When Joy and her husband decided it was time to downsize, the choice came naturally.

“The house and yard were getting too much,” she recalls. “One day, my husband came in from mowing the lawn and said, ‘I’m not doing that again.’ We knew it was time to make a change – and when we looked at Oak Tree, we fell in love with it.”

“It’s not too big, the gardens are beautiful, and the homes aren’t on top of each other.”

At first, they worried about being too close to neighbours or losing their sense of privacy. But those concerns quickly faded.

“We’re part of a very caring and friendly community where people respect each other’s space,” Joy says.

“It’s the best of both worlds – company when you want it, and peace when you don’t.”

A life filled with family and friendship

Joy’s days are busy and full. She plays cards, including Bridge, and enjoys regular morning teas and lunches with both her “old friends” and her new Oak Tree neighbours.

With plenty of family in town, she also loves spending time with her grandchildren and her great-grandchild – sometimes even babysitting.

“Before we moved in, two of the grandkids wanted to know which room was going to be theirs,” she laughs.

Freedom, security and support

“The number one thing is the security of a gated community,” Joy says. “And we don’t have to do a thing. If you want to look after your own garden, you can – but if not, someone will do it for you. Management is always accommodating.”

Joy’s advice for others

“Do it before it’s too late,” she says. “If we were much older, it would have been harder. But you’ve also got to be ready – we came at the right time for us.”

And if she could give her younger self a piece of advice? “Travel sooner! We’ve travelled a lot and loved every minute of it.”

To find out more about what living looks like at Oak Tree Retirement Village Dubbo, visit oaktreegroup.com.au/location/dubbo or call 1300 367 155.