“It’s been a good relationship, for both sides I’d say,” Mrs Trillo says, “For me it’s been very satisfying, but I’m 55 now and I really didn’t want to be a senior citizen myself when I leave.”

Mrs Trillo started a quarter century ago as the Redwood Senior Citizens Hostess. Today her card says she is an Activities Coordinator.

In the beginning, the Trillos’ three sons were young. The position didn’t pay, but it came with a flat at the back of the old St Lukes Manse on Main North Road.

“There was already a housing complex next door and the Council bought the land to build more cottages. They decided the manse was too good to bowl over and that it would be good for a kind of community centre, with a meeting space and places for the older people for bowls, darts, cards and so on. In those early days the centre had around 85 members.

“We lived there for nine years, until the boys got older and started with the cars,” she says. “They were quiet kids, good kids, but I was still worried they might disturb people so we moved out and I carried on in the job with a kind of honorarium from the Council. It’s been 16 years on that part-time kind of basis and I think it’s suited both sides pretty well.”

About seven years ago the manse was knocked down. It had become too expensive to maintain. The Council trucked in ap refab which had been the Service Centre at Northlands.

Travel has been an important part of Mrs Trillo’s life during her time with the Redwood Centre. She once led a seniors’ tour to Australia.

“Part of the deal was that if you came you had to ride a camel,” she says. “They all did. I think the oldest camel rider we had was 80 years old. We’ve had a lot of fun over the years and my boys grew up with the old people.”

Mrs Trillo now has nine grandchildren (“maybe 10 by the time this is printed”) and a huge garden to keep her busy and she intends to keep indulging her travel bug.