There aren’t too many blank spaces in Stenna’s diary. She volunteers at Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre and the RSPCA Op Shop, helps with catering at Drayton Steam Rail, catches up with friends for movies and lunch, spends time with family and fits in plenty of travel.

And when an interesting opportunity comes along, Stenna is usually happy to put her hand up.

Someone once described her as an ‘Eveready battery’ because she never seems to stop. Stenna laughs at the description, but there’s more than a little truth in it.

Her own motto is simpler. “While I can, I will.”

It’s an outlook that says a lot about the life Stenna has created since moving to Oak Tree Retirement Village Darling Heights almost five years ago. It’s one with a home and community to come back to, and plenty happening beyond the village gates.

Finding a home in Toowoomba

Stenna grew up in Cooma in New South Wales before spending around 35 years in Coffs Harbour, where she worked for 25 years at a Catholic college and parish office.

After later moving to Warwick, a separation prompted another change.

Toowoomba had always appealed to Stenna. She had regularly visited for shows at the Empire Theatre, her son was based in the area when he wasn’t working overseas, and she had family in Brisbane.

So when it came time to decide where she wanted to live next, Toowoomba was an easy choice. Finding the right home took a little more thought.

Living on her own, security was important. Stenna looked at townhouses and villas but hadn’t found anything that suited her when she happened to see Oak Tree on Facebook.

Retirement village living hadn’t really been on her radar, but she decided to take a look. That visit changed her perspective.

Stenna invited family and a friend to see the village too, and her granddaughter’s reaction to the villa was particularly reassuring. “Oh yeah, this is you,” she told her. Stenna agreed.

A place to make her own

Having previously experienced body corporate arrangements, Stenna appreciated finding the financial side of Oak Tree more straightforward. She also spoke with an existing resident about his experience before making her decision.

Stenna looked at three villas before choosing an open-plan, two-bedroom home that had everything she needed.

Then she found a wonderfully practical way to work out what furniture to bring. She traced the footprint of pieces including her buffet and dining table onto butcher’s paper, cut out the templates and brought them to the villa.

“I just brought it up and plonked it wherever I wanted it, and I knew everything was going to fit.”

Since moving in, she’s continued making the villa her own. She’s added extra cupboards, replaced the vertical blinds with shutters and extended the flooring through the bedrooms. A keen gardener, she also enjoys having a good-sized yard and patio to indulge her love of gardening.

A life that reaches beyond the village

When Stenna first arrived at Darling Heights, she joined residents for morning teas and Friday evening get-togethers. These days, her calendar is so full she picks and chooses the village activities she wants to attend.

“You can do as much or as little as you want,” she says.

She still sometimes joins the morning teas and heads to the neighbouring Oak Tree village to play cards. But much of Stenna’s week takes her out into the wider Toowoomba community.

At the Empire Theatre, she ushers at everything from live shows to conferences, children’s events, gala evenings and presentations. “I find that really rewarding,” she says.

She’s also approaching five years volunteering at the RSPCA Op Shop, where she works on the front counter, helps customers and dresses the mannequins. More recently, a lifelong interest in trains led her to volunteer at Drayton Steam Rail, helping with catering and wherever else she’s needed.

Those interests have brought new friendships too. One friend from the RSPCA has become a regular companion for movies and lunch. “I have a social life outside of the village as well,” Stenna says.

A home base for whatever comes next

Travel is another important part of Stenna’s life.

She has a friend who shares her love of seeing new places, and there’s usually another trip somewhere on the horizon. Family also takes her regularly between Toowoomba and Brisbane.

Knowing she can simply lock up her villa and go makes those trips easier.

“I can just lock up and go away,” she says. “I know that the place is secure.”

She also knows there are neighbours around who keep an eye out for one another while she’s away.

Almost five years after making Darling Heights her home, Stenna is still filling her life with the people, places and activities that interest her.

Her Oak Tree home is part of that life – a place she’s made distinctly her own, within a community she can enjoy on her own terms.

And with volunteering, family, friends and more travel still calling, Stenna isn’t ready to slow down anytime soon.

“While I can, I will.”

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