Achieving work/life balance is not easy but it turns out – living in a retirement village can help.
Sandra and Peter Watkins are actually not retired but they live in a retirement village. Sounds unusual but it works for them. They both feel that moving into Wivenhoe Village west of Sydney five months ago is one of the “best things” they’ve ever done. Why? Because it’s helped them achieve the work/life balance they want.
One thing is abundantly clear about Peter and Sandra’s lives right now. They are both still enjoying their careers and they see no reason to stop working right now. They’ve found there’s no need to actually retire to enjoy life in a retirement village – and they couldn’t be happier.
Lively careers
Peter works full time as a Blended Learning Designer at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and Sandra works part time in the university sector. When Sandra first moved into the village, she had fully retired but when an offer came up to work part time, she felt she couldn’t refuse.
Sandra says getting back into work life has actually been ‘complementary’ to life at Wivenhoe.
“I don’t feel like working negatively impacts my involvement in the Wivenhoe Community – in fact I would say that working actually complements the lifestyle here,” she says. “I am happy knowing that neither of us have to race home to do the lawns after a long day at work – we can just enjoy coming home to relax with a glass of wine whilst watching spectacular sunsets from the privacy of our back courtyard.”
Empty Nesters
Having been empty nesters for some time when their children, Ben and Lauren moved out, Sandra and Peter then spent quite a bit of their time nursing Sandra’s parents through some illness.
Sandra says this got her thinking about their own future and what they were going to do to achieve a better work/life balance. The maintenance on their property became overwhelming and it seemed like they never had the time they wanted to spend with their extended family.
“Without a doubt, the best thing we’ve done”
Peter was at first a sceptic about living in a retirement village but he now says: “It is without a doubt the best thing we have ever done.” He says these days he often finds himself trying to change the perceptions of family and friends who think of over 55s communities like the Aged Care or Nursing Home of the 90’s.
Community lifestyle suits
“Whether it is a quick wave as you pass in the street, a chat over the fence whilst tending to your gardens, or a beer and a bite at our weekly Happy Hour, it is a great feeling to know there are always others around if you ever need anything. The community here really is second to none,” adds Peter.
In the short time they’ve lived in the village, Peter and Sandra have already planned two holidays – one being a cruising holiday around New Zealand with neighbours and the other they will join the Graham Ross garden tour in Japan next April.
It seems, life in a retirement village can be excellent for achieving that elusive work/life balance.
