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.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great celebration for the communities 10th anniversary! It sounds like a place you really enjoy and are happy. Take care, enjoy your day! Wishing you a happy weekend!
it is a wonderful place to live, you landed in the perfect place... i wondered about the no social distancing. it is good you don't have the virus...
ReplyDeleteThat is an amazing adventures business woman who created these homes for the eldery people there. It must feel very safe to live there with all the people around! Lucky you.
ReplyDeleteYour CEO is an amazing lady, a good role model for perseverance. That’s quite a story about the start of your community, and impressive. I enjoyed the photos from your gathering and very happy to hear all is going well.
ReplyDeleteI always love your community dinners. This was a special one. What an ordeal your CEO went through to the get the community up and running but what a wonderful success it has been.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great time was had and it sounds like a great place to live
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the pioneers in the development. The CEO must be very tenacious and it seems like it paid off over time. The residents look quite smartly dressed for the occasion.
ReplyDeleteA dedicated lady is Chiou See, good on here she has done well. I bet the people that have been there for 10 years were happy when they could move in..
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, everyone looks happy which is so lovely to see.
Take care.
I'm glad your CEO persevered and the Pioneers stuck with her. Your village is obviously a beautiful, thriving community.
ReplyDeleteI think you live in the most interesting and pleasant senior housing anywhere! It’s so interesting to hear the history and wonderful to know you have no covid and so much freedom within the community.
ReplyDeleteThat was a difficult beginning ! But now it looks like if you are living in a little paradise ! I am very happy too and Riccardo counted 3 squirrels this morning ! We have all facilities around and the dentist is on the first floor, lol ! The hearing aids a building further and a doctor just besides !
ReplyDeleteSlowly slowly we meet people who live here, mostly old ladies !
Your CEO sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteLovely to see all of your photographs.
It certainly looks like you all had an enjoyable time.
All the best Jan
All the best Jan
It is wonderful that special people has the persistence to make things happen. A milestone worth celebrating.
ReplyDeleteHappy 10th anniversary to the "Elements Retirement Living" village.
ReplyDeleteYour CEO seems very tenacious and I'm glad she managed to overcame it all and managed to set up a lovely retirement village for you all.
That is definitely a case of determination paying off Diane, she sounds like an amazing lady. You do do some of the most fun things there and being so close to where you can take beautiful walks too. Good to hear restrictions are easing, hopefully by next year we will be nearer to normal 💜
ReplyDeleteDiane, that was quite the recounting of how your CEO persevered and also those pioneers so that you all have a wonderful living environment now. It was nice to see so many happy folks and such wonderful looking food too. Also, glad to read that the pandemic has not caused shutdowns and that precautions are being taken, some of which have been lacking or lax in many places. Continue to stay safe and enjoy yourselves.
ReplyDeleteIt seems your leader's passion and perseverance is not the secret to the success of your village. It certainly stands out as a wonderful place to live.
ReplyDeleteThat meal looks incredible and so does your retirement village. You are fortunate not to be dealing with Covid 19. Our response in the U.S. has been pathetic, so we're stuck with it for quite a while, I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing place you live in and your CEO is quite amazing herself.
ReplyDelete10 years for a fantastic accomplishment.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Sue
What a thrill to know that her tenacity to achieve her vision turned into the lovely place you get to be today!
ReplyDeleteSherry in MT