Helping Hands
For over 30 years, Helping Hands has provided domestic and gardening support to seniors and Veterans across the Great Lakes and Manning community.
In FY25, our teams delivered 7,076 hours of care services and completed 3,487 building jobs, part of 63,633 instances of community service across our region – helping more people like Arnold stay safe, connected and independent in their own homes for longer.
A Century of Independence: Arnold's Helping Hands Story
Veteran and Tuncurry resident Arnold Behmer celebrated his 100th birthday in 2025 – a milestone he was able to share in the home he built with his son. Helping Hands has been proud to support Arnold over the years with lawn mowing and domestic assistance, enabling him to remain independent and continue living well at home.
Arnold’s life story is one of service and resilience. As a teenager he enlisted in the Air Force during the Second World War and was employed as a wireless air gunner. After the war, he discovered Tuncurry. “I was living in a caravan and had never been here before. I drove across the bridge – the sky was blue, the water was blue – and I thought, I’ll have a close look at this joint. And that was it.”
His son helped him build his Tuncurry home in 1982, and at the time there were no other houses in his street. “I bought the first block of land off the developer,” he recalls with pride. “If you walk around this house, nearly every piece of furniture I made. All the woodwork, the clock, the tables, the lamps.”
Since the passing of his much-loved wife, Carmel, Arnold has welcomed the regular visits to his home from Helping Hands Care Worker Sue, which he receives through Veterans’ Home Care.
“We’ve got a wonderful working relationship,” Arnold says. “Sue knows exactly what to do. She does work for me that I can’t do as well for myself as she does it. I can do things, but not as well and as efficient”.
Sue describes their relationship much the same way. “If I wash the floors, he’ll vacuum, or we’ll make the bed together. He still does all his own cooking. It’s lovely.”
“It’s terribly important to live in your own home, I don’t want any alternative.”
ARNOLD BEHMER Helping Hands Care Services Client
Arnold’s 100th birthday was a testament to his independence and a life well lived. His family surprised him with a three-day celebration, capped off with a cruise on the Free Spirit with more than 50 loved ones. “It was beautiful. We partied, and then they all came home here for an after-party,” Arnold recalls.
Arnold’s children see the value of the support he receives today: “They’ve been here, and they just say, Dad, you’re lucky to have Sue,” he says. “I don’t consider Sue a worker – I consider her a helper and a friend.”
