An Adventurous Life & A Long Love
Penny and Ian Begbie lead an adventurous life having travelled to some 70 or 80 countries in their time together and are always happy to return home to BaptistCare Willandra Village.
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16 May 2019
Stories
| Retirement Living
Penny and Ian Begbie lead an adventurous life having travelled to some 70 or 80 countries in their time together and are always happy to return home to BaptistCare Willandra Village.
“We do travel a lot. We’ve been to some 70 or 80 countries or so. We moved in to BaptistCare Willandra Village seven years ago, just after I turned 70 but it didn’t slow us down,” said Ian.
The couple chose village life after Ian’s experience working as a diocese and preacher. “I was counselling elderly people, and in most cases they were still living in their very large ancestral home, alone, and hadn’t moved voluntarily.”
“We made the decision to move early so our children didn’t have to intervene.”
Ian and Penny decided to sell their cars so public transport accessibility was a big motivator in choosing Willandra. Their second criteria: a facility with low and highcare closeby. “We’ve seen too many couples with distance between them due to care requirements. Here, if one of us needs care, the other can walk and spend time with the other without much distance involved.”
Penny and Ian also loved the layout of the village. “It’s a wonderful facility with grass and trees - deciduous trees that colour and provide this beautiful summer shade as well.”
The location gives Penny and Ian a perfect jumping off point for their active life.
“We have season tickets to the Sydney Theatre Company and we head in of a night. We go to Vivid. We travel to the Dendy. We’ve travelled overseas three times this year. We plan to go away again in August next year.”
“We are conveniently located in terms of our grandchildren, too. They keep us young. We’re about half way between our two sons. Our daughter and her husband, who have six children, are quite close,” said Ian.
“We’ve been together for 55 years. I think if you marry the right person, they compliment your weaknesses, which is one of the things that work best in a relationship.”
About Willandra Village
In the heart of Macquarie park, surrounded by 3.5 hectares of landscaped parkland, Willandra is the perfect combination of convenience and laid back lifestyle. You'll have access to a range of community facilities, your garden and maintenance taken care of, all in a friendly and welcoming community.