A new home, close to home

It was a case of first in, best dressed when Tarragindi couple Jeff and Judy Jones moved to their suburb’s new retirement village, The Green Tarragindi Retirement Village. After spending more than half their lives in Tarragindi, Jeff and Judy were excited to realise their retirement dream of remaining in their beloved community when they became the first to move into the vertical village with sweeping city views.

With a short supply of retirement accommodation options in their immediate area, the Jones were quick to jump on the chance to continue to call Tarragindi home, in accommodation that will continue to meet their needs even as their care and support requirements increase with age.

The popularity of retirement living

The opportunity to age well locally is not possible for everyone, with statistics showing that retirement villages are effectively at capacity nationwide, while the supply pipeline of new stock is slowing down.

Nationally, the number of Australians aged 65 and older will double in the next 40 years, while the number of people aged 85 and older is set to triple to more than 3.5 million people by 2062–63, according to the Federal Government’s Intergenerational Report 2023.

Despite the surging senior population, the 2022 PwC/Property Council Retirement Census found retirement villages were effectively at capacity. The census also found the development supply pipeline planned for the subsequent three years fell to 5100 dwellings compared to the 2021 Retirement Census of more than 10,500 dwellings. Higher construction and debt costs, and an uncertain economic outlook may have contributed to this decreased supply.

Location, location, location

The Jones say they are fortunate to have moved to a retirement village so close to where they have been living for nearly four decades.

“We knew eventually we would need to make the move into some sort of retirement village, so when we heard about The Green, we were keen right from the get-go,” Judy says. “Moving into a retirement village is a big enough change without having to move to a new area.

“While we don’t have any health issues or need help at this stage, we thought it would be better to make the move as we couldn’t see another village like it coming to Tarragindi any time soon.”

Having called Tarragindi home since 1983, the Jones didn’t want to entertain leaving the suburb. Judy and Jeff did move briefly to Holland Park many years ago, but within a few years had returned to purchase their third home in Tarragindi. They raised their sons, Craig and Matt, in Tarragindi and have enjoyed having their six grandchildren live nearby. The real estate business the couple founded, which is now run by their sons, is also a short drive away.

Close proximity

Besides knowing the area well, the couple also love the proximity of the village. They have everything they need so close to home.

“We love the accessibility Tarragindi provides – we’ve got four hospitals right on our doorstep and easy access to the motorways and we’re close to the city,” Jeff explains. “We had looked at other sites and places. We couldn’t get away from the fact this was at Tarragindi – that was obviously a big attraction, and we also thought The Green offered us more amenities than any of the other places we looked at. The design of the complex, the landscaping, the facilities – it just all fitted together so well.”

The community features independent living apartments with an age-friendly design, support from a care concierge, access to the rejuvenated Tarragindi Bowls Club, a café and lush landscaped gardens.

No looking back

Since moving into The Green, Jeff and Judy haven’t looked back. They find life more relaxing in their low-maintenance abode and are committed to living there for as long as possible.

“We don’t plan to move. While you never know what is in front of you, with the support we can access at The Green I think we can manage here for the rest of our lives,” says Judi.