When Gary Briggs’ wife died about two years ago, his life changed for the worse.

“Eventually, I realised I was sitting at home in a dirty big house, far too big for me, and I was by myself all day long, talking to myself all day long,” he said.

Knowing he needed to make a change, Gary purchased a home in Stage 1A of Providence Lifestyle’s Henley Brook Lifestyle Resort and moved in earlier this year, becoming one of the land lease community’s first homeowners.

“All of a sudden, I’m not a lonely old man sitting by myself anymore,” he bravely revealed.

“My favourite thing at the moment about moving into the Resort is I’ve got people to talk to, like-minded people.

“We all discuss things every day, we all go for a walk, and we all went to the Wellness Retreat the other day and sat around and had our afternoon drinks.

“It’s very social, and I haven’t been social for two years; it’s great.”

The security and convenience of living in a gated community is also not lost on Gary.

“You feel safe,” he explains.

“You can walk out the door and there’ll be somebody always there keeping an eye on your place.

“You can go on holidays and there are people around to help look after your house.”

Gary’s also got his sights set on the future, eagerly awaiting the opening of the Resort’s state-of-the-art Clubhouse.

“There will be a swimming pool, tennis courts, lawn bowls, darts, pool competitions; it will be fantastic. There’ll be something for everybody,” Gary states.

“If you’re thinking of downsizing, do it now. Do it while you’re still young enough to enjoy this place.

“Don’t leave it too late in life because you’ll regret every second of it.”

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