Just two days before he died, Nita married her beloved soul mate, Jeff, in a small ceremony at Victor Harbor Hospital.
It was 19 June 2025. After 30 years together, they finally became husband and wife.
“He saved me,” Nita reflected.
For the 52-year-old, who lost her mother at 6, endured abuse growing up and ran away from home at 18, Jeff had been her constant for three decades until he succumbed to cancer.
Facing grief and homelessness
Compounding her grief was also the very real prospect of homelessness with the conclusion of her private rental lease at Carraklinga.
“I had to keep asking the landlord for extensions, but I was preparing myself to be living in a caravan park by Christmas,” Nita said.
A social worker referral to Junction proved a “sliding doors moment”.
Junction helped Nita secure a private rental property in Goolwa and supported her through the financial wellbeing program.
“I had to spend all my savings on removalists and moving,” she said. “I really had to start from scratch, in every sense.”
Finding the right support
Nita’s financial counsellor then suggested another service – the DHS Community Connections Program.
Delivered by Junction in partnership with Skylight Mental Health across the Fleurieu, the Community Connections Program is funded by the South Australian Department of Human Services. Rather than providing ongoing case management, the program focuses on helping people build sustainable social connections by matching them with community groups, activities and local support networks that continue long after the program ends.
For Junction Community Connector Franki Scarfo, helping people starts with understanding what matters most to them.
“When I first spoke with Nita, I noticed she had two different surnames on her paperwork,” Franki said. “That led her to telling me about Jeff and explaining she hadn’t had time to change her name.
“From the outset, I like to understand what’s weighing on people the most because if we can remove some of those immediate barriers, it often opens the door for everything else.”
Removing barriers and honouring memories
For Nita, who suffered a stroke 5 years ago, a key barrier was mobility.
Franki helped organise a replacement tyre for Nita’s mobility scooter and introduced her to the Community Transport SA Program.
She also found Nita a special frame for the couple’s treasured wedding photograph, and assisted her to change her surname to her married name.
“It wasn’t just about the name or the frame,” Franki said. “It was about honouring an incredibly important memory while helping Nita begin looking towards the future.”
Picking herself up
Before he died, Jeff left his Nita one final piece of advice.
“He told me he didn’t want me to drop my bundle,” she recalled. “I said I probably would for a little while, but I’d pick myself up. That’s what I did.”
Her first “real” outing after his death was a Community Connections Christmas lunch hosted at the local Uniting Church.
“I’ve never been good with crowds or lots of people, but I thought if I went with Franki I’d have someone there if I needed to make a quick exit,” Nita said.
Wreath making was among the activities offered to guests on the day.
“I can’t draw or paint for quids, but I’ve always been creative,” she said. “Years ago, I did ceramics and crochet. Wreath making looked interesting.”
Nita left feeling mentally exhausted but also, a little hopeful.
Building a new circle of connection
Six months later, Monday Yarn craft group at the Goolwa Community Centre has become one of the highlights of her week.
She has also found comfort closer to home.
“My neighbours have become like family,” she said. “The daughter and grandson I never had. I wouldn’t have had the confidence to get to know them if I hadn’t taken those initial steps”.
Together with Jeff’s relatives and her growing circle of Community Connections, she is rebuilding a life she once thought had ended.
“Jeff was the ultimate gentleman and love of my life,” Nita said. “The thing I’ve realised is there are good people out there. People do care.
“It’s baby steps, but I’m getting there.”