Athol and Rae
For Athol and Rae Leask, the independence that Bupa St Kilda Retirement Village offers dovetails perfectly with their desire to pack up and go without the worry of who will mow the lawns or collect the mail.
“It took us two years to find the right place,” says Athol, “and our priority was having the freedom to go when and where we pleased. We lead a full life, including my work as a Justice of the Peace, so living here has been ideal.”
Some four and a half years later they are still going where and when they please, before coming home to their warm and sunny villa in a village they describe as being “great value for money.”
Married for 55 years, Athol and Rae have two daughters in Auckland and a son in Palmerston North, and regularly hit the road to look after their 11-year-old granddaughter in Auckland during the school holidays.
Continuing to lead a busy, fulfilling life, within a safe and supportive community is key for residents at Bupa St Kilda Retirement Village, which offers a community centre, wellness clinic, library and residents' workshop.
“We’ve been popping her in the caravan and travelling around since she was four years old,” says Athol, “and we recently went to Fiji with all our family. None of this involved having to make arrangements for things to be taken care of at home.”
Annette and Graham Goodall
Fellow residents Annette and Graham Goodall also embrace the lock up and leave lifestyle at the village after relocating to Cambridge from the South Island. Annette and Graham didn’t expect to be living at St Kilda, but they didn’t expect to lose their home in the Canterbury earthquakes either.
It was an incredibly stressful time, with the decision to move prompted by Graham’s doctor advising him he was at high risk of a major health issue if he didn’t leave the trauma behind and move away from Christchurch.
Graham, a retired police officer, and Annette have been married for 63 years and were the first couple to become residents at Bupa St Kilda Retirement Village, Annette cut the cake for its official opening on September 22, 2015, which, serendipitously, happened to be her birthday.
With family still in Christchurch, and also in Hamilton, Graham and Annette can easily plan visits without any hassle, thanks to lock up and leave retirement living.
“We’re very happy here,” says Graham. “We spend our days as we like, and there’s enough going on in the village for us to join in on the things we choose, while still doing a lot of things independently.”
After moving to Bupa St Kilda Retirement Village in 2023, Sarah and Graeme Henshaw find themselves out of the village more often than they’re in it.
Sarah and Graeme Henshaw
Frequent travellers, Sarah and Graeme’s life has become one grand world tour in their later years with a cruise to Canada up next.
Moving from a large family home into St Kilda Retirement Village was the ideal solution to continue the lifestyle they love, knowing their home would be safe and secure while they travelled overseas.
Security, a sense of community, sunshine and lovely fruit trees are just a few of the reasons Sarah and Graeme love their home at the village, but while they consider the lock up and leave lifestyle is perfect for them, their Burman cat, Lily, isn’t convinced.
Lily believes she should be considered a fixed floor covering, not packed off to a local cattery on the eve of her owners’ Canadian cruise.
“Being a Burman she is an extremely chatty cat,” says Graeme, “and we will no doubt be subject to a loud string of complaints when we get home!”.
Three couples with different lifestyles, all enjoying the benefits of calling Bupa St Kilda Retirement Village home.
“We’ve got no regrets about the move to St Kilda,” says Graeme. “It was absolutely the right move for us.”
