Archives for 2015

Seachange Residents’ Gift to the Community

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Seachange Village Arundel’s 5-star Country Club was the recipient of a new full sized billiards table, a donation from one of its original residents Noeleen Misak.

‘There is a group of over 50’s villages on the Gold Coast that engage in inter-club challenges, however Seachange needed a full size table to participate,’ says Seachange resident Peter Misak.

The problem was solved by Peter’s wife, Noeleen Misak, who donated the table to the community on behalf of her husband Peter, who were among the first residents of Seachange when the village opened over five years ago.

Peter’s ongoing health issues originally prompted the move to Seachange so he could be confident knowing Noeleen would be in a safe, friendly community. Once at Seachange Peter found that the active and nourishing lifestyle gave him a new lease on life, and became so energised that he even bought the café in the shopping centre across the road.

‘The billiards table is a gift to Seachange, as a thank you to the community for our wonderful past five years here,’ says Noeleen & Peter.

Noeleen originally considered donating a trophy, but Peter decided the Country Club “did not need a dust catcher”, but rather something more tangible which could be used for the enjoyment of many residents and add to the many facilities and amenities the community offers.

Peter has played competition snooker since the age of 14, each year making the finals in the Seachange club snooker title, and has also been an active member and title winner of the lawn bowls club.

‘Keeping active keeps you healthy. The inter-club challenge between different resorts engenders a lot of friendships and also sparks social events’, continues Peter. ‘We talk about what we do and how it works, so we get ideas from each other.’

“The billiards table is a gift to Seachange as a thank you to the community”

‘It’s only going to lead to bigger and better things for everyone. I love the concept of these resorts; it’s wonderful.’

Phil Goodman, Project Director, applauded the Misak’s donation of the billard table. ‘The Seachange vision is to nourish the mind, body and soul through learning, community and recreational facilities’ he said. ‘It is wonderful to see how the community in action extends and improves on the existing facilities.

Over 50s community in Arundel Provides a Better Way to Live

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Anybody can say they have a over 50s community in Arundel or an over 50’s resort on the Gold Coast, but how many communities actually back up their words by providing a superior lifestyle? That’s exactly what we do here at Seachange Village Arundel: provide you with a better way to live.

For too many years, the idea of a “senior community” is that of a place where people go to live the rest of their lives in quiet despair, only coming out for holidays and the occasional vacation. At Seachange Village Arundel, we decided that you deserve better. We decided that an entire generation deserves better. So we went about designing and building the best over 50’s resort we could make affordable for people who worked hard, retired and wants to enjoy the rest of their lives.

Why We Didn’t Want to Build a Typical “Senior Community”

Under the old “senior community” model, which is still in effect in many places across Australia and around the world, nobody moves there voluntarily. They live in the old family home until maintaining it and taking care of themselves becomes too onerous a burden to bear.

Then they are dragged, kicking and screaming, into a place where a bunch of other people have been dragged kicking and screaming. Nobody is happy. Everyone has moved because they are ill, injured or just too old to navigate anymore and their family doesn’t want the burden of being caregivers.

Is that what you want for yourself or for your parents?

What We Did to Fix the Problem

We started asking “What if?” What if there was a place where retirees would move voluntarily? Where they could stay active as long as they wanted and enjoy their golden years with like-minded people? Where they could live in a home designed around easy mobility and low maintenance? Where everything they need to really enjoy life would be in their village or within a ten minute drive? Where they could live in a place that would be sustainable for the rest of their lives?

Introducing Seachange Village Arundel

At Seachange Village Arundel, we embraced the concept of seachange and took it a step further. Seachange indicates not only a change in location from the city to the seashore, but the ingrained belief that one’s lifestyle is going to undergo a positive change.

We decided to take it a step further by creating a community where interaction and activity would be a part of the daily routine of most of our residents. In other words, we don’t want to just change where you live; we want to change how you live.

The Proof is in the Results

We toured a lot of over 50s communities and asked a lot of questions to help us develop a plan. We finally decided upon a community model that would encourage a sense community and enable our residents to truly enjoy their “golden years.” We want to make the last part of your life the best time of your life. So, here’s what we did.

We decided upon a climate and a locale where people would really want to spend their “golden years.” Then, we found a parcel of land that was open for development and located convenient to infrastructure and amenities. This allows ease of transport and convenient access to shopping, medical centres and a host of recreational opportunities from golf courses to walking trails to pristine beaches.

Once the location was taken care of, it was time to work on the community. We built it around a world class Country Club. We then created medium density, affordable housing that doesn’t look like apartments. We built our homes to be space-efficient, energy-efficient and eco-friendly for a sustainable lifestyle.

Then, we made sure it was gated and secure, while providing secure land tenure for our homeowners. Last but not least, we hired a world class maintenance crew.

Check Us Out For Yourself

You really need to experience Seachange Village Arundel to fully understand how great it is. Call us today for a tour: 1800 652 797.

Resort Living Has Appeal

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RETIREES Barbara and Marty Bos were original residents at Seachange Village Arundel  five years ago and for three and a half years enjoyed living in the over 50’s lifestyle resort. However, they decided to briefly move back to their previous town, Windaroo, on Brisbane’s southside, to have a home and garden large enough to develop Barbara’s interest in dog fostering.

“I had been a volunteer at the Beenleigh Animal Welfare League for a number of years and not only missed the work but had a passion to foster dogs,” she said. They sold their home at Seachange and purchased a new river front home at Winderoo. While enjoying re-connecting with old friends, they discovered maintaining their large new home and garden was so time consuming they ended up unable to foster dogs, with Barbara even giving up
volunteering.

“After living at Seachange where all the activities and facilities are within walking distance, we had forgotten that at Winderoo we had to drive everywhere,” Barbara said.

In the middle of last year, in a serendipitous moment, Marty visited the Seachange Welcome Centre to get an information pack for friends from NSW who were looking to move to an over 50’s village. While there, he discovered a home was available in a position they had previously admired. Within a short time they had purchased their new Seachange home and sold their old home.

Marty, Barbara and their Shih Tzu- Maltese dog, Bessie, moved back to Seachange! “We have come back home and it feels like we’ve never left,” said Barbara after moving to Seachange for the second time!

In addition to getting back into a number of Seachange activities, Barbara was able to return to running line dancing classes and Marty started a new Chess club.

“We had not realised how much we missed all the activities, events and friends at Seachange,” Barbara said. “This has the best location and facilities of any over 50’s village, everything here is amazing and brilliant. We may have retired but we have never been busier.”

Construction March 2015

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Seachange Emerald Lakes now has 21 homes occupied, with a further 22 under construction.

Ten lots were cut this month in preparation for construction in mid-April.

The first floor of the Country Club was poured and nearly all structural steel put in place.

Landscaping design also commenced to incorporate an area where residents can sit and enjoy water views.

 

You Won’t Call This a “Retirement Living Community”

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We like the term “retirement living community.” We really do. But it just doesn’t do Seachange Emerald Lakes justice. So, why are we so adamant that a term like retirement living community or retirement village doesn’t apply to Seachange Emerald Lakes? We will explain further, but the short answer is that if you combine the best elements of an over 50’s lifestyle community with the best elements of an over 50’s resort, you get Seachange Emerald Lakes.

When we created Seachange Emerald Lakes and our sister community Seachange Village Arundel, we set out to create something that was better than the standard senior community or retirement village. We didn’t want to be one of “those places” where people move when they are too ill or too disabled to take care of themselves.

We decided that Seachange Emerald Lakes was going to be a place where people in their 50’s or older choose to move while they still have enough health and energy to enjoy life. We decided that Seachange Emerald Lakes would be a place where active seniors could meet like-minded people and spend their golden years happy like they are supposed to.

The end result is like an over 50’s gated country club estate that will be built around a 5-star country club. Seachange not only has world class facilities, but it is also conveniently close to infrastructure and amenities such as shopping, medical care and recreational facilities such as golf courses, and lakes.

Our 5-star country club will help provide a lifestyle that many wish they could have lived when they were younger. Our dining room will have both a stage and a dance floor built in. We offer an indoor pool and an outdoor pool, along with tennis court and a gymnasium. The bar and the club lounge allow you to relax and socialise.

Your golden years should be just that: golden years. If we have anything to say about it, that’s exactly what they will be. To learn more about Seachange Emerald Lakes, call us today: 1800 559 669.

Luxury Retirement Living at a Price You can Afford

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Does 5-star retirement living sound like something other people can afford but not you? You may be surprised at how easy it is to buy your own home at Seachange Village Arundel. Seachange Village Arundel provides 5-star retirement living in an active over 50’s lifestyle community that seems a lot more like a resort. That is why Seachange Village Arundel has become such a retirement destination on the Gold Coast.

What to Expect

Seachange Village Arundel is a lifestyle village built around a 5-star country club. It has putting greens and driving nets for golfers. It has championship lawn bowls and floodlit tennis courts with a tennis pavilion, change rooms and facilities. You can also get plenty of exercise at the gymnasium. Those who prefer their activities to be more relaxing can plant in the veggie garden, play on the pool tables, contemplate in the zen garden or check out the arts and crafts studio.

There are plenty of opportunities to socialise over food and beverages: a Teppanyaki BBQ, residents’ kitchens, a wine cellar and sports bar. There is also a sauna, stage, library and cinema, as well as indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Living the Lifestyle at Seachange Village Arundel

If it was just about the facilities, Seachange Village Arundel would still be a world class, 5-star resort: but there is so much more. The magic of Seachange Village Arundel is in the countless opportunities you have to socialise with like-minded people.

Everyone in the village is from your generation or one close to yours. They share your memories of how life was in days gone by, and how great life is now. Ultimately you get to enjoy a great lifestyle with kindred spirits.

To learn more about Seachange Village Arundel, call us today: 1800 652 797.