Female prisoners give aged care residents gift of freedom with donation
Residents at Boronia Pre-Release Centre for Women in Bentley, a southern suburb of Perth, have donated a trishaw bike to Not For Profit partners, Cycling Without Age (CWA) and SwanCare residential aged care.
The centre used a share of almost $35,000 raised at its 2024 Gala Day for the addition to CWA’s fleet to take neighbouring elderly SwanCare residents on free outdoor rides.
The collaboration, which sees Boronia residents trained as volunteer trishaw pilots by CWA supervisors, gives the residents a chance to get outdoors and creates valued social interaction for both the seniors and the women preparing to re-enter the community.
“Nobody quite does volunteering like Boronia,” a Boronia resident said. “Before coming here I’d never volunteered but it makes you want to do more.
“Giving people an experience they don’t usually get because they are limited physically, just being given that trust, changes something in us – it turns us from prisoners into people.”
The program also gives residents something to look forward to beyond their time at Boronia.
“A lot of women will leave here without a job, so it’s great to link them to strong supports through volunteering,” Boronia Manager, Family and Community Services, Susan Andrews said.
“It removes some of the stigma or need to explain where they’re from because they’re already part of the program.”
The bespoke trishaw, which bears Boronia’s name, is the first of its kind assembled in WA.
Boronia’s Gala Day has raised more than $380,000 for various charities since it began in 2005.
