Mar 01, 2024

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

Untitled design - 2024-03-01T103857.686
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. 

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.

Untitled design - 2024-03-01T104123.137
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.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

“We have got to the desperate stage now”: Elderly couple faces homelessness after government rejects request

An elderly couple who were due to move to Victoria this week to be closer to family while they overcome serious health issues are now at risk of being left with nowhere to live, after the Victorian government refused them entry from NSW. Read More

Sammy’s long road to recovery led to the perfect destination

After finding herself on the receiving end of a nasty collision in peak hour traffic, Sammy saw her career put on hold as she tackled the challenging task of long-term recovery from severe whiplash.  Read More

#OlderWomenCount campaign demands we must respect older women more

This International Women’s Day, artists and older people advocacy groups have banded together to start the #OlderWomenCount social media campaign, aimed to change culture, combat inequalities and promote respect for older women.  Read More
Advertisement