Skip to main content

A Safe Haven To Return To In Travelling Times

Graham Clark’s international holiday hit a COVID-19 roadblock when flying from Hanoi to Singapore earlier in the year.

Scroll to Explore

A Safe Haven To Return To In Travelling Times

21 March 2020

Stories | Retirement Living

Graham Clark’s international holiday hit a COVID-19 roadblock when flying from Hanoi to Singapore earlier in the year. An onboard announcement led to a hasty retreat and long haul to get home to the safety and support of BaptistCare Watermark.

“I was travelling with my wife Barbara, my daughter, and son-in-law. Halfway into the flight it came over the speakers that Singapore was shutting down. We were told if we crossed the aisle to get our luggage we’d be there for 14 days in isolation,” said Graham.

“Otherwise, we could catch another flight and have our bags redirected. We landed in Melbourne the day before our government brought in hotel quarantine for 14 days,” said Graham.

The intrepid travellers felt well supported isolating in the comfort of their own home. “It was very good actually. Sarah organised one of the local butchers. We could ring on a Monday and have the meat delivered on Tuesday. We’re still getting the service now. It’s wonderful! We were fortunate to find a very good butcher out of it all.”

Graham and Barbara moved to BaptistCare Watermark from Leeton nearly 12 years ago. They have two daughters, one resides in Leeton and one in Wagga. “We had a very big home, miles too big for the two of us. We looked for this type of village all over. We could never find it until we looked here. We really appreciate the community feeling.
We’ve made some lovely friends here,” said Graham.

“We have a garden, our dog loves it here. We usually lock up and go in our caravan every winter. That’s the beauty of living in a place like this, there’s no trouble in getting someone to water the garden or check the mail.”

“We took advantage of that. We’ve already been once around Australia, we are going to go around again but taking longer.” Graham plays a key role in village life as President of the
Residents’ Committee.

About Watermark

Just 400 metres from the town centre, beautifully located on the shores of the Murrumbidgee, Watermark is a thriving community and one of the best places in all of Wagga to call home.

Our community is designed so residents can connect and engage as much as they wish. Some of the activities available to residents include bus trips, craft groups, high teas and live entertainment.

Find out more about Watermark