There are many things that resident Don loves about living in his Ryman village, but top of the list is the amazing team that works there.

“I’m happy here, and a lot of that is because the staff are absolutely fantastic, they really are.

“I can’t point a finger at any one of the staff, they’re all so good,” he adds.

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Those relationships, along with the friends he’s made with fellow residents through bowls and happy hours, have all added up to make Don sure of one thing.

“I’m in the right place,” he says.

The move was triggered five months after Don’s wife of 55 years, Anne, passed away and their three children noticed their dad was starting to get ‘quite miserable’ at home on his own.

“He was getting grumpy and quite negative and he was leaving the odd thing on the stove,” says daughter Kirsty.

Being a three hour drive away to two of his children, he agreed to make the shift to be closer and a weekend was spent visiting open homes in various retirement villages.

While very active, Don opted for a serviced apartment so he wouldn’t have to worry about doing the cooking and cleaning.

As well as enjoying stunning views from his window, it also meant that Don was in the centre of everything, with serviced apartments all housed in the main village centre.

“I picked the right apartment – I don’t have to walk through the rain to get to the lounge, the laundry is just next door and I don’t even have to use the lift! Plus I’ve got the perfect view!”

Kirsty says although Don had been initially reluctant to leave the town he’d lived in for 60 years, his pragmatic approach had eased the process considerably.

“It’s the best decision he’s made,” she says. “Just talking to friends of mine who are having great difficulty with their parents, it’s been great having Dad who chose to be here.

Kirsty and her dog Sasha often pop in to visit Don now that he's just down the road.

“It’s just easier to know that we’re not far away, Dad has had a few issues going to the doctor or A&E over the years and it’s easier just to keep in touch, and the village team will contact you if there’s anything you need to know.”

The safety and security has been great peace of mind for the whole family, with more levels of care on site should they be needed and for Don, a retired land surveyor, there was another benefit that quite surprised him.

Being a license to occupy arrangement, it was ‘so much tidier’ than dealing with a body corporate, which appealed to Don, and being able to work out what all his outgoings was another bonus too.

“That was reassuring for Dad knowing that,” says Kirsty.

Eight years after first making the move, both agree it was the right one for Don.

Kirsty says the change in her Dad after living on his own was evident.

“The difference of him being home on his own to moving here… he’s been happy as Larry!”