Meals on Wheels 50 years in Kiama

The Women’s Volunteer Service founded meals on Wheels in England in 1943 for Civil Defence. The primary purpose was to assist frail older people who wanted to stay in their own homes.

In 1953, a Mrs E. Watts started pedalling her tricycle around South Melbourne, delivering meals to the needy. In 1954, Doris Taylor launched the service in South Australia, and in 1957, Sydney City Council launched Meals on Wheels in NSW. Volunteers prepared 150 meals in the Sydney Town Hall in the first week, with each meal costing 2 shillings (20 cents today) to produce. In 1987, Meals on Wheels NSW peak body was established.

The first meals were delivered in Kiama in September 1970. Mrs Duggan of Shoalhaven Street, who was 93 years old, was the first person in Kiama to receive a meal, along with seven others that first week. Marion Witheridge was the Secretary of the Kiama Meals on Wheels during the first year of operations and was one of the original volunteers. The current Vice President, Anne Dawes, was also an original volunteer. Both of these ladies have been delivering meals in Kiama since the beginning of Meals on Wheels, and are still doing so today. In the 1970s, meals cost 65 cents to make and clients paid 70 cents per meal.

In 1972, the Lions Club raised $1690 to donate to Kiama Meals on Wheels to purchase a Mini Clubman panel van. In the early days, the meals were cooked at the hospital, and the Kiama Hospital built a garage to house the van. The meals were good, country style, wholesome cooking. During the 1980s, the Kiama Leagues Club started preparing meals, and volunteers started delivering Sunday meals to people unable to prepare their own. In 2001, the Leagues Club took over the preparing of meals from the Illawarra Area Health Service.

The book 'Kiama Meals on Wheels: a short history 1970-2010' by Helen Parker relives some of the stories and changes to the attitudes of the Committee and the clients over the years. The idea of substituting juice for fruit, and using frozen meals was not welcome at all back in 1999-2000. Now frozen meals are very common!

The library holds a copy of the book if you would like to find out more about our wonderful Meals on Wheels service.

The Meals on Wheels Mini panel van they purchased with the $1,690 that was raised and donated by the Kiama Lions Club in April 1972

Rhonda Tuohy delivering meals to Verna Anscombe in 2001.

The Kiama Meals on Wheels kitchen in Brown St, Kiama.

The first person to receive a meal from Kiama Meals on Wheels was 93 year old Mrs Duggan.