“It’s hard too for a lot of women to get their husbands here. But when they arrive, they enjoy it.”
Retired Barellan farmers Keith and Margaret Bryce were the first residents to move into Gannon’s Griffith Retirement Estate (formerly Trowella), 21 years before the facility celebrated its completion last month. Both aged 88, the couple have been married 65 years and have two children, six…
Make sure your retirement village is tight-knit across generations
Bringing younger people into a retirement village, where the average age remains 75, is not only a fantastic social event, but it can activate the mind. An intergenerational program is teaching teenagers that genuine connections don’t require Wi-Fi – just a pair of knitting needles,…
Bucket list dreams can become real in retirement villages
Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & Vic) Pooraka Retirement Living resident Brian Clements has always enjoyed being in the air. He started flying from an early age while living in England, joining the Air Training Corp at age 14 and as part of the program…
Why retirement living provides what seniors feel most in need of
Security and support have become the top priorities for retirees when considering their downsizing options, according to new findings released in a study. Aveo’s 2025 Ageing Australia research, based on insights from a cross-section of more than 1,260 Australians aged 65-85 in four states, found…
Why retirement living should lower your risk of dementia
Dementia is the leading cause of death in Australia and as the population ages, it is inevitable that the incidence will continue to rise. Dementia is not a single disease process. It is a term for a number of different conditions where there is a…
Living their best life – village residents go indoor skydiving
After being inspired by Marcus Pearce at the National Retirement Living summit in June, Mel Akehurst, Community Manager at Aveo’s Bayview Gardens retirement village, challenged residents to live their best life. “At first the residents suggested jumping out of a plane but I wasn’t keen,…
The retirement village gardener who tends to his grandfather
For Toowoomba gardener Harley Brady, a part-time role at Retire Australia’s Drayton Villas Retirement Village, came with an unexpected perk: being able to spend more time with his grandfather, Brian Brady, who lives in the village. What started as a job tending the gardens has…
Connected home care gives village residents peace of mind
It is common now for retirement village residents to be able to access home care services in the village, now referred to as Support at Home. Village residents at Bolton Clarke Fairways in Bundaberg North have a new home care booking service that’s helping them…
The competitive streak lives on in retirement villages and there’s plenty of fun too
More and more retirement villages play competitive sport against each other. The greens at Living Choice Fullarton, in the inner southern suburb of Adelaide, were alive with colour, laughter, and friendly rivalry as residents gathered for the much-loved Inter-Village Lawn Bowls Competition. With perfect weather…
Love that lasts a lifetime: village residents renew wedding vows
Sixty-three years after saying “I do,” ECH residents Chris and John Thorne prove that love only grows stronger with time, renewing their wedding vows in an intimate ceremony at the Cumberland Park Community Centre, in the inner-southern suburb of Adelaide. When ECH was contacted by…