It's no secret South East Queensland is the 'Florida' of Australia. A place where the weather and infastructure are conducive to a better lifestyle.
Halcyon’s communities have many homeowners who have migrated from the southern states for a life of sun, fun and friendship.
Here is part three of our three-part series.
Janice Smallwood, Halcyon Landing, moved from Sydney
A move to the Sunshine Coast was always on the cards for Janice, who had lived in her large family home in Abbotsford near Sydney Harbour for 45 years.
Her son lived in Maryborough while her daughter and grandchildren lived in Maroochydore and it was accepted she would join them.
“I needed to come up eventually because my family was here,” she said. “I wanted to move while I still had the ability to be able to do so and I had house-shopped for years.”
Janice had visited Halcyon Landing a few times and had fallen in love with the community.
“My granddaughter Kayla had always said that she wanted me to mind her babies and that she would get some if I moved up and on Christmas morning I opened my Christmas present from her and it was a baby singlet.
“I said, ‘I guess I’m moving to Queensland and everyone had a pink fit!”
There was one problem. Janice didn’t feel like she could leave Sydney as her older brother Stan had been very unwell and was living in a nursing home.
“I was worried about telling him but I went to see him and he was so happy and he told me he had a dream and he was talking to his late wife in it,”
“I had gone with two pockets full of tissues and I told him and he said ‘well, it’s about time!’ and we didn’t cry.”
Janice said her brother passed away two days later.
“So I didn’t have to leave him, he was waiting for me to come up here.”
Janice has wasted no time in getting involved in Landing’s community, joining many different groups including Faith and Friendship, Alpha as well as the singing troupe which performs at nursing homes and other events.
“The group even performed at an ABBA-themed street party.”
And what happened with the baby singlet? Janice’s great-grandson Jack is now 18 months old and she loves that she gets to babysit.
