Resident-come-calendar-star fulfils bucket list item, reminisces on favourite holiday

Margaret Scholz with Uniting’s Bettie Taylor fulfilling her wish to visit the Pharaohs Exhibit at The Australian Museum in Sydney. [Source: Supplied]

Ever since she was a little girl, aged care resident Margaret Scholz has been fascinated with all things Egyptian so, naturally, she was thrilled when one of her bucket list items came to fruition with a visit to the Ramses: Gold of the Pharaohs Exhibit at The Australian Museum.

Using funds raised by Uniting Starrett Lodge aged care home’s Movie Magic Calendar – who Ms Scholz featured as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – the 87-year-old former Registered Nurse (RN) was able to reminisce on her time in Egypt, which included dining by the river Nile during her excursion.

Before entering the exhibition with Uniting Lifestyle and Wellness Coordinator Bettie Taylor, Ms Scholz said she was “so excited” as she had wanted to engage in something like this since her trip many years ago.

“I can’t wait to learn more about Ramses as he was the greatest Pharaoh that ever lived! [...] For me, just seeing the artefacts, the jewellery and the artwork is just amazing. You can only imagine how incredible the pyramids looked back then, thousands of years ago,” she said.

The Movie Magic Calendar gained national attention by appearing live on Channel Nine’s Today Show in December last year and since then, sales of the calendar have gone through the roof with almost $2,000 raised so far to fund bucket list opportunities for participating residents.

Ms Scholz as Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. [Source: Supplied]

Ms Taylor said she is working hard behind the scenes to ensure they can facilitate as many bucket list items for the residents as possible.

“It is so exciting for them to be able to do something they’ve always wanted to do and wonderful that we can help make that happen,” she said.

So far, Ms Scholz is the second resident to tick an item off her bucket list thanks to the funds raised from sales of the calendar. David Baines, who featured as Jack Nicholson’s character in the iconic horror movie ‘The Shining’ was able to visit Fighter World, an aviation museum in Newcastle a few weeks ago.

Ms Scholz said it was exciting to be a part of the calendar.

“Dressing up and being photographed like an actual star and then appearing on live television!” she said.

Ms Scholz grew up in Leeton and then moved to the Central Coast to attend high school in Gosford before she became a qualified RN at Hornsby Hospital. She worked at several other hospitals during her career, including Concord Hospital, before retiring in 1990.