Summerset Scene

SCROLL

Welcome to Summerset Scene magazine

Our quarterly publication has something to keep everyone entertained. With feature articles celebrating amazing residents doing incredible things and regular columns on gardening, books reviews, puzzles and more, settle in for a good read.

Spring 2024

Issue 28

The cover star for our spring Summerset Scene is acclaimed author and national treasure Joy Cowley, who lives in our Summerset Bishopscourt village. Joy talks about ageing, marriage and life in her Dunedin village.

Spring is trout season, and a keen fly fisherman from Pohutukawa Place shares tales of his best catch with Summerset Scene. We also meet another Bishopscourt resident, who shares his fondness for fast cars. Age needn’t slow you down, especially when you have Ferraris in your fleet!


Winter 2024

Issue 27

In our winter issue of Summerset Scene, we head to Summerset at Pohutukawa Place to meet both our cover star, former All Black Alan Smith, and Judy Chapman, whose boldly decorated villa demonstrates downsizing your home doesn’t mean downsize your style.

We talk to some racing residents from Auckland and the Waikato about their experience at Hampton Downs racetrack, while in the South Island it is a race of a different sort, as residents from our Christchurch villages participated in the annual City2Surf event.



Autumn 2024

Issue 26

What better way to usher in autumn than by reading the latest Summerset Scene! Meet our cover star Lois Anderson, a Summerset Prebbleton resident and multiple Masters Games champion across many different disciplines. Fans of Coronation Steet owe a debt of gratitude to Eric Price, the Summerset Falls resident who brought both Coro and colour television to New Zealand.

We meet Summerset Milldale’s keen gardeners and first residents Les and Mary Cave, as well as the Summerset Heritage Park staff whose mums and grans keep a close eye on them - they live there after all!




Summer 2023

Issue 25

Enjoy a spot of summertime reading with the latest Summerset Scene! Our cover star is paper crafter extraordinaire Lois Chapman, whose exquisite cards adorn the residents’ lounge at her Summerset Rototuna village, alongside work by expert woodworker Ross Dingle, accomplished photographer Tom Prowse, and super skilled knitter Kay Dingle.

We also meet two residents from Summerset down the Lane who run a vision support group, a school café-running grandmother, and the Summerset Mountain View ‘Trolley Dollies’, who ensure that all residents have access to a spot of shopping.













Spring 2023 · Issue 24

What better way to welcome in the spring than reading the latest Summerset Scene! Our cover star is rowing legend Gordon Trevett, from Summerset by the Sea in Katikati.

We also meet an Aqua Fit instructor, Summerset Prebbleton’s very first residents, and a man whose generosity gives Santa a run for his money.

Read or download this issue

Winter 2023 · Issue 23

In this issue you can read about the talented Megan Godfrey. Whether wood, stone or bone, the décor at her Summerset Down the Lane home in Hamilton is a testament to her incredible carving skills.

We also talk to fellow Down the Lane resident Doris Ratcliffe, who at 105 is an exercise instructor, and we catch up with prolific cartoonist Allan Hawkey from Summerset Rototuna.

Read or download this issue

Autumn 2023 · Issue 22

Welcome to the autumn issue of Summerset Scene. Our cover stars Paul and Janice McKeany explain how they became award-winning rose-growers, something they continue to do at their Papamoa village.

We also talk to residents’ workshop members at Summerset Mountain View, a researcher from Nelson, and a musical marriage from Wigram.

Read or download this issue

Summer 2022 · Issue 21

We sit down with Summerset at Aotea resident Father Maurice Carmody who shares his goal of persuading the Vatican to recognise New Zealand’s first saint. We also talk to two artists from Hawke’s Bay and meet a miniature railway model maker from Taupo.

Read or download this issue

Spring 2022 · Issue 20

Our cover star Trish Scott has been serving up tennis games since she was a nipper, and at 84 has no intention of giving up her regular game. We also talk to a model plane maker, an author, and a violinist from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra!

Read or download this issue

Winter 2022 · Issue 19

Read about Brenda and Dennis, and the dance moves that has seen them winning prizes for more than 30 years! We also meet a motorcycle enthusiast, a superb seamstress, a lock and key expert, and a resident who has been honoured by Queen Elizabeth II.

Read or download this issue

Autumn 2022 · Issue 18

Taupo resident Peter Beazley shares some of his award-winning photos. His talent behind the camera has won recognition from the NZ Photographic Society. We meet a group of determined puzzle solvers from New Plymouth and a team of kind-hearted crafters and knitters from Dunedin. And we talked to an Ellerslie pair who are celebrating 80 years of friendship.

Read or download this issue

Summer 2021 · Issue 17

In this festive issue, we catch up with a Nelson resident who loves spreading good cheer as Santa — and you won’t believe how many years he's spent in the big red suit! We also learn how to make beautiful Christmas wreaths, and get ideas for easy festive cooking. We have another great range of interesting Summerset residents to meet, plus the regular favourites including puzzles, exercise tips and gardening advice.

Read or download this issue

Spring 2021 · Issue 16

Cover star Alison from New Plymouth supports a charity close to her heart — by selling teddy bears. She’s raised tens of thousands, and now has village friends involved, too. We also meet a doll-maker, a long-serving member of St John, an aircraft enthusiast, and a pair of hearty farmers. There’s certainly a great mix of characters in this edition!

Read or download this issue

Winter 2021 · Issue 15

June from Summerset on Cavendish shares her incredible story of living in East Timor during a time of political upheaval. Closer to home, a kind-hearted knitter tells us how she turned a hobby into a special project for children in need, and a boating fanatic shows off the intricate maritime models he carefully crafts from the spare room of his Auckland villa.

Read or download this issue

Autumn 2021 · Issue 14

For our green issue, we chat with some inspirational environmentalists, and learn easy tips for living greener. Our cover star is Sir Alan Mark from our Dunedin village, a top scientist who was knighted for his incredible career in conservation. We also catch up with some recycling experts who are making meaningful changes in their local neighbourhoods, and take a peek inside a keen antique collector’s arty abode.

Read or download this issue

Summer 2020 · Issue 13

In this issue, a professional croquet coach shares her love for the game, and how she inspired a large group of fellow residents to become masters of the mallet. We travel to Nelson to see the wacky and wonderful designs at Summerset in the Sun’s annual Waste to Waist wearable art show, and we catch up with a Paraparaumu couple who have just celebrated a major milestone — their 75th wedding anniversary.

Read or download this issue

Spring 2020 · Issue 12

Spring weather is here, and so is the latest edition of Summerset Scene! Meet a humble Hamilton couple who have been recognised for their wonderful work with a local charity, as well as a group of Auckland residents who uncovered stories from the past for an impressive new book.

Read or download this issue

Winter 2020 · Issue 11

This issue is packed with pics galore, including the results of the popular resident’s photography competition, a sneak peek at a stunning photographic exhibition featuring Summerset in the Sun residents and their favourite hobbies, and scenes of village life during level four lockdown.

Read or download this issue

Autumn 2020 · Issue 10

Cover star Denise takes us backstage at her local theatre where she keeps busy painting sets and crafting unusual props. We also chat with a scientist turned author about his adventures in the South Pole, and a former driving instructor tells us about his nerves of steel behind the wheel.

Read or download this issue

Summer 2019 · Issue Nine

In this edition, we talk to Geoff Clarke and his wife Shirley. Golf fans will recognise the name — Geoff was a leading professional golfer in the 1970s and now lives in our Wigram village. We also meet a Dunedin resident who previously ran the National History New Zealand film unit, and learn how a Palmerston North resident has changed the lives of refugee families through donated sewing machines.

Read or download this issue

Spring 2019 · Issue Eight

This issue features a wonderfully eclectic showcase of talent, from fashion designer Bill Miller to marathon man Peter Hanson who has over 100 medals — and is set to add even more to his collection. Meet a ‘doctor of hedgehogs’, and two fantastic embroiderers from Aotea who recently showed off their handiwork at a village exhibition.

Read or download this issue

Winter 2019 · Issue Seven

Our cover star is Hobsonville resident Rex, who was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to sport and to the community. Read about a Taupo resident who worked for MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, without even knowing it, and we chat with two residents who didn’t expect to fall in love — let alone get married — after meeting at Summerset.

Read or download this issue

Autumn 2019 · Issue Six

Meet Hobsonville resident Rona who travelled internationally with famous elderly Hip-Hop dance crew, Hip Op-eration, and Nelson resident Charlie who built NZ’s fastest car out of an old aircraft engine.

Read Marlene’s story of leaving city life to grow avocados and kiwifruit on a rural farm in the Bay of Plenty, and Hawke’s Bay man David talks about wool classing — a job he still does today!

Read or download this issue

Summer 2018 · Issue Five

Our Summer Issue marks one year of publication and is filled with stories of residents and celebrates life at Summerset. On the cover is Wigram resident Ron, who has restored the eight classic cars he still owns.

We also chat to Katikati artist Val, who painted one of the town's main murals, and Hamilton woodcarver Megan, who has set up a workshop in her serviced apartment.

Read or download this issue

Spring 2018 · Issue Four

Read about Napier resident Jeanette Barker, who represented New Zealand in diving in her younger years and then later on in life at masters level. 

We get a sneak peek at the new Summerset uniforms, as well as meeting some of Summerset Rototuna's newest residents, and as with every Summerset Scene issue, much, much more!

Read or download this issue