Our little retirement village turned ten this month. So for our monthly dinner we had a tenth birthday party. Our CEO, Chiou See Anderson (Chelsea in English) and the very first residents, called the 'pioneers', were our guest speakers. Listening to Chiou See tell us about the struggles she had to get this place going was quite amazing. She sold her house to buy the land and she and her three children lived in a shed on the land at first. She had many challenges with the local council and even took them to court and won. It took seven years of wheeling and dealing before the building started. Part of the deal to get started was she had to have some residents pay a deposit to move in when it was finished. So the pioneers put their name down when this place was just an empty block of land. Due to constant rain and floods, the first buildings were not finished on time. The pioneers had sold their houses but couldn't move in. One couple bought a van and toured around Australia, others lived with their children.
However, things improved and over the next ten years Chiou See continued building apartments until the village was complete with 123 apartments and 1 house. Not to mention a workshop, community hall and library, offices, gym, pamper room, swimming pool, zen garden, water course gardens and 2 BBQ areas
Chiou See telling us about the story of our village, "Elements Retirement Living"
Many residents attended. We do not have any community Covid transmission in Qld. Some times we get some from overseas but they go straight into compulsory quarantine in special hotels. So our restrictions are easing. The village has an Industry Covid Safe Plan, which means we have to sign in and out of the centre, and one person for so many square metres and try to stay 1.5 metres apart unless from the same family. We are allowed 120 people in the centre but only ten outside in groups. We can have ten visitors in our homes.
The Pioneers have been living in the village for ten years.
The catering students from Rochedale Highschool serve our meals, clear the dishes and help in the kitchen.
Residents take it in turns, street by street, to help put away the tables and chairs and put the dishes in the 90 second industrial dish washer. The students are holding a pen which was given to them from the Workshop Committee. The pens are wood turned timber pens made by the residents who play in the workshop.We were all given a pen, there were over one hundred of us. The two chefs, Matt and Pozz enjoy coming once a month to cook for us.
The menu was Asian Fusion, fitting since our CEO is Singaporian. The choices were Beef fillet and tamarind miso, sesame noodles, bok choy, glazed baby carrots and green papaya salad or Chicken breast fillet in kung pat sauce with sticky rice cakes, glazed baby carrots and green papaya salad. Dessert was chai green tea coconut panacotta with peanut salted caramel, asian pacific fruits and rosewater lychee coulis. I forgot to take photos of the meals but they were delicious as usual.
Late news: A friend sent me photos of the meals.
