Hands at work
BARRY TENNANT SETTLED INTO RETIREMENT LIFE
EASILY, IMMERSING HIMSELF IN THE EAGLEMOUNT
RESORT COMMUNITY. HE IS NOW THE CUSTODIAN
FOR THE VILLAGE’S WORKSHOP, THE HOBBY SHED.
BEING CONNECTED
6
1
Join in a village
activity that you think
you’ll §nd interesting
(e.g. art class, bowls,
§tness club) and commit
to it for three months.
2
In those three
months, make an
eort to get to know
some new faces. Asking
questions and sharing a
cuppa will help.
3
If you don’t §nd
yourself connecting
with anyone at the
three month mark, try
another new activity.
MAKING FRIENDS
IN THE VILLAGE
Building new relationships
can be easy. Follow these
simple steps to turn a
hobby into a friendship.
In 2004, Barry Tennant, 74,
and his wife, Lynette, 70,
decided to leave their home
in Timberlands and move to
Eaglemount Resort, Mackay.
The decision came easily to
the couple. Married for 51
years, they favoured the quiet
and safe villas of the resort
over the other nearby
retirement villages.
“We just decided we didn’t
want to go back into suburbia,”
Barry says. “We considered
moving into a retirement village
for the fact that everything is
so much easier.”
Re¬ecting on earlier years in
the village, Barry says §tting
into the village community
wasn’t dicult.
“We didn’t know anybody here.
Before we moved in, we were
invited down to the club house
by the manager. We got to
know a few people and made
our friends from there.”
Barry has been an active
member of the onsite
workshop since moving in,
and now holds the position
of custodian.
“At the time of our moving in,
the age of the residents was
between 60 and 70. There were
quite a few men who brought
some of their tools of trade with
them and made use of them
within the workshop.”
The workshop became so
popular within the village
community that, in 2014,
Lendlease provided the funds,
equipment and hardware for
a shed upgrade.
The Hobby Shed, as it is
now known, is put to great
use. Residents enjoy crafting
pieces such as bread boards
and serviette holders, which
are in high demand at the local
markets, and members of the
community often place orders for
the highly-coveted woodwork.
Barry sees The Hobby Shed as a
huge asset to the resort, allowing
residents to carry on doing what
they love while being active
members of their community.
