Legacy
Legacy
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Our Love Your Neighbour scheme introduces neighbours in South London who wouldn't have the chance to meet organically. For both older and younger people, it's a chance to learn from another perspective, build a new connection and create regular company and companionship with a neighbour. Georgina, 37 is one of our Love Your Neighbour volunteers and she's written about her volunteering experiences so far...
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Every fortnight I visit a fascinating 88 year old lady and her two carpet-on-legs dogs in Dulwich. We drink tea, sit on the sofa, and chat. My grandparents aren’t around any more and I don’t otherwise meet or get to know older neighbours where I live. I run my own business and it's a great way to take time out.
I love it when she tells stories about her life - what she sees as the golden days - and when she shares her opinion of the world today. It’s great fun and a reminder for me to take the time to hang out with people from different generations, live in the moment and enjoy my life as it is right now. Especially when she tells me how fast time seems to fly for her!
This is a snapshot of her story from what she’s told me. I hope you enjoy the read and maybe it’ll inspire you to join the Love Your Neighbour scheme. It really is a brilliant thing to do - and it's fun and easy to get involved.
Over to 88 years of experience and wisdom…
“There was so much hope at the end of the war. We were optimistic for the future.Governments across Europe were committing money to rebuild their economies and I somehow found myself part of it. I was lucky. At school during the war we had to take our lessons below ground, down in bunkers they’d dug to protect us under our playing fields. It was there I learnt French surrounded by damp earth. I still remember that smell!
Being younger than my sister who was married before the war and lost her husband in action, I emerged from the war unscathed by tragedy and excited for the future. Life was good. Following a short stint working in London I was posted to Geneva because of my French and oh, what an adventure it was.
I lived in a pension run by a strict Madame although I didn’t spend much time there. I soon realised my earnings weren’t going to go far so I found myself a new job offering more. I joined the UN and worked for GATT - the Global Agreement on Tariff & Trade - to get Europe trading again. There was a belief that anything was possible and we could achieve what we wanted. From Europe I transferred to New York and found myself at Harvard one summer on a course to brush up my French. It was there I met my first husband who was one of the course tutors. I have very fond memories of his parents’ summer house on the shores of Lake Eyrie where we used to spend our holidays. I was a bit scared of his mother - she was a formidable woman!
I worry I’m forgetting a lot of this now and I’m sure you don’t want to listen to an old lady like me talking about the old days. They were good times. Luckily that’s what you seem to remember, the good memories not the hardships. Everything seems to go by so quickly - it seems like only yesterday my sons left home. I wish I could have ‘banked’ time.
Everyone is so busy and rushed today. Interactions seem so casual. Do you think people have the same experiences nowadays? Thank goodness I have my dogs Noodle and Polly to keep me company. We always had a lot of animals around us growing up as my mother loved them. I don’t know what I’d do without them. I walk them twice a day and they love sitting on the sofa with me. Would you like another cup of tea, dear?”