“Each morning it takes 15 minutes to walk from Arawang building to the café in Blundell building. This isn’t for any reason other than so many residents and staff stop us to say hello. And it’s a genuine hello, they really want to know how we are.”

During the bushfires and the pandemic of 2020, Vanessa and Peter experienced a great deal of separation from loved ones and caregivers. This was the moment Vanessa started looking for a new style of living.

“There is an emphasis on the fact that you’re in your own home and it is your own home, but there are people around you, there are activities, you can join them all or none. It’s hard not to join and come down and have a coffee and make friends.”

Vanessa is an active member of The Art Club, and in November 2020 started up a Greenway Views Knitting Club. Vanessa used to knit tapestries but has now turned her attention to clothing, having used her remaining tapestry wool to create an intricately woven rainbow vest for herself. The number of residents who attended the first Knitting Club Meeting was so large that the group are now looking for a new room to host future meetings.

“There is mutual respect and a mutual caring between residents, they don’t intrude, and we don’t intrude. None of us are strangers; we are all in this together. The common areas are a wonderful place that makes you feel relaxed, independent, but not alone.”

“As you get older, more ideas come into your head – the stereotype of the elderly pops into your head; the person in a rocking chair with slippers. Greenway Views has shaken off all preconceived ideas of old age. On the whole, it is a bit scary and daunting, knowing what isn’t too far off. You ask yourself, how do you find a safe place? Your own home doesn’t seem as safe because you don’t have contact with others in the same way. Here you are all in the same boat, and we are all conscious that we are all at the age where we need company. LDK is working; it is living up to its name.”