Residents Talk
SELWYN AND JOAN KEALS - SUMMERSET BY THE PARK, MANUKAU
Selwyn and Joan Keals, a retired couple in their 80s, are new residents at Summerset by the Park. They moved from their family home in Papatoetoe into a two-bedroom apartment in the village's recently opened main building just over a month ago. "We lived in Papatoetoe for over 50 years and our family is nearby, so it was important to us that we stay in the same community," says Mrs Keals.Mr Keals, a retired factory worker and member of the Papatoetoe RSA, says the village is in a great location. "I'm only 8 minutes drive from the RSA and it's a short bus ride to either Howick or Manukau City."
The Keals also keep a motor home at the village. "We love the fact that we can just close the front door and head away on holiday without any worries about security or who is going to keep an eye on things," says Mr Keals.
The Keals were one of the first to put their names down for an apartment in the new $55 million building. "We looked at a couple of villages in the area, but we chose to live here because everything is all under one roof. If it's cold and raining outside, we aren't stuck in our apartment. We can just pop downstairs for a cup of tea at the cafe or play cards with one of the other residents in the communal area."
Joan and her husband Selwyn are making full use of the facilities on hand at Summerset by the Park, which include a cafe, library, hairdresser, bowling green and petanque court. "It's like a five star hotel," says Mrs Keals.
LYNNE AND REX DE LA HAYE - SUMMERSET IN THE RIVER CITY, WANGANUI
After a weekend away at Takapau for the country music weekend, we thought we would share our wonderful lifestyle with fellow movanners.We got talking with friends who had been away on the road for weeks who found when they got home they faced a mammoth job of getting the gardens back in order and getting rid of endless bags of rubbish.
In 2003 we had three and a half months in the South Island and thought we would come back to our home in Ashhurst as we had left it. We had a house sitter, someone we knew who paid no rent, just their own power and telephone, and agreed to keep the grounds tidy. But, alas, we came home two days early to find our lawns about two foot tall and you couldn't see the driveway for weeds. Shocked by this we decided there must be a better way of looking after our home while we are away on the road.
At the Easter Rally 2006, there was a couple who addressed us about setting up a village for our motorhomes in Katikati. That jogged our memories that we had had a letter through head office in 1998 about the motorhome friendly Summerset villages. We started exploring the advantages of living in a village and put our names down at Summerset Wanganui in mid 2006.
Several of our motorhome friends were already living in other Summerset Villages by now, and they raved about the advantages. The main benefit was that they were able to go and stay in Summerset Villages in other areas and were made to feel they belonged while they stayed a night or two.
We moved into Summerset in the River City in Wanganui in February 2007. We love it, there is such a lot to do – films on Saturday afternoons, Happy Hours, Friday evening fish and chip nights. We play twilight bowls during the summer. There are indoor and outdoor bowls afternoons, table tennis, and cards afternoons just to name a few activities. There are also many other social gatherings that we can join in on.
Rex and I have been able to use the Summerset van to take some of the other residents out for day trips to see some of the exciting things around Wanganui and to some of the spots we have found while out and about in our motorhome.
They are all amazed about some of the places we have taken them – it seems that it is mainly motorhomers who get off the main roads and explore.
We are now amongst the other motorhomers that rave about the welcome we get when we drive into another village, especially the Taupo and Napier villages; It's like having a base in many towns.
In all the new Summerset villages there are special parking areas for motorhomes with power points and a dump station (Wanganui has recently put in a lovely new refurbished apartment block as well as a cafe).
In November when we head back to the South Island for several months, we know when we come home that everything will be as we left it. There are day and night patrols, and our great gardeners John and Mark look after everything while we are away. We wish we had made the move sooner.
Lloyd and Joyce Armstrong moved from their home in Howick to live in a two-storey, three-bedroom villa at Summerset by the Park two-and-a-half years ago. "We hadn't really considered moving into a village, but had looked at a few to get an idea of what was on offer. We looked around the villas at Summerset and two days later purchased ours," says Mrs Armstrong, a retired teacher.Mr Armstrong, who was a teacher at Howick College in the 70s and 80s and is Chairman of the Summerset Residents' Committee, says that it is the three stages of accommodation on offer at Summerset by the Park that appealed to him: "To know that each stage of life is catered for was an important part of our purchase decision. At the moment we enjoy our independence and space for family to stay, but we are also aware that one day we may need additional support. It's reassuring to know that we can stay part of the community here when that happens."
Mr and Mrs Armstrong enjoy the social aspect of village life. "We use the cafe and communal areas regularly. We don't live on each other's doorsteps, but we see more people in a day here than we did in a month at our home in Howick," says Mrs Armstrong.
Mr Armstrong says that living at Summerset by the Park has changed his opinion of retirement villages. "Not everyone here is retired, we have lots of residents in their 60's, many of whom still work," he says.
