Dario Muso is a man of logic and reality.  Of dealing with facts backed up by data.  So, on a hot February day, as he marched in the Midsumma Parade in his Uniting AgeWell rainbow dove T-shirt alongside other staff, and felt the warmth and support from the onlookers as many reached out to say “thanks for supporting my elderly parents”, he felt a surge of emotion that defied explanation.

“It was the most amazing experience of my life,” says the Care Organiser at the Loddon Mallee South Home Care Office.  “There I was, marching with my partner Ric and complete strangers were showering us with gratitude and affection.  They didn’t just accept me.  They celebrated me.”

And this acceptance is huge for Dario, who is delighted to have been invited to create impact and change by sharing his lived experience and joining the UA Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

“I’m an extrovert by nature but my sexuality has always been private,” explains the 61-year-old.  “I’m not embarrassed about being gay, I have simply been concerned about whether it would affect the way people treated me.  And this magical moment in the parade, put all my fears to rest once and for all.”

Now he’s a man on a mission, and is helping organise Uniting AgeWell’s representation at the Castlemaine Pride Day on 20 April, which coincides with the organisation expanding its services in the central Goldfield region.

Could your lived experience inspire someone else to make a difference?  
Express your interest in being involved in the Diversity and Inclusion Committee by emailing diversity@unitingagewell.org.

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