Muriel Harmer spent 22 years at Interflora helping Australians say what they sometimes could not put into words.
“We didn’t sell flowers; we sold emotions,” she says. “One single flower can say just as much as a whole big bunch.”
Her work earned her a place in the Australian Allied Florist Trade Hall of Fame and Interflora’s Tucker Medal. But when Muriel was 75, she and her husband began thinking about their own next chapter.
“He said, ‘I’ll be turning 80, and I’m looking five years ahead – what will we be like?’ We didn’t want to give our daughters the responsibility of looking after us.”
They sold their large Melbourne home and moved to Aveo’s Concierge Balwyn. That was 18 years ago.
Muriel and her late husband spent their first years there travelling and joining in community life. Today, in her 90s, Muriel still tends her garden, goes to Probus and helps bring neighbours together. She has served on the residents’ committee for about 14 years, organising celebrations, fashion parades and flower demonstrations.
She chooses when to join an activity and when to enjoy a quiet day amongst the plants. Help is close by when she needs it, including with the heavier gardening jobs.
“Just having your hands in the soil releases a lot of pressure,” she says. “You’re achieving something, planting something new to grow.”
Muriel hopes more people will consider retirement living while they have years to enjoy it.
“People are coming in too late,” she says. “You can still be independent, still have your interests and gardens, but you’ve got support if you need it.”