Honouring Wisdom,
Holding Peace
Stephanie Buckland, Chief Executive Officer, Amana Living
Easter and ANZAC Day invite us to listen deeply to the generations who have long understood the value of peace, reconciliation, and community
This season calls us to reflect not only on the past, but on the enduring wisdom offered by older West Australians, wisdom shaped by experience, reflection, and a lifelong commitment to understanding one another.
Easter draws us into the gentle mystery of peace formed through hardship, reconciliation taking root after times of difficulty, and hope re‑emerging where it once seemed distant. As Christians, we proclaim that Christ’s resurrection transforms the human heart, turning us toward compassion, patience, and renewed relationship.
ANZAC Day, arriving soon after Easter, extends this reflection. It is a solemn moment for our nation when we honour courage and service and also consider the responsibility we each carry in nurturing a more peaceful world.
In aged care, we are privileged to be surrounded by older people, including veterans, long‑serving community members, those whose lives have crossed continents, and have spent decades championing the values of respect, understanding, and harmony.
In today’s world, where global conflicts, including the violence currently affecting the Middle East, weigh heavily on hearts and communities, such wisdom feels especially important. Many older West Australians remind us that peace is not achieved through grand gestures, but through everyday attitudes: listening before speaking, choosing patience over anger, and seeking common ground even when viewpoints differ.
At Amana Living, we see this lived wisdom expressed in the simplest and most meaningful ways. Some residents who served in Australia’s defence forces speak not about conflict itself, but about what service taught them: the importance of discipline, loyalty, and respect for others. One resident, Peter, who still wears his beret with its military badge to Club Kinross, often reflects on how serving alongside people from different backgrounds strengthened his belief in dignity, fairness, and community.
Others share wisdom shaped by lives spent working beyond Australia’s shores. Michael, who spent more than 30 years as a seaman in the Merchant Navy, speaks warmly about the close‑knit communities formed at sea, where people relied on one another across cultures and nationalities. For him, peace is grounded in cooperation, mutual reliance, and shared purpose, lessons he enjoys passing on to staff and fellow clients.
There are also clients whose perspectives come from growing up during times of global uncertainty or migration. While their experiences differ, many speak with gratitude about safety, our multicultural community, and Australia’s capacity to bring people together. Their reflections centre not on division, but on the importance of harmony, fairness, and treating others with respect.
Our teams recognise and honour this wisdom. Each Easter and ANZAC Day, chaplains and lifestyle staff support residents to commemorate in ways that are meaningful to them, through services, shared reflections, or quiet moments of remembrance. These small but thoughtful acts carry wisdom forward, reinforcing values that help shape a more peaceful society.
The Easter message calls us to be people of reconciliation. The ANZAC legacy asks us to remember, learn, and strive for a better future. Together, they remind us that peace is both a gift to cherish and a responsibility to uphold.
This Easter season and ANZAC Day, may we honour the wisdom entrusted to us by older West Australians. And may their steady example inspire us to the quiet and courageous work of peace: in our homes, our communities, and our hearts.