Gill is celebrating her birthday and Mother’s Day on the same weekend, and it is even more special as she celebrates settling into Bellarine Springs as one of the village’s newest residents. She is delighted to have joined the community and says the key reasons for her making the move are the great range of activities, the assurance of a safe and secure environment and perhaps most importantly, the friendships and social cohesion she is able to build with other residents.
Gill is already a very active member of the Bellarine Springs community with regular water aerobics classes, involvement in the craft group and making new friends in the Tuesday evening social group. This social cohesion is what has drawn her to make the move to Bellarine Springs as a resident.
“I have been involved in one way or another with Bellarine Springs for awhile, and in fact, first came here about five years ago to look at some homes. I was holidaying in Portarlington with my son Warrick and his wife Leanne and they asked me if I would like to have a look at some retirement homes. We looked around and Bellarine Springs was my favourite. Whilst I didn’t proceed with the move then, it stayed in my mind that this was a lifestyle I would enjoy while I am still quite fit and actively involved,” says Gill.
“Late last year I was visiting my son Ashley who lives in Sweden and he suggested that I might want to start thinking about retirement living. I agreed, and said I wanted to make the move now, not delay it any further. I was lonely living on my own and wanted a more supportive environment where I could make new friends. I came home, put my family home in Curlewis on the market, and then once that was sold I was able to purchase a lovely 2BR home at Bellarine Springs.”
Gill loves living on the Bellarine Peninsula, so it was an easy choice to come back to Bellarine Springs and find her forever home at the village. Her sons have all been very supportive of Gill’s decision to move into Bellarine Springs, and Warrick was actively involved in helping her choose the right home.
“Seeing mum settled into a brand-new comfortable home with easy living and low maintenance has been great. I love that the homes at Bellarine Springs are beautifully built and of high quality.
I’m also happy that mum has been able to settle into a ready-made community of like-minded friends who enjoy similar interests and activities and she is never short of someone to have a chat with,” says Warrick.
As well as an active social program at Bellarine Springs, Gill is a keen gardener and is busy organising some raised garden beds for her backyard so she can grow her own veggies and flowers. She is also looking forward to an upcoming trip to the Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally in May and she is planning another overseas trip later this year, this time to Norway to see the northern lights.
“I can go away knowing my home is safe and secure, my mail is collected and the front garden is tended. It’s great to have the freedom to lock up and leave on my travels without any worries,” says Gill.
Mother’s Day will be spent surrounded by family. As well as her sons Warrick in Portarlington and Stephen in Hoppers Crossing, Gill is a much-loved grandmother and great-grandmother and she enjoys spending time with the extended family.
