{"id":3981,"date":"2025-02-07T15:40:12","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T04:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/?p=3981"},"modified":"2026-06-16T15:52:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T05:52:10","slug":"fiona-faces-her-fears-in-the-mountains-of-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/faces-of-melba-2\/fiona-faces-her-fears-in-the-mountains-of-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Fiona faces her fears in the mountains of Italy\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"3981\" class=\"elementor elementor-3981\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f0b01c4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5f0b01c4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b60c9f8 e-con-full home-banner e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b60c9f8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7ef7d482 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-laptop__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet_extra__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7ef7d482\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Fiona faces her fears in the mountains of Italy\u00a0<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-77cc3ead elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"77cc3ead\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-f88c87c elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time> 7 February 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5e164342 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5e164342\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5579643c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5579643c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-139cde link elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"139cde\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We all have things we don\u2019t like or are hesitant to do. Things that give us the heebeejeebees, in other words. For some, it might be flying in a plane, especially when taking off or landing, for others it could be something as simple as giving blood.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever it is, we all have them and Fiona is no different. Fiona\u2019s fear is stairs. She just doesn\u2019t feel safe and secure climbing stairs \u2013 or at least she never used to.<\/p>\n<p>That all changed in May this year in the most unlikely of places \u2013 Italy! Fiona was part of a six-person, 11-day trip to Italy, organised by Melba\u2019s Leisure and Recreation team.<\/p>\n<p>The trip, which took Fiona through some of the country\u2019s most beautiful and historic cities, presented Fiona with a lot of stairs to negotiate. Italy, with its ancient ruins, grand palaces and winding cobblestone streets, can be a challenge for even the most seasoned traveller.<\/p>\n<p>But for Fiona, it became the backdrop to an incredible personal transformation. Melba\u2019s Leisure and Recreation Outcomes Lead, Davide Scagliarini, one of two support workers who accompanied the group, said one of the highlights of the adventure was seeing Fiona\u2019s confidence grow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the start of the trip, when we came across some stairs, Fiona would hang on to the rail for dear life and didn\u2019t really want to go up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3983\" src=\"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SHALLOW-IMAGE-5-300x98.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SHALLOW-IMAGE-5-300x98.png 300w, https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SHALLOW-IMAGE-5.png 736w\" alt=\"\" width=\"756\" height=\"247\" \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe had to be helped up very slowly, but by the end of the trip she was climbing the stairs on her own with no fear whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fiona agrees that one of the unforeseen benefits of that 11 day odyssey was the personal growth she experienced. \u201cI never liked climbing stairs,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t worry about them now. I feel much more confident. I even climbed up the mountains!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The trip to Italy was special for another reason, too \u2013 Fiona celebrated her 51st birthday in one of the world\u2019s most iconic cities, Venice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was definitely a highlight,\u201d she said with a smile. Davide says the benefits to travelling overseas extend beyond basic sightseeing \u2013 it takes people out of their comfort zone and embeds a deep sense of friendship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re travelling overseas you have to be super organised,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to be ready to go at a certain time each morning and work together as a team sometimes, people aren\u2019t used to that, but they adapt very easily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Davide said another benefit the holiday provided was a shared sense of camaraderie. Spending an extended period of time together brought the group closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe other great thing is the socialising,\u201d he said. \u201cTo see the joy on people\u2019s faces is incredible. The excitement and happiness is contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3985\" src=\"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SHALLOW-IMAGE-6-300x98.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 759px) 100vw, 759px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SHALLOW-IMAGE-6-300x98.png 300w, https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SHALLOW-IMAGE-6.png 736w\" alt=\"\" width=\"759\" height=\"248\" \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fiona\u2019s connection to Melba runs deeper than taking holidays. Her brother Doug credits Melba for changing her life.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cFiona has been with Melba for many years now,\u201d Doug said. \u201cBefore she got involved she was very shy and wouldn\u2019t say much. Now she\u2019s much more confident around people.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cFiona lives on her own and that can get a little lonely so the friends and connections she has made at Melba are very important to her.\u201d\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fiona spends each Friday at Community Connections doing a range of activities and Doug says \u201cit\u2019s been a great thing for her\u201d.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThe people at Melba have been so good to her, I couldn\u2019t be more grateful,\u201d he said. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019m hoping Fiona might choose to spend two days a week at Melba next year. It\u2019s just been the making of her. She\u2019s a different person.\u201d\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Away from Melba, Fiona enjoys a range of hobbies. She loves to cook, listen to music \u2013 especially ABBA \u2013 watch movies and attend musicals. And she\u2019s no stranger to hard work, either; Fiona has been working three days a week at Coles for the past 19 years.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fiona\u2019s journey through life \u2013 whether at work, at home, socialising at Melba or climbing mountains in Italy \u2013 reminds us that challenges, no matter how daunting, can be overcome with persistence, courage and a little bit of adventure.\u202f\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fiona\u2019s story isn\u2019t just about conquering her fear of stairs; it\u2019s about embracing life with an open heart and a sense of wonder, ready for whatever comes next.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-684a4edb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"684a4edb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a23f6b5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2a23f6b5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61e23389 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"61e23389\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Share<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e61d35c elementor-share-buttons--view-icon elementor-share-buttons--skin-flat elementor-share-buttons--shape-circle elementor-share-buttons--color-custom elementor-grid-0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-share-buttons\" data-id=\"6e61d35c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"share-buttons.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div 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