Resident Stories

The travel bug bit Yvonne and Eric McKee early in life. They’ve had 19 trips overseas and spent two years in a caravan travelling throughout Australia. Now living in Kanwal, they’ve never had a better place to come home to.

When Trish and Tony decided to move from Lake Macquarie and call Dubbo home, they set their sights on moving into a retirement village.

They knew it was time to give up their big home and move to a retirement village, but they weren’t sure what their children would think of their decision. It turns out everyone was thinking the same.

Jeni Dunn had thought one day she might move into a retirement village, and if she did, she’d do it early. She wanted to be young enough to make the most of the lifestyle on offer. She encourages anyone who asks her for advice to do the same.

Life in the city delivered many wonderful rewards, but life in retirement in Mudgee continues to be richly rewarding for Lynne and Rob Waller.

Now at home in Yeppoon, Edna and John Rambert are a long way from their native South Africa. They came to Australia in 1977 and found what they were looking for, and more.

Heather McColl was a teenager when her parents moved the family to Armidale. They were all warmly welcomed but soon learnt, to be truly considered a ‘local’ they would have to serve a 20-year apprenticeship. Having lived there for most of her life, Heather has well and truly served hers.

Paul Snow has always had an interest in the arts. However, his life offered so many other rewards he didn’t have the opportunity to pick up a paintbrush or a sketching pencil until he retired. He hasn’t stopped painting and sketching since.

Robert and Patricia Seymour have very fond memories of a life well lived. Life in retirement continues to bring them new opportunities to live well, and they couldn’t be happier about that.

Grahame Stroud has enjoyed a sweet life so far. Born 60 km south of Cairns in Babinda, Queensland, into a sugar cane farming family, he followed in his father’s footsteps and worked the cane himself.

Life has been a grand adventure so far for Pam Francis. Born near Ipswich in East Anglia in the UK, she is now enjoying retirement in Mudgee, NSW. The path she took to get there has been generous with its rewards.

Anne Bamforth says she has lived a busy, beautiful life so far… and she clearly has plenty of busy and beautiful living yet to do. Her latest move in retirement is helping to make that happen, despite being in the midst of a global health pandemic.

While growing up in Forbes in New South Wales’ Central West, Julie Anthoness didn’t really know where life would take her. She just knew it was for living, and that’s certainly what she’s still doing even though she’s now in retirement.

Graham and Lorraine O’Dell feel right at home in retirement, but it doesn’t mean they’ve had time for life to slow down.

A tree falling in a storm made Pat Pierson see life very differently. It also resulted in her packing up her home of 59 years and returning to her birthplace. She says she couldn’t be happier with the change

For Laurel and Ben Hall, their home has always been their pride and joy, and it’s the same in retirement.

For Beverly and Graham Bryant, it was love at first sight and it led to a lifetime of wonderful memories. Now in retirement, they are loving their most recent move.

Having spent almost all her life in the bush, Rhonda White is no stranger to putting the kettle on when someone ‘blows in’. Now in retirement and living amongst new friends, that kettle is still getting a workout.

The eldest of five children, Kerri was born in Sydney and loved her lively family life in the suburb of Windsor.

At age 13, her dad, a pharmacist, took a new job in Canberra so the family moved to live there. Kerri loved that too. However, after finishing school the call to follow in her father’s footsteps was so strong, she returned to Sydney to study pharmacy at university.

When Shirley Stainton heard her neighbours and good friends were moving to a new house, she decided she and her husband should too.

Born in Mildura, Victoria in 1935, Shirley is the youngest of six children. With four brothers and one sister, she lived in a very busy household. She completed her primary and secondary schooling in Mildura and then found a job in a local pharmacy.

When they first met, Barbara didn’t think much of Keith, but having just celebrated 53 years of marriage, it proves first impressions can sometimes be very wrong.

Born and bred in Gunnedah, Keith Constable was one of five children in his family raised on a property some 65 kilometres away at a little place by the name of Colly Blue. His dad was a shearer and great horseman; Keith’s dad also had a great love of the land. It turns out Keith is very much a chip off the ol’ block!

How did a wee Scottish lass born in 1944 come to find herself knitting jumpers and more and loving life in Warwick, Queensland in 2019?

Rosemary Rasanen is that lass who journeyed to Australia by ship at seven years of age for what was meant to be a six-year stay. Her father was in the British Army and received a transfer to the Australian Army – it was certainly a very exciting time for the family. So, Rosemary with her mother, father, two sisters and one brother bid a fond farewell to their Celtic homeland.

Happy hours, barbeques and parties, holidays together – these activities are usually reserved for those young in years, but in this case they are just some of the things that are keeping this wonderful group of friends young at heart.