By Mitchell Clarke
The birthday of Evergreen Retirement Village’s first resident was celebrated in style, with a very famous movie character paying a visit.
The village matriarch, Enid McFarlane, turned 89 on Monday 11 May, but her Evergreen family was determined to not let Covid-19 rain on her parade.
With the help of resident funny man Noel Lake, disguised as Mrs Doubtfire, residents walked over to Mrs McFarlane’s home to sing and have cake.
“Her face lit up like a Christmas tree, she was absolutely over the moon,” Evergreen manager Annie Roberts said.
“She definitely shed a few tears but she absolutely loved it.”
Mrs McFarlane was the first resident at the retirement village, moving in with her husband Jack in 2009 when the village was first built.
Jack sadly died a short time after moving in, but Enid remained, and is now a much-loved and respected member of the community.
“If I could have a second mum, it’d probably be her,” Ms Roberts explained.
“She’s just a beautiful soul. She never has a bad word to say about anybody.
“She’s an amazing person and everybody loves Enid.”
During the celebration, Noel performed a song and dance from the hugely popular Mrs Doubtfire movie, which brought some much needed joy to the residents.
“We try and do something every week to entertain the residents. This time Mrs Doubtfire came to mind and as usual, Noel jumped on board,” Ms Roberts said.
“He’s such a good sport, we’re only a small village but this sort of thing provides so much joy.
“For us, this is a family and we try to do what we can for them, especially throughout these times. It’s an absolute privilege to watch the residents smile.”
With experience as a dancer, Ms Robert taught Noel a special dance routine for him to perform as he took the bins out.
“I’m impressed, he’s a star pupil,” she laughed.
“He can definitely borrow my shoes anytime.”
