Tanunda Lutheran Home’s Selina Schiller never thought the little newsletter she launched decades ago would remain such a favourite today.
Now 95 years of age and a resident herself, Selina recalls hand writing the very first edition of the “Tit Tat” when she was a matron at the aged care facility.
“I just wanted to make sure the people knew what was happening,” Selina told The Leader.
“They would forget, and I’m at that stage too where I keep forgetting, and they appreciated it very much when I did the first one. So we continued.”
An original typed copy of the March 1975 edition is still floating about as well as every one since, but Selina thinks it started well before that, perhaps even in the early 1960s.
“I can’t even remember when I started it!” she said.
“I wrote them all by hand at first.”
Selina wanted to provide residents with a sense of community and connection and now being a resident herself, she is grateful for the newsletter’s arrival each month.
“When I first saw the Tit Tat, I thought well, that’s still going - it horrified me!” she laughed.
“Today, being a different generation, they still look forward to this newsletter so it was a good thing to have started…. If it doesn’t come out on the day, they all say where’s the Tit Tat?”
Mrs Dorcas Kernich, the Tit Tat’s third editor, took over the role in 2007 after Pastor Graham Maas retired.
The 85 year old has since handed over the reins to Mr Geoff Munzberg and has to laugh at what she describes as their “little Micky Mouse” publication which has captured the hearts of so many.
“I used to do it totally by myself… and I loved it. That was my calling I think. I took photos and everything. I did it from A-Z plus a bit more!”
Dorcas was allowed to use an office at the residency, which she fondly called her “cubby place”, to work on the newsletter and is proud to have computerised the process.
“It was my whole life, my family would say don’t ring mum, it’s the end of the month, she’s busy doing the Tit Tat!”
The energetic grandmother of 19 and great-grandmother of 15 with “three still in the oven” said she even had a fan club who lined up at the office eager to get a copy.
“They’d always be there, they were darling fellas! They just couldn’t wait!
“I used to report on events and they’d see their photo in the Tit Tat. I’d add little bits of fill-ins I used to call them, all sorts of stuff just to make it interesting. My aim was to make it light hearted and entertaining.
“I was always aware it was an important document and I do think it’s valuable… People enjoy reading it and it keeps you up to date with what’s going on and keeps residents and their families connected.”
From stories detailing “The Barossa Club” activities and other events within the TLH community; to puzzles, resident’s anniversaries and birthdays, there’s not much that isn’t found within the pages of the Tit Tat.
And whilst the format of the newsletter may have changed from that early handwritten single sheet back in Selina’s day, its heart remains the same.
“It just brightens your day,” Dorcas said.
A new, corporate publication called The Tattler, has now been added to the reading material provided to the Tanunda Lutheran Home community, but Dorcas assures it won’t replace the Tit Tat which has become so central to life of residents.
She is looking forward to continuing her busy lifestyle as a Tit Tat “retiree” and has since volunteered to deliver both publications.
After all, it’s a great excuse to chat and mingle with residents.
“It is the most wonderful place to live… just a wonderful lifestyle,” Dorcas said of her Tanunda Lutheran Home community.
“Yesterday and today I had to cancel something. There’s always something - it’s full on! You never have as many friends as you do when you come here.
“Life is good!”
