 | “We bought the house here in December 05 and had it as a weekender. My sister-in-law and friends of ours are in here too. We saw the ad for the village in the Sunday Times and all went down to have a look. We were in Parkerville on 5 acres, which always requires maintaining and the bushfires were also a fear. And you can’t leave 5 acres for weeks on end. Now we can go away for weeks and everything is safe and secure.
We were looking to do it for our retirement. We’ve got a lot of friends in similar situations and they have checked out other retirement villages. This is not a retirement type home and there are good facilities and good resale if necessary. We have got friends in High Wycombe and Busselton and they saw what we have done and are doing the same thing. The village administration people are really great and our salesperson was really good too.
It has freed up some money to go on a few trips and we are enjoying the facilities. I’m painting for an old time musical for the theatre group in the community, which entertains and raises some money, and Ted plays bowls and darts. There is plenty to do, and it doesn’t intrude on your life.’’
Corinne and Ted |
 | “I’ve only been here two months and I am very happy. I absolutely love it. I have been divorced for 10 years and have been buying houses, doing them up and selling them. I have had enough of that and I thought that, with an economical slump possibly coming, I needed to settle down.
Lifestyle villages will become more expensive and I wanted the company of people and facilities. I was also able to bring my dog, Chloe. The whole process of coming to the village was great. Everyone has the same, bright attitude. I didn’t want a brick and tile, closed house where you don’t deal with everyone else. I wanted a cottage atmosphere.
I go to the gym and then the pool, and I also use the spa and sauna. I have ‘beat the feet’ dancing classes on Monday night and then dance on Wednesday night. I am also coaching lawn bowls, and I will be getting involved with the lawn bowls scroungers.
The village has trips booked everywhere, and the gardening group up the back has just had its first harvest and sold its first veggie. We are just starting to get committees going. I have got a trip booked on a cruise around New Zealand in January, and then around Alaska in August. I’ve got a campervan too, so I plan to go around with that later.’’
Dale |
 | “We were in Mindarie Keys on the marina and then we came to Mandurah on the estuary, but we couldn’t cope with all the chores. We were always driving past the village and we thought: ‘what are all those coloured boxes’. We were a bit nervous to start with, but my husband has a severe medical problem and it has been the best thing we ever did.
It’s about adapting yourself – getting rid of all your junk and streamlining your life. If we had left it any longer, the packing would have been horrific. You’ve got support around if you need it, and no chores to do. I had a bad fall a while ago and we had lots of people asking how they could help, which is great.
We went to all the other lifestyle villages, but with National Lifetyle Villages we have our own block and fence, and we can have our own little dog. We did do some alterations with our house. It is perfect for us and everything worked out very well. The village manager could not have been more helpful. They might not be brick, but they are not all joined together, and once you’re inside the houses they are excellent.
We wanted to be near the clubhouse. We have got everything here. We don’t need to go anywhere – it’s like living in a resort. Our friends thought we were mad – now they love it. We have had 130 friends down and they all love it. And after the sale of our house, if we now see something we buy it. With the facilities, we use the pool mainly. Peter loves the library and plays chess once a week. We also go to sausage sizzles, fish and chip nights and concerts.’’
Margo and Peter |
 | “We were in Woodvale and had started to plan our retirement. We went out and had a look at Pineview before deciding on Bridgewater. The sale of our house worked out perfectly. There was no need for bridging finance. It has allowed us to have a good retirement. We now have the freedom to travel and do what we want to do, without the inconvenience of a house.
We got a new four-wheel-drive and a caravan, and we’ve already been to South Headland to visit our daughter. We also went to Hong Kong and Thailand – to Phuket. We’re heading off again to the South Pacific in December. And we’re undecided what to do next year.
The facilities are very good and we’re meeting lots of new people. We’ve got the pool, I’m playing pool and I’ll be playing tennis once I find someone to play with. Charmian is into karaoke, and she runs the karaoke. The village concept is very good because, in relationships, if the husband passes away before the wife, she has the support of other lifestylers, the kids are not necessarily looking after her, and she’s not having to worry about maintenance on a house.’’
Garry and Charmian |
 | “I sold my house in Rivervale and moved in and I absolutely love it. We always said we would retire in Mandurah or Broome, and my husband passed away before we got here. In Perth people are either too busy or can’t be bothered. This offered the lifestyle and security, with people around you. If I had to handpick my neighbours, I could not have picked any better.
I’ve got the house I wanted at the suitable price and I’ve got money in the bank. I’m investing the money, and with the interest I get off it I’ll go on a holiday once a year. I just came back from Bali.
Other places just didn’t compare. I didn’t want to be in town. This is like being on holiday 24/7. I go up to the clubhouse for drinks, fish and chip nights and rock and roll nights, and I use the gym and pool. You can be involved as much as you like or as little as you like. The National Lifestyle Villages team have been fantastic – I cannot speak highly enough of them.’’
Jan |
