I have been volunteering for Orange Sky at Cairns Villas for nine months and have absolutely loved connecting with our fantastic friends on the orange chairs each week.
There are two friends in particular that our Saturday team of volunteers have become very close to; Jane, 73 and Ghana, 31. The pair have been coming to Orange Sky to do their washing and enjoy conversation since the commencement of operations at Cairns Villas.
Despite living in close proximity to each other, Jane and Ghana had not made a connection prior to Orange Sky’s arrival at their location. So you can imagine my surprise when I arrived at shift one Saturday morning to have Jane and Ghana tell me that they are in fact related! Their joy was palpable and of course I couldn’t wait to hear their tale.
The story begins with a visit from Ghana’s Uncle Torres, who had travelled from Darwin to Cairns to attend a family funeral. Whilst he was visiting Ghana and her family, Torres mentioned that his brother and sister in law lived nearby and he wanted to visit them while he was in Cairns.
What transpired after her Uncle’s visit was a series of ‘sliding door’ type events that led Ghana to form the belief that her Uncle Torres might also be Jane’s brother in law.
The very next Orange Sky shift, with the suspicion that they might be connected through family, Ghana sat down next to Jane on our orange chairs and asked if she knew someone named Torres Momoa. Jane responded in the affirmative, that Torres was her brother-in-law of 40 years. Ghana then explained that Torres was also her Uncle, meaning that she and Jane were family.
To say that Jane and her husband Ted were elated to discover unknown relatives right on their doorstep is the understatement of the year. They said; “We’re able to add a niece, a nephew (Ghana and her husband) and another 7 ‘grandchildren’ (their kids) to the family.”
The relationship between Jane and Ghana has continued to blossom, growing in love and respect each week. It has been a privilege for our Saturday morning team to have played a small part in witnessing the development of this amazing connection. It reinforces the power of what can be achieved by bringing communities together on the orange chairs and we are all richer for the experience.
I consider it an honour to be an Orange Sky volunteer and know with experiences such as these that I receive far more than I give.
If you’ve got a story to share from shift, we’d love to hear from you!
