Over 55s: the opportunities are here to have a life
Neville Knott, Noel Bennett, Ray Heinzel, John O’brien and Kathy Furney are all Kintyre Living residents enjoying their over 55s, resort-style retirement. Aged from their 70s up to 83, they’ve moved to Kintyre for a variety of reasons, with the main one being to keep enjoying life and leave the hassle of maintaining gardens, a property or home maintenance to Kintyre’s 24/7 staff. The five residents are all cyclists of varying experience who ride solo or sometimes together.
“I came from Tottenham and didn’t ride for a long time but then we started a bike group and did about 20k’s every Saturday morning. When I came here, I brought the bike with me. I ride around the zoo now. I enjoy it, I love it. It’s good exercise,” 83-year-old Noel Bennett said. Three or four times a week Noel rides around Kintyre Living grounds too, for the extra few kilometres of regular exercise he can do.
“We all love to get out and ride our bikes and it’s so good to have it to look forward to it,” John O’brien, 72, said.
“We’re spoiled for choice. We’re on the edge of a town. You’ve only got to go five minutes and you’re in the bush. Kintyre Living is a stone’s throw to the Tracker Riley cycle track and Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
“I’ll go anywhere. I’ll go once around the zoo; I’ll ride out and around the airport,” Neville Knott, 78, said. “I started riding when I was 5, to catch the school bus.” Noel is chairman of the social committee at Kintyre Living and can’t promote the Over 55’s community enough. “Kintyre is a wonderful, wonderful retirement place to live and the opportunities to all these exercise type things. It’s a great opportunity,” Noel said. John recommends to anyone considering their Over 55s living option to not leave it too late.
“Come in when you’re younger and you can take advantage of the facilities. There’s everything to do, we’ve got the tennis court, bowling green, we’re playing table tennis, line dancing, all the exercise classes, aqua classes, everything,” John said.
“Our saying is that its better wear out than rust out,” Kathy said.
Noel agrees that Kintyre Village life presents opportunities to anyone of any age.
“You can choose to have a bit of a garden for yourself or let the Kintyre people do it for you and spend your time doing what you want.
“I got the surprise of my life when I first saw Kintyre. I never knew anything about it until I moved here. What a wonderful open fresh facility. I’ve made more friends in two years in this village than I would have ever imagined,” Noel said. “At whatever age you choose to move in, the opportunities are here to have a life.”