A day in the life of a retirement village resident

Staying active and social is key to a happy life for Jenny Klinkby. Each Tuesday is an especially action-packed day for Jenny, who has lived at Boambee Gardens Retirement Village with her husband Alf for the past 14 and a half years. Jenny has kindly shared what an average day in her life as a resident in the village looks like for her.

A day in Jenny’s life

9-10am: On a Tuesday, it’s exercise to start off the morning. There is an exercise group called Heart Moves which Jenny likes to go to.

10.15-11.15am: It’s Tai Chi. “I don’t always go to these groups,” says Jenny. “But I try to get along when I can. Otherwise, there could be doctor’s appointments, dentist appointments, crazy things going on around here.”

Lunchtime: “After Tai Chi, I have a husband that needs lunch, so we take a break to eat,” says Jenny.

1.30-2.30pm: It’s time to get moving again with some line dancing.

2.30pm: Craft club. “When I finish line dancing, I usually go down to the craft club for about half an hour,” Jenny explains. “Here, I do a bit of crocheting, if I’ve got some to do. Crocheting the tops of hand towels, because we have a little shop every so often and so I’m lucky enough to be the only one doing the hand towels. Then we’ve got squares to make blankets, more so for the winter. I also help out with whatever else is going.”

While this is an average Tuesday that Jenny enjoys she says that her busy life means that she doesn’t always get to all the groups the village offers.

“I don’t always do it every Tuesday, but I try and do it as much as I can,” says Jenny “I like to do it as it keeps me upright, otherwise I shall sit down all day. The line dancing gives us plenty of exercise, as does the Heart Moves in the morning. The tai chi is good as it’s slower and more of a movement exercise.”

Couples that play together, stay together

Over the more than 14 years that Jenny and her husband Alf have lived in the village, they’ve taken part in lots of different social activities and groups. Staying active and busy is how the couple like to live their lives and Boambee Gardens has lots on offer for them.

“We used to do rock’n’roll dancing together, which was great fun,” says Jenny. “But we’re getting a bit too old to do that now. We always like to do something, I don’t know how to live with nothing to do.”

While Jenny has her day packed full of groups on a Tuesday, her husband Alf has his own interests to keep him busy.

“Alf doesn’t join the classes, he has a few things to do himself,” Jenny explains. “He’s a member of the bonsai club, so he plays with his bonsais quite a bit. He does a little bit of gardening.

“He used to be a member of the chess club, he took chess to the schools around here. He introduced the schools to chess along with an older man, many years ago. Now the schools have competitions and the teachers have taken over, so that is still going I believe.”

Something for everyone

It’s not just Jenny and Alf who like to keep busy, a lot of the residents at Boambee Gardens like to get out and about and take part in things happening inside the village, as well as life outside.

“Some of the residents are very busy, there are those who get involved, others who like to get into the gardens,” says Jenny. “There’s a lot of activity going on here, they’ve got painting groups, yoga groups (I haven’t joined the yoga group) there’s bingo and table tennis, there’s quite a bit going on.

“There are quite a few goers in the village. There are others who go and do things outside of the village too. It’s fantastic this way of living. We’re so handy to shops, airport, the train stations, the hospital, we’re 15 minutes from everything.”

Living the quiet life

While the village can be a hive of activity for those who don’t want to sit around, there are plenty of residents who prefer to live a quieter existence or spend time away from the village.

“There are residents who keep to themselves and you won’t see from one year to the next. They often have outside interests or they may just like to keep to themselves,” says Jenny.

“Others will come to the bar each evening for a quick drink before they go to dinner, have a little chat. You can’t see everybody, in 14-and-a-half years there are some people I’ve not seen yet,” says Jenny “Everyone’s different, so you have a great big mix of people here, which makes it good. The ones who are happy to do the social things and the others who are happy to do their own things.”

Working for her residents

Leading the helm at Boambee Gardens is 2021 NSW Village Manager of the Year Lexi Connor. Lexi is much-loved by the residents not only for her dedication, but for the fun that she brings.

“Lexi is fantastic, she’s the best person we’ve got! We hope she never leaves! We want to keep her for ourselves,” says Jenny.

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