- Lifestyle
- Toowoomba
Shock Turns To Delight For New Seachangers

When Michael and Margaret Bowe put the home they had lived in for 48 years on the market they were in for an enormous shock. Thinking their Clifton property would take 12 months to sell, they were astounded when it sold the very next day! Suddenly the rush was on to find a new home, not just for themselves but also for all the belongings that they couldn’t take with them as they downsized to something more manageable.
“We were a little bit worried. Our eldest son Anthony joked we could live in his caravan! Luckily, our daughter Sue-Anne knew someone who lived here at Seachange Toowoomba. She brought us here for a visit and it was lovely,” said Margaret, 71. “We found our house straight away, loved it and bought it immediately. We were lucky to find the right one here in Seachange so quickly. “We did try another over 50s community, but we just loved Seachange.”
The couple moved in June 2021 and have been spending their time taking part in all the resort activities on offer. It was a big change for the Bowes who went from having a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house on two acres to a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a small garden within the over 50s lifestyle resort. Michael, 70, who was one of 14 children and had lived in Clifton for 70 years, initially found the move a bit challenging but quickly made plenty of new friends and is happy and active in the community.
“When we first spoke about putting the house on the market, we were not thinking it was going to sell so quickly but when it did, I dug my heels in and said I didn’t want to leave,” Michael said. “But the house sold straight away so we had to do something. We went to some different places to look and then we came to Seachange. The very first thing we noticed was the very friendly staff and how they welcomed us into the office. “I was very nervous at first and it probably took me about four weeks before I started really settling in and I got to know some very friendly people … it’s been great ever since. “I have no regrets and I still go out to Clifton and play golf once a week.”
Margaret said it had been easy to make new friends and she was thoroughly enjoying taking part in all the activities. “On Mondays it’s bowls, Tuesdays we go to Drayton for line dancing and Michael goes to the gym, Wednesdays there’s singing. On Thursdays Michael plays snooker and I go to line dancing practice, and Fridays there’s other things on. Plus, every second week there’s Friday happy hour at the country club,” she said. “We are really social and keep ourselves busy. We’re certainly not bored and we have seven grandchildren we love spending time with as well. It’s nice to get back to everything after Covid.
“And even though we went from having two acres in Clifton with a big garden, I still have my garden here and grow herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers and shallots. “We don’t have a single little regret. Even when we are in the Toowoomba township I say ‘let’s just go home to our house’. I love it.”