution to HANZA and the community was momentous, and we will be forever in her debt.
Beris Campbell OAM, HANZA Life Member and Homeshare International Trustee
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