Terence Moyana

Calendar Packed Full of Fun for New Community Manager

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Seachange Emerald Lakes’ new community manager Narelle Moore is making the most of her latest role, soaking in the community atmosphere and enjoying the prestige facilities at the five-star resort. Narelle, who joined the Seachange Lifestyle Resorts team in April, says she is absolutely ‘loving it’. “I previously worked as a property manager in real estate. I’ve worked in hotels and commercial, so my previous experience meant I could easily transition into a role like this,” she said. “And it’s lovely here. I’m lucky to have such a wonderful community. It’s no wonder there’s a waiting list to secure a lakeside lifestyle as it’s such a beautiful resort.”

 

 

Narelle’s role includes welcoming new residents to the resort and maintaining its facilities and grounds which were completed about five years ago. She said there were plenty of activities, run by the resort’s social committee, that residents could enjoy. The five-star facilities include a Country Club, a gym, tennis court, outdoor and indoor heated pools, a cinema, a wellness centre and direct golf buggy access to an 18-hole championship golf course. “There’s always something going on. The community calendar here is chock solid with activities such as line dancing, indoor bowls, kayaking, tennis, billiards and more,” Narelle said. “I’m really looking forward to getting involved in the community and my first event will be a trip with the residents from Seachange Emerald Lakes, Riverside Coomera and Arundel to Toowoomba to visit the Carnival of Flowers and the Seachange resort.”

 

 

Seachangers Unite – A Fun Filled Trip To Toowoomba

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With the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers in full swing, the residents from Seachange Emerald Lakes, Seachange Arundel and Seachange Riverside Coomera took the opportunity to visit the garden city and join in on the festivities. On the itinerary was a morning tea, a visit to the gardens and lunch at Seachange Toowoomba. It was really great seeing residents from all our resorts represented at the event. It was a true testament to the spirit of community that is evident amongst all the residents at Seachange.

 

 

This year’s Carnival of Flowers was made even more memorable for the Seachange community as it was the first time we managed to put in a float in the parade. The residents who are part of the gardening society, the arts and crafts club and the staff all worked together to build an impressive float that brought so much cheer to Seachange Toowoomba. It was this excitement that led to the residents hosting the visiting Seachange communities and showing them around the resort as well as Toowoomba, taking in the sights and exploring the gardens in full bloom.

 

 

The trip also included a tour of Seachange Toowoomba. The visitors got a chance to see some of the display homes as well as the facilities at the resort. The Country Club hosted the special lunch and there were some stalls on display as well.

 

 

Not Everyone Wants To “Downsize”

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Not everyone wants to downsize when they move into an over 50s resort and Jan and Graeme Douglas are a case in point. The husband and wife moved into Seachange Coomera in July and have been busy adding their personal touches to their two-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-storey house. It’s the first double-storey home they’ve owned, and they have no regrets. “We never gave it a thought that it was on two levels,” Graeme said. “We looked at it, we loved it and we thought why not?”

 

Previously, the couple had been living at their single-level four-bedroom house which they said was about the same size in square metres as their new Seachange home, which also has two bathrooms and a powder room, plus a double garage with storage at the rear. Graeme, who is over 70, said while he did consider the implications of the stairs, he knew they would provide some good exercise for him. “And if in later years they can’t be negotiated, you can buy stair chairs that run up and down mechanically. It’s a straight staircase so it will be easy to adapt,” he said.

 

 

It’s not the first time the Douglas couple have lived in a Seachange resort, having bought into Seachange Arundel seven years ago before building their own home. When they decided to move back into an over 50s resort, it was hard for them to go past the Seachange brand. “We had a look at a lot of them as we really like the concept of over 50s resorts, especially if you are wanting to travel because it’s so hard to find people to look after your gardens,” Graeme said. “We chose this one at Coomera because we like the idea that it is a smaller community, its location and that it is more undulating, not just flattened with house after house – this suit us better and it’s certainly lived up to expectations. This one is has a nice little community. I feel a lot of people go into the bigger resorts and regret it because they get ‘lost’.”

 

Over the past three months the couple have been working on some renovations to suit their lifestyle while also taking part in some of what the resort has to offer such as Friday happy hours, karaoke, barbecues and Christmas in July. Jan has enjoyed several excursions, including a recent coach trip to the Carnival of Flowers in Toowoomba,  while Graeme has been spending time in the resort’s workshop. He is also keen on lawn bowls and intends to become a regular on the green very soon.

 

 

 

Show n Shine Market Day

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Seachange Arundel was full of excitement as they held their inaugural annual car show and market day. There were 21 amazing cars on show and they toured the village before lining up for display at the Village Green. The residents were treated to some great entertainment by the ever fabulous Glenn Shields.

 

 

Sixteen beautiful stalls displaying gorgeous goods for sale were up in the Village Green and Martha, our Seachange kombi coffee van was present providing lovely coffees. Special thanks go to Stuart Robert MP and Cr. Ryan Bayldon who donated their marquees for use on the day, the great volunteers who helped set them up, the wonderful “chefs” and servers running the sausage sizzle and the Seachange residents for the amazing turnout.

 

There was something for everyone on the day, catering to the fans of classic cars, curious shoppers and those after a delicious bite. We cannot wait to do it all over again next year thanks to the amazing support we received from the Seachange community.

 

 

 

 

Spring Has Sprung in Toowoomba

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Every year, Toowoomba’s Carnival of Flowers brings together thousands of floral enthusiasts and tourists to mark the start of spring. Launched in 1949, the carnival has grown from strength to strength, winning a multitude of awards and fans along the way. What started as an attempt to boost economic activity around Toowoomba has blossomed into an iconic Queensland event that normally draws a multitude of visitors from across the country. With the ongoing pandemic however, it has meant that Queenslanders had to do a lot of the heavy lifting and they came out in numbers to support and make this year’s festival a memorable one. There were more than 60,000 people in attendance.

 

 

For us at Seachange, this year was even more special as the team and residents at Seachange Toowoomba worked together to put our very first float in the Carnival parade. Martha, our trusty coffee combi van, was the star of the show as she took up centre stage on our float, showcasing flower power from the VW combi’s iconic era, while on a bed of blooming flowers and escorted by some very special “butterflies”.

 

 

It was a thrilling experience seeing the team’s hard work come to life and having the residents and their grandkids marching along with Martha, much to the delight of the onlookers. It was a true testament of Seachange’s values of Mind, Body and Soul, seeing the joy everyone got from being a part of the process.

 

 

It took careful planning to  stage the Kombi, select the right flowers to suit the theme and coordinating the hard work that the residents in the gardening group put in. Our craft group also got on board creating some additional butterfly decorations to fit the parade theme. It was such a great bonding exercise for all involved and now work on a concept for next year’s festival is already underway.

 

 

The resort also got some additional flower power as well. As the team prepped for the parade, some more colour and decorations were added throughout the resort to bring the spirit of the carnival home. It was really great seeing it all in full bloom, bringing some cheer to all our residents.

 

 

 

 

Seachange Toowoomba awarded again

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We had another exciting moment for Seachange Toowoomba on the weekend as our “Brennan” display home was awarded Best Display Home in its category at the QLD Master Builders Awards. These awards recognise builders that are at the forefront of innovation and quality craftsmanship, promoting and showcasing excellence in the housing industry.

 

 

The Brennan offers a welcoming North facing alfresco area at the front of the home, which leads into a spacious open plan living and dining.  The designer kitchen acts as the heart and hub of the home, with features such as stone bench tops and pendant lighting adding elegance and style. Sustainability has been a key consideration in design with environmentally friendly features making the home comfortable to live in and affordable to run.  The principals of Liveable Housing Design have been used so that you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your home is easily accessible and adaptable.

 

 

The success of our Seachange resorts is down to our world class design principles and the hard work from our staff and partners. We would like to extend a big thank you to our partner builder, Nick Ruhle Homes, for their ongoing dedication to delivering quality results that make us proud and allow us to give our residents award winning homes.