Joan Graham plays with her grandchildren Emma Reedy and Mitchell Graham.
By Sarah Schwager
DEVON Meadows resident Joan Graham has provided a home for 200 children in her 40 years as a foster carer.
She will be awarded a medal for her service to vulnerable children as part of Foster Care Week, which starts this weekend.
Mrs Graham said caring for children had been her way of making life a bit better for someone else.
“I’ve always loved having kids around. It keeps you young,” she said.
Mrs Graham, 64, and her husband Brian, who died four years ago, have fostered kids since she was in her 20s.
She said looking after other children had been a strong part of her family.
Mrs Graham has four children – twins Michelle and Leanne, and Paul and Scott – who are now grown up with their own children.
“My kids often reminisce. There are lots of good memories and there were lots of ups and downs,” Mrs Graham said.
“But the good always outweighs the bad.”
She said she still saw many of her foster kids and was very fond of all of them.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve looked after over 200 children,” Mrs Graham said.
“It’s been really good, though. Some have come for just a few weeks and two-and-a-half years later they’ve left.”
At one time the family housed an extra seven kids.
“It’s amazing how you can make do and survive with beds here and there,” she said.
“My husband was always extremely supportive. He loved the kids just as much as I did.
“That’s the important part, really. You really have to have a supportive partner.”
Following her husband’s death, Mrs Graham still looks after children.
She currently has three kids at her house, aged 15, 14 and five.
“They keep me on my toes,” she said.
Mrs Graham said at the moment she was happy doing what she was doing.
“I can’t see myself without the kids. I’d be lost, absolutely lost,” she said.
Mrs Graham said next year they were even planning a trip to Alice Springs.
She will receive her medal at the Foster Care Celebration Day this Sunday at Collingwood Children’s Farm.
The event is organised by the Foster Care Association of Victoria and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.
Anyone interested in finding out more about foster care can call the Victorian Foster Care Hotline on 1800 013 088.
