30 years of close-knit village life

L-R Marie Brearley, Shirley O’Connor and Robyn Radford celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Residential Villiage.

November 2018 | David Claridge

A VIBRANT meeting room was filled with people at tables enjoying drinks, while a delectable aroma wafted from the kitchen where staff prepared lunch. For dessert, a couple of intricately frosted birthday cakes waited on display in the middle of the room.

The cakes were to celebrate a very special birthday. The 24th October marked 30 years since the Residential Village in Prospect first opened and the residents had gathered to celebrate the close-knit community that has given them a new lease on life. Director and Owner, Keith Pybus, oversaw the gathering with a smile. Keith has been the sole owner throughout and he expressed how the long journey of 30 years for the village has been a worthwhile venture, for what was possibly the first village of its kind in Tasmania.

“We prefer to call it a residential village rather than a retirement village because it puts less restrictions on people. The people own their own cottages and live their own life within the community,” “There is a 24-hour emergency service system and a mini bus that drives people to medical appointments and shopping centres.

“Thirty years ago, retirement villages were in their infancy. We started with 17 units, since then we have made several expansions to the site and today we have 80 people living here. The village is currently having new buildings added, designed to accommodate ‘in-house’ carers.

Photo | Mike Moores