Riverside Coomera

School children often dream of growing up to become doctors or nurses, firemen or policemen, truck drivers or pilots. For Fran Harlow it was to become an art teacher. Sometime, however, life gets in the way and when Fran left school she also left art behind. That was until she moved into Seachange Coomera and rediscovered her passion after joining the resort’s art club which meets twice a week.

 

“I’m one of the original members. We’ve all become a lot more experienced than we were initially. Our first coordinator has left but before that he took us on an amazing journey and path experiencing different types of art,” Fran said. “We now have a new coordinator and she’s wonderful and so giving of her time. We are so lucky to have her, and she has a wealth of experience. She’s shown us so much and we are all very grateful.”

 

Fran said it was wonderful to be able to return to the world of art after so many years and she enjoyed expressing herself through creation. “It’s really good to come back and rediscover my passion. We mainly use acrylics and I prefer the Impressionist art style where I might take a tree or person or object and express it in the way that suits my personality,” she said. “I can do something from the heart … If I use a lot of bright colours, that’s how I feel that day. I really love Monet and I started off one painting in that style … and it was woeful but then it ended up quite beautiful. At one stage I put it under the sink in the art room and let all the colours wash off as they were too bright. I subdued the brightness and sponged off some of the colours and it became a very subtle piece and I even surprised myself.”

 

“It was a very enjoyable process. I’m really happy with quite a few of the pieces that I’ve produced.” Fran said the art club classes were now addressing Realism, alongside playing with light in the painting and capturing the nuances it exudes. “You’d be amazed at how the original idea can change so dramatically. You can start off with an idea in mind and that can turn into something that you are not so happy with, or it can change into something entirely different … a joyous piece,” she said.

 

A healthy lifestyle is one of the key pillars of community life at Seachange Riverside Coomera. Community manager Lynn Wild, who is also an experienced swimming teacher, said getting into aqua aerobics was a great way for over 50s to keep fit, and a fabulous way to meet others. “Any exercise you do in water is the equivalent of six times of doing it on land,” said Lynn. “It is also better from a safety point of view. For example, running on the spot using water resistance is a lot less hard on your joints, your knees, your thighs and hips than being on a hard surface on land.

 

 

“If you stand on one leg in slightly deep water, for instance, you can lift one leg up in front of you horizontally and then push it back behind you – the resistance is working your bottom and leg muscles six times what it would be if you were doing it on dry land. “Any activities like this in water are brilliant. The exercise is more amplified because of the resistance the water gives you.”

 

 

Lynn said Seachange Coomera had two pools for its residents to use – a 16m solar heated lap pool at the River House and a heated resort pool attached to the five-star Country Club. The resort also has a sauna, steam room and heated spa as well as a fully-equipped gymnasium, treatment room, lawn bowls green, bocce lawn and twin pickle ball courts. Aqua aerobics classes, led by a specialist instructor, will begin in October and continue through Summer at the River House pool.

 

 

Benefits of Water Aerobics and Arm Curls:

• – Water supports the body, reducing stress on joints and muscles, particularly for those who have had injuries
• – A fun activity that is not limited to any age group or skill level
• – Increases flexibility and can help heart and lung function
• – Builds strength with gentle resistance from the water
• – Helps with balance and reduces the risk of injury from falls
• – Provides a sense of well-being and accomplishment

 

 

A two-week holiday in a historic homestead has led to a new life for Lyn and Bryan Evans who in May made the move from Tuncurry to Seachange Riverside Coomera. It was 2017 when the couple, who were travelling around Australia, came to the Gold Coast to visit their son and his family, staying in an Airbnb on the grounds of what was to become the five-star over 50s resort.

 

“We stayed in the original homestead on the property. It was a beautiful old home and the homestead was absolutely stunning,” Lyn said. “It was while we were staying here that we found out about Seachange Riverside Coomera. At the time we were living in an over 50s community in Tuncurry and we really enjoyed the lifestyle, so we made the decision to move here to be closer to family. “It was obviously meant to be.”

 

 

The couple have been living in the resort since May although the move had been planned for earlier. “We were living in the Foster region and because of the bush fires we had to be evacuated and it made it very difficult to sell. Then there was the COVID-19 lockdown and we couldn’t have people through our home to view it,” she said. “After that we had a contract on our house but that was subject to the sale of their house and they couldn’t sell. It was one thing after the other, but we finally were able to move here in May and we absolutely love it. We are very happy here … everything is lovely, the people are lovely.”

 

“We really enjoyed the eight years we spent in the over 50s village in Tuncurry and that’s why we chose here. “And it’s a newer development. There’s not many places where you have so many facilities … two swimming pools, a gym, tennis courts, the Coomera river … the list goes on. “You can do everything and nothing.”

 

 

Lyn said she was particularly delighted to find the builders had used as much of the original homestead in the design and layout of the resort. “They’ve used whatever they can in the work here including stonework, rocks, timber, the brickwork in the driveway and in the River House. You can see it everywhere you look. “Even the billiards table in the River House is from the original homestead. I’m so glad they have used everything they could – it really means something.” Lyn said her favourite place was the River House and she likes nothing better than whiling away the days there looking out at the river.

 

 

“This is such a lovely resort and the area is away from hustle and bustle. There’s no traffic screaming past because it’s a dead end street. It is a really well-thought-out design. “And even when you are in lockdown it doesn’t feel like it because you can sit on the jetty and look out and watch the world go by.”

 

Playing bowls is a great leisure activity, and under the tutelage of Graeme Wicks, Seachange Riverside Coomera residents are quickly mastering the difference between ‘kissing the jack’ and ‘a heavy bowl’. Graeme was introduced to the ‘old man marbles’ by his father-in-law whilst on holiday in Wales in the United Kingdom. “I realised pretty quickly that it is a really challenging sport, much harder than I initially assumed,” he said. “The green is so variable as to how it runs, and you have to learn how much weight and pressure to apply in which direction because the ball does roll.”

 

After Graeme first arrived at Seachange, he found the bowls green only a few metres away from his house and shortly after volunteered for the resort’s coaching position. “When I was back from Wales, I asked a local bowls champion at my home club to coach me and started to develop my qualifications and experience. Bowls is now one of the most popular activities at Seachange Riverside Coomera, and the over 50s resort even holds its own tournaments. “The recent tournament, which included Single, Novice, Triple and Fancy-Dress competitions, was a way of bringing new and experienced bowlers together and it also encouraged the wonderful lady bowlers to participate that little bit more!”

 

Dave Flavell, featured in the pictures, was awarded Bowler of the Tournament. Graeme said ‘Dave truly exemplified the spirit of bowls which is all about gathering the community to have fun’. Seachange Riverside Coomera Community Manager Lynn Wild said the green has become the resort’s ‘heart of activity’. “The green is located right next to our wonderful Country Club, so the residents are able to go in and out of the Club to grab a cool drink from the bar whilst they are playing, it’s no wonder it has become so busy. The residents just love it.”

 

 

 

 

Cathy Wicks’ desire to stay active and healthy has led dozens of her new friends to try a new style of fitness class at Seachange Riverside Coomera. Cathy, the resort’s Resident Activities Coordinator, attended fitness classes at the Pacific Pines Community Hub prior to settling at Seachange.

 

“When my husband Graeme and I moved to Seachange just over a year ago, I was so excited about the variety of activities on offer, but I did think it would be fun to continue with some of the fitness classes I took before we moved to the resort,” she said. “A couple of my friends attended a session of a new class called AgeilityFit post COVID and told me it was different but really good for our age group.”

 

 

“It sounded fantastic, so I tried it out, and now we have our very own weekly class here at Seachange.” Cathy said the beauty of AgeilityFit, led by instructor David Lawson, was how it combined physical and mental activity. “It’s about balance, listening to instructions that you have to follow, and then changing things mid-way through, so you have to use your brain too,” she said.

 

Mr Lawson said his MatureFit program was designed to improve participants’ health and wellbeing. “It focuses on developing strength, improving mobility, flexibility, balance and independence whether you want to challenge your current fitness level or start your fitness journey anew. We help many who have never exercised before or it has been years since they did sport or other activities,” he said. The low-impact class caters for those with injuries and limited capabilities by utilising light dumbbells and resistant bands to perform a variety of exercise while seated or standing with a chair as assistance.

 

 

“We work with all types of people. Some who have had hip or knee replacements, shoulder and back issues and others who have had strokes. Participating in classes can make everyday activities easier and shows you that it is never too late to make an improvement to your health and wellbeing,” he said. Seachange Riverside Coomera Community Manager Lynn Wild said she thoroughly enjoyed seeing homeowners trying new activities at the resort. “At Seachange, we provide our residents with the opportunity to participate in all type of fitness programs such as Yoga and Line Dancing,” she said. “Lawn Bowls is a really popular activity, and it is wonderful to see more and more people using our fully equipped gym, treatment room, sauna and steam room. “AgeilityFit is proving to be great new option for those wanting to try something interesting and different.”