Allister says life at Ryman Healthcare’s Charles Upham Retirement Village is wonderful, and here he feels he is part of the Canterbury heartland he grew up in.From his third level home he can look out on the Sheffield hills, familiar to him because he once worked on nearby farms.
Allister was born in St George’s Hospital in Christchurch, as were some of his siblings, and he did some of his schooling nearby. He started at Waimairi School then went to Heaton Intermediate.
From there he started on a varied career, including working on dairy and pig farms. He helped build a bulk store for the Woolworths chain then moved to Crown Crystal Glass to make glass for the chandeliers in Princess Margaret Hospital.
For 15 years he worked in the city for iconic bookseller, Whitcombe and Tombs. He spent most of his time in the printing department where he carried out tasks including running the machines for packaging and distributing books around New Zealand.
He and his wife Pamela Joan also ran a dairy in Madras Street in the centre of the city for a good number of years. He also has great memories of working in the rural areas of Canterbury.
Allistar is very happy with his choice to move into a serviced apartment at Charles Upham where he is in touch with both the town and country. He moved into the village a few months ago and has found he likes the extra help with the day to day tasks of living that come with a serviced apartment.
Allister enjoys the lifestyle options his home gives him. He can open the sliding door on his upper level apartment and look out to the hills. “Inside there’s all the mod cons, so I can relax,” he says.
His daughters can visit easily and sit down with him within the village or take a trip into the nearby township. Leanne lives in Kaiapoi and Keryn lives on a family olive farm, near Ohoka.
Allister has enjoyed getting to know his new community, and fellow residents. “Once you get together with the others in the village it doesn’t take long for the barriers to break down.”
He also likes the fact he can spend time with his friends but also has the choice to close his door for quiet moments such as reading about classic cars or enjoying his hobbies. In his home he has one of the many models he has built over the years. This one is an ‘America’s Cup’ styled yacht that stretches 1.5 metres and based around a pre-cast hull.
The village located just on the outskirts of Rangiora offers a full range of retirement living and care options including independent townhouses and apartments, assisted living in serviced apartments, resthome, hospital and dementia care. The village is rural, peaceful, and set amongst beautifully landscaped gardens.