Malcolm shares that Brisbane Common Ground is his first home away from home. “I lived with my adopted parents and my other four brothers up until I moved here four years ago,” says Malcolm. “I am one of the original tenants and came here when the building first opened.”
Malcolm explains that it was lucky that he got the place when he did, because the day after he had his first interview, his mum had a mini stroke. His parents ended up having to sell the family home and move into a retirement village. “Mum is 82 and Dad is 84,” shares Malcolm. “I like it here, but I’m still missing where I used to live in Moorooka,” he adds nostalgically. Even though he misses his old home, Malcolm does think that moving into his own place has given him more independence. “When I lived at home, mum did all the cooking. Here, I’ve learnt how to cook my own meals. I’ve also made some friends here.”
Malcolm says it is still easy for him to catch a train to work at Rocklea where he has worked as a Packer for Wesley Mission for the last 10 years. “I catch the train from South Brisbane. It takes about 20 minutes – it’s not that far.” Malcolm enjoys his work and interacting with his fellow co-workers. “There are about 60 or 90 of us working there, but not all at once. Some work five days, some work three, some work four, some work two and one guy works only one day.”
On weekends Malcolm looks forward to ten pin bowling every Saturday at Logan City with his regular team, though he reckons he’s been off his game for the last couple of weeks. “I’ve just been worried about one of my friend’s mother – she’s had an accident and is quite unwell. Her daughter and I went to primary school together.” But all in all, Malcolm says he’s a pretty experienced player and shares that his ten pin bowling has given him the opportunity to travel around the state to take part in the Disability League Competition.
Malcolm also likes to visit his parents at Sunnybank every few weeks. “Mum has a walker, so it’s a bit hard for her to get around. But Mum is the only one who cuts my beard,” Malcolm laughs. “She’s got an old pair of clippers, old shears. Three of my brothers have got beards and mum always trims them. So I need to visit my mum cause I need to get this done,” Malcolm says with a big grin as he tugs on his beard.
