Creating independence,
not losing it…
Creating independence,
not losing it...
John and Gisela Irlam moved to the Barossa Valley six years ago, after managing
their B&B in Bright, north-east Victoria. They wanted to be closer to family and
live in a country town about an hour from Adelaide, and the Barossa ticked all
the boxes.
“We wanted to renovate a home and found a lovely place in Nuriootpa where
we were lucky to make really good friends,” Gisela says.
However, three events in their family’s lives made John and Gisela realise that
it’s never too early to plan for the long term, and that you never know what can
happen in your life.
“While we were still fit and healthy, we decided to move into independent
retirement living, knowing that all the services are there, if and when we need
them,” explains John.
“We’re lucky once again to have great neighbours who are very generous and
kind, supportive of us, and keep an eye on our place when we go on holidays.”
John and Gisela actively participate in the Village Gym, Friday Movie Nights and
Happy Hour, which are all in walking distance of their unit.
“But more than that, if one of us ends up by ourselves, we will be comfortable in
our home and neither of us will have to pack up,” says John.
“This isn’t an ordinary nine to five job for Barossa Village staff, they’re really part of
a big family, and it’s nice to know that they’ll be there if we need them, because
you never know.”
For Denis and Jan Tompkins, they were looking for the opportunity to participate
more in the community, after selling their property in Lyndoch.
“We knew we wanted to be in the same area and be close to our friends, so
before we sold our house, we talked to Barossa Village and they showed us
through some units.” “We both drive for Barossa and Light Community Transport and we’re involved
with Barossa Area Fundraisers for Cancer, so we wanted easier access to the
things we’re involved in,” says Jan.
The couple love gardening and cooking, and key to their decision was finding
a unit with space to garden, cook and entertain. Having previously owned Barossa Getaway Tours for ten years, Jan continues
her involvement in the tourism industry by occasionally hosting tours for Barossa
Experience Tours.
Gisela says, “They found us a lovely unit which was being renovated, in the location
we wanted, and where we could fence off a garden, have a brand new kitchen,
and the Barossa Bush gardens across the road, which was a huge plus for us.”
Wanting to maintain their independent lifestyle, Denis and Jan were one of the
first residents to move into the Barossa Village unit development on the corner