Evelyn Page Retirement Village celebrated its 10th birthday since officially opening in 2010 with a very special Happy Hour to mark the occasion yesterday.
Village staff made a huge effort to decorate the lounge area with balloons and flowers for the 250-plus residents who came along to savour the moment.
Chef Clem and his team in the kitchen put on a fantastic barbecue tea which was complemented with a slice of the delicious birthday cake.
Village Manager Jill Clark gave a short speech paying tribute to the many people whose contributions to the village over the years had made it the warm, welcoming character-filled place it is today.
Firstly, she credited the talents of the village namesake, Evelyn Page, whose colourful body of work was reflected in the beautiful garden blooms lovingly tended by the gardening team.
The previous three managers were all given a special mention including Lynn Charlton who led the team to their Village of the Year win in 2018.
She then took the audience back to the early days of the village’s construction, when sales advisors Tony and Yvette sold the first townhouses straight off the plans.
Jill named a roll call of those first ‘pioneer’ residents, who actually moved in in 2009, and then invited one of them, Alan Tong, to share some stories from those first days as Evelyn Page residents.
He recalled how the first happy hours were held in what was now Margaret Ryan’s townhouse and how they dubbed themselves ‘Ryman’s Rebels’.
“We created a culture which I feel still exists which is something we should be proud of,” he said.
“We all came in here not knowing anyone and we’ve made new friends and we enjoy our lives and that’s what we’re doing here now.”
Regional Operations Manager Wendy Turner also took to the podium to praise the ‘beautiful village and gorgeous residents’ before Jill singled out a few of the village staff who are also celebrating 10 years of working for Ryman.
“I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that Sue Stace has given to the village.
“Sue works in the laundry and what Sue doesn’t know about how the laundry operates isn’t worth knowing!” Jill said.
Triple A instructor Tracy Morgan and Jocelyn Stubbing, who regularly plays the piano to entertain residents, were also thanked for their 10 year association with Evelyn Page.
Finally, Jill invited the first townhouse resident Gary Bridgford and first apartment resident George Langley to unveil the 10th birthday plaque before Sue Stace joined Gary in cutting the cake.
After the delicious food, the residents took to the dance floor to shake their stuff while singer Sean O’Shea kept the music going.