A Sunday drive triggered a decision that prompted four best friends to sell their large, empty-nest family homes and buy into Stockland’s Halcyon Berwick.
Carmel and Ray Williams and their best friends Debbie and Ross Feddersen always knew they wanted to downsize at the same time and move somewhere close to each other.
But until they stumbled onto Halcyon Berwick one day when Carmel and Ray were searching for a block of land, they’d always put that future decision in the too-hard basket.
Carmel and Ray currently live in Berwick just a few minutes down the road from their new community and Debbie and Ross live 7 kilometres away in Narre Warren South.
The two couples will be moving into their neighbouring homes in Stockland’s first Victorian over 50s community just 48 kilometres south-east of Melbourne later in the year.
“The way it all happened, it was just meant to be,” Carmel said.
“Debbie and Ross are like family to us.
“We met at a playgroup more than 30 years ago and we hit it off from the beginning and so did our children who were so close they were like siblings.”
Debbie said the four friends, who have travelled extensively together, have spent a lot of time talking about how if they stay together after they downsize, they will all be well supported in their retirement.
“The fact that we will be living next to each other in this fabulous new community is just the best possible scenario we could possibly hope for,” Debbie said. “We will be there for each other in the later years if something happens.”
Both Ray and Ross collect wine and are hoping to start a wine club in their new community - they’ve got a nice bottle of Bollinger champagne picked out for move-in day.
And one of the things they will be toasting to are the new friends they have already made at the weekly happy hour social nights.
“They have some great meet-and-greet nights,” Carmel said. “We’ve met such lovely people to share these exciting times with.”
“That’s the greatest aspect we think, the fact that we will never been on our own because there’s so many people in this community and everyone will be together and it’s that social aspect that really appeals to us.”
Both couples will be living in Santa Cruz Way directly opposite the Club House which will have a $30,000 wood-fired pizza oven.
“We’ll just be able to stroll over for wine and pizza catch-ups and we’re all thrilled about the gym and the pools and cinema too.”
“And because we have more plans to travel together, we’ll just be able to lock up and go and we won’t have to worry about anything.”
“As soon as we saw the community plans, I couldn’t put my money down fast enough.”
