October 2026 | Our New Beginning ❤️
WE’VE MOVED! AND YES, WE’RE STILL TALKING TO EACH OTHER! 😂
After ten long months of planning, organising, negotiating, worrying, praying, pulling our hair out and occasionally wondering whether we had completely lost our minds, WATERFALLS TRUST HAS FINALLY MOVED!
And believe me, moving an entire old age home is not for the faint-hearted!
The residents have a beautiful new home, and the trustees have aged approximately 30 years in the process! But would we do it all again for our residents? In a heartbeat! (Although preferably not until we’ve recovered!) 😂
There have been moments of laughter, tears, frustration and sheer exhaustion, but through it all, one thing kept us going — knowing that we were doing this for our wonderful residents.
We have officially said goodbye to Waterfalls and hello to our beautiful new home in Marlborough.
And what an adventure it has been!
Why Did We Move?
For far too long, our residents have been living in isolation, not because they wanted to, but because of circumstances beyond their control.
The dreadful roads, enormous trucks, ETs and endless traffic made getting in and out of Waterfalls something of an extreme sport!
A simple trip to the shops could turn into an expensive expedition, and an inDrive fare sometimes made you wonder whether you were being driven to the shops or flown to Victoria Falls!
Sadly, friends and family found visiting increasingly difficult, and organising social events became a challenge.
We will always be grateful to those wonderful, dedicated souls who braved the roads to bring our residents joy through their lovely teas and visits. You have no idea how much those little gestures meant.
But the truth is, our residents’ world had become far too small.
And we decided it was time to do something about it!
A New Home, A Whole New World!
We sold Waterfalls as we knew it and invested in a lovely property in Marlborough, bringing our residents closer to shops, entertainment, family, friends and, most importantly, civilisation!
Suddenly, the possibilities are endless.
Shopping at Westgate one week, Borrowdale the next and Arundel the week after. A coffee date with a friend, a trip to the movies or simply an outing for a change of scenery.
With an inDrive potentially costing as little as US$5, our residents can once again enjoy some of life’s simple pleasures.
And family and friends can now visit without packing sandwiches, a spare tyre and an overnight bag for the journey! 😂
But joking aside, this move has never been about fancy buildings or beautiful surroundings.
It has always been about giving our residents back their independence, dignity, freedom and quality of life.
Our elderly deserve so much more than simply a roof over their heads. They deserve friendship, laughter, companionship, adventure and the opportunity to enjoy every precious day.
Change Is Never Easy ❤️
We fully understand that leaving a place you have called home for many years can be frightening and emotional.
There have been tears, uncertainty and perhaps a few mutterings about whether the trustees have finally gone completely mad!
But as the boxes are unpacked, the curtains go up and everyone begins to settle in, we hope our residents will see what we have envisioned all along.
A place where friendships flourish, laughter fills the air and life can be enjoyed again.
We haven’t taken their home away. We’ve opened the door to a wonderful new chapter of living.
And who knows? We might even have a few residents who become social butterflies and are never home when we go looking for them! 😂
Our Heroes Without Capes — THANK YOU! ❤️
Now comes the most important part of this newsletter.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU!
Those two little words seem terribly inadequate when we think of the extraordinary kindness, generosity and support we have received.
This move would simply not have been possible without the wonderful people and organisations who believed in our dream and helped turn it into reality.
Some gave financially, some donated goods, some gave their time, some offered encouragement, and others simply answered the phone when they probably knew it was us asking for something else! 😂
But every contribution, large or small, has meant the world to us.
To Round Table
What an extraordinary gift you have given us!
Your incredibly generous donation of a solar power system has been an absolute blessing.
In a country where electricity sometimes seems to have a mind of its own, you have given our residents something truly invaluable — reliable power and peace of mind!
We cannot begin to express how much this means to us.
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for helping us keep the lights on, quite literally! ❤️
To Elsie and Kingsmead
Thank you so much for the beautiful bath mats.
They may seem like a simple item, but they are such an important part of making our residents’ new homes comfortable, safe and welcoming.
Your thoughtfulness and generosity are deeply appreciated.
And let’s face it, at our age, we would much rather have our residents standing safely on their bath mats than practising their ice-skating skills in the shower! 😂
To Georgette
Thank you for the lovely curtains that have helped transform our new premises into a proper home.
It’s amazing what a difference curtains can make. Suddenly, a room feels warmer, cosier and so much more personal.
Your generosity has helped give our residents that wonderful feeling of belonging.
We are enormously grateful. ❤️
To the 2nd John Mack Trust
Where do we even begin?
A very special and heartfelt thank you for your continued generosity, kindness and unwavering support.
You have stood beside Waterfalls Trust and our residents through so much, always willing to lend a helping hand, offer support and make a difference.
You are not simply supporters of Waterfalls Trust. You have become part of our extended family.
There is something incredibly comforting about knowing that, when the going gets tough, there are wonderful people who genuinely care.
And believe me, over the past ten months, the going has certainly been tough!
Your compassion and commitment to the wellbeing of our elderly residents mean more than words can express.
To every single person involved with the 2nd John Mack Trust, please know how deeply you are valued and appreciated. We are truly blessed to have you walking this journey with us. ❤️
To All Our Other Wonderful Supporters
There are simply too many of you to mention individually, and I would hate to leave anyone out.
To those who donated, transported, carried, cleaned, painted, fixed, organised, encouraged, prayed and generally helped keep us sane — THANK YOU!
To those who answered our endless questions, put up with our changing plans and somehow managed to smile through the chaos — you deserve medals!
And possibly a very large glass of something cold! 😂
But seriously, please never underestimate the difference your kindness has made.
You have not simply helped us move furniture or prepare a building.
You have helped us give a group of elderly people a new beginning, renewed independence and the opportunity to enjoy life again.
That is a gift beyond measure.
Our Official Opening — Coming Soon! 🎉
As much as we would have loved to throw open our doors and celebrate our new home with all our wonderful friends and supporters, we have unfortunately had to postpone our official opening.
As anyone who has ever moved house will know, there are always a few unexpected surprises along the way. Now imagine moving an entire old age home! 😂
We still have a few i’s to dot, t’s to cross and creases to iron out — and believe me, there are enough creases around here already without adding any more! 🤣
But rest assured, once everything is in place, the dust has settled and we can finally find the kettle amongst the boxes, we will announce a new date for our official opening!
We cannot wait to welcome you all, show you what your generosity and support have helped us achieve, and celebrate this wonderful new chapter together.
Watch this space — the best celebrations are worth waiting for! ❤️🎉
Upwards, Onwards and Hopefully No More Moving Trucks! 😂
As we begin this exciting new chapter, we look forward to sharing our news, celebrations, birthdays, adventures and, knowing our residents, probably a few amusing stories along the way!
We would love to keep all our friends, families, donors and supporters involved through a monthly Waterfalls Trust newsletter.
Would you like to receive a copy each month?
Please let me know and we will gladly add you to our mailing list.
We hope you will continue to be part of our journey, because without people like you, Waterfalls Trust would simply not be what it is today.
And finally, from me personally, thank you.
Thank you for believing in our vision, for trusting us, for supporting us and for helping us give our residents the dignity, happiness and quality of life they so richly deserve.
We may have changed our address, but our hearts, our purpose and our commitment to our residents remain exactly the same.
Here’s to new beginnings, happy memories, plenty of laughter and, God willing, a little less stress for the trustees!
With love, laughter and enormous gratitude,
Debbie Victor
Managing Trustee
Waterfalls Trust Old Age Home ❤️
New home. New adventures. Same caring hearts. And hopefully, no more packing boxes! 😂