Meet Arthur

Close up of Arthurs face and shoulder looking directly into the camera with a soft smile and large wire rimmed glasses he wears a white shirt and red checked tie

Arthur is 90 years old and has been on the RiDC panel for a number of years.

With an esteemed former career in the hospital pharmaceutical service, he also has a long history of giving back to the community – being involved in voluntary work for over sixty years.

An achievement recognised by Queen Elizabeth II in 1996, awarding him an OBE in her  birthday honours.

Arthur says:

“I've been involved in voluntary work for almost seventy years now and I've always enjoyed it. I enjoy being of service. If someone wants your help and you are able to give it, well it’s a tremendous privilege.”

 

It’s this feeling of giving back and recognising the value of his years, that motivates Arthur to take part in research projects as a member of the Consumer Panel at RiDC.

Arthur says:

“As I got older I became more disabled. Instead of feeling like ‘the world stops and everything passes you by’ I thought ‘Well I can tap into some of the experiences I have’.”

He continues:

“I feel that people my age ought to think of themselves as a resource. A valuable resource that has been built up over many years. People are very often not aware of it themselves and feel like ‘who would want to hear from me?’ but our experiences are of real significance – older people should become aware of it and be encouraged to contribute.”

“The people at RiDC really do want to hear what we say and it’s important for us to say it. We're talking about the sum of parts - all the little fragments can come together and make something significant.”

Arthur finds being a panel member very interesting and ‘good for him’ in many ways. He describes RiDC as ‘caring, responsible and relevant organisation’.