Every morning, a western suburbs man puts on a collar and tie and heads off to work. At least, that’s what he tells his wife.
But he doesn’t have a job – he lost it several months before.
It’s just one of the heart-wrenching stories told by those helped by Willing Older Workers (WOW), a West Footscray-based organisation that helps unemployed mature-aged people, senior citizens and their families.
Run entirely by volunteers, WOW was established by Howard and Marilyn King after they identified a desperate need to support mature-aged people who fell through the cracks of the welfare system.
These people often have assets, such as a home or a car, and don’t qualify for benefits such as health care or pension cards, while the mortgage, rates, insurance and utility bills continue to stack up.
This is where WOW comes in. With the assistance of organisations including Foodbank, SecondBite, Corporate Events and Cupcake Central, WOW assembles weekly food packages that are distributed to those in need by a dedicated team of volunteers.
Mrs King said WOW was formed after her husband, who was 62 at the time, was retrenched and unable to get another job, despite 40 years in his trade.
“I was studying documentary making at the time and after seeing him put in job application after job application, I decided to make a documentary on the subject,” she said.
“I did a survey of mature-aged unemployed people and was inundated with stories of mental health problems and suicide attempts.
‘‘I read out some of these stories to my husband and we knew we had to help.
They formed a support group and hosted a morning tea at West Footscray library, West Footscraywhere they heard startling stories about the financial pressures faced by mature-aged jobseekers.
“We asked how many people had stopped taking their medication and hands went up,” she said.
“We asked people what they missed most about not having a job and one woman said fresh fruit, because she couldn’t afford it.
“An out-of-work teacher with a young daughter came to us begging for Christmas lunch and two weeks later she was in emergency suffering from malnutrition. She had a block of land which she couldn’t sell, and for eight months, all she was eating was a bowl of porridge a day.
‘‘It brings tears to your eyes.’’
Mrs King said unemployed mature-aged people were the hidden face of poverty in Australia and called on state and federal governments to provide more incentives for businesses to hire older workers.
With WOW’s weekly deliveries still being shoehorned into Mr King’s trailer and the cars of volunteers, the group is looking to raise $53,000 to purchase a new van.
For more details, or to donate, phone 0477 479 191 or visit www.wow-willingolderworkers.com.au.
If you or anyone you know needs help, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.
