Purpose is doing something worthwhile

Twice a week you can find Jim Cannard helping out with household chores at Willow Fern Cottage Respite.

Jim is a great help in the yard in particular, sweeping up leaves and watering the garden, and he recently helped to build a small greenhouse for growing produce.

“You’re looking to make sure things run well and people are comfortable,” Jim said.

Growing up in country Victoria, Jim worked with his five brothers and sister on many of the chores around the house and the farm.

He started his formal career as a salesperson for farm chemicals, before meeting his wife Nellie at a party in Cressy, about 70km from Geelong.

They had four children and Jim worked for Chrysler for a time before he and Nellie bought and ran the local post office.

Jim also drove the school bus.

“The kids were very good, because if it was a warm day or something and they started to play up a bit I’d give them an ice cream,” he said.

Eventually Jim decided he wanted to do something different, so he and Nellie left their adult children in Victoria and moved to Murray Bridge to run a music store selling a wide range of artists and albums.

He finished his career working at the local correctional facility for 23 years.

Throughout his life Jim has achieved a sense of purpose by “doing something worthwhile”, from crops and harvests to getting everything in order, or even just helping out around the house.

His biggest achievement though, with Nellie’s constant support of course, has been his family.

The family has always been important to Jim, including his eight grandchildren, and they keep in touch regularly despite the distance.

Jim and Nellie also continue to attend Mass every Sunday, where Jim said he has a “good yak” with friends.