Feels like home

Originally from Ireland, Marni and her husband Jeff emigrated to New Zealand 25 years ago. “We came on holiday to visit our daughter Sally – and never went back!” laughs Marni. The couple’s decision to make the move from their home in Raglan to retirement village living at Bupa St Kilda was triggered by Jeff’s ill health, with St Kilda’s offering of an on-site care home giving them both the peace of mind and independence they desired. Marni and Jeff were married for 57 years before Jeff passed away in 2019.

“When my husband died, I decided to sell my villa at St Kilda and move to a little cottage on my daughter’s farm – it was time out for me to grieve,” says Marni. A keen gardener, Marni created a green-fingered haven in one the fields on the farm. “I love gardens, they’ve always meant something really special to me,” she says.

After a year at the cottage, Marni felt the time was right to return to retirement village living. “I thought ‘I’m ready to talk to people again now’,” she says. “My daughter said ‘Right, let’s look at everything, so we went and looked everywhere!”.

“We went around every retirement village in the area and my daughter would say ‘Oh these apartments are lovely’ and I’d say ‘No, there’s no garden’. She smiled at me said ‘Okay, let’s go and see what they’ve got at St Kilda!’”

“I liked it here at St Kilda, and I still had friends here. So, I bought a villa, with a lovely outdoor area where I could garden. It was like coming home,” she says. “I remember saying that to people; I felt I was coming back where I belong.”

Marni recently moved from her villa at St Kilda Retirement Village to one of the new serviced apartments, which she says has given her a sense of community as well as support when she needs it. “Your meals are done, your vacuuming, you can have your bed changed for you – things people can find harder as they grow older,” she says.

“As a widow, cooking for one just isn’t quite the same,” says Marni. “I meet three friends for lunch every day and we talk about all sorts. Dinnertime is the same. We have a lovely communal lounge where we chat over meals, which is great when you live on your own. I didn’t realise how important that was until I came here – it’s nice not to have to eat on your own,” she says.

“I’m still very independent,” says Marni. “I enjoy doing my own thing, and I’ll pop down to the community centre once a week to see what’s going on. We have a marvellous village manager, lots of lawns and trees, and it’s just lovely here.”

According to Marni, staying active is easy at St Kilda Retirement Village. “We have Keep Fit here three times a week – some of it involves sitting on chairs, so yes, you can still exercise sitting on a chair!” she says. A keen walker, Marni clocks around 10,000 steps each day “with a bit of luck!” she laughs. “Walking is so important, even it’s just a walk around the village to see friends and have a cup of tea together, I just like to know that I can keep fit and keep walking.”

With the annual family holiday to Rarotonga already locked in for later this year, Marni will be the first to put her hand up for the tropical morning stroll!