5 minutes with Joy

Why did you choose Yarra Rossa?

Well, I don’t think I chose it as much as it chose me! I have known about BaptistCare and their caring attitude since I was a young girl, and I’d been looking at Yarra Rossa but not saying anything. I took my friend to an event there because I thought Yarra Rossa would be ideal for her. At the time, I was in the middle of a divorce settlement and I had no idea what I was going to finish up with. The settlement came down to me having exactly the amount I needed to get into here, so I think Yarra Rossa chose me.

Did you think you could afford YR?

I walked around and looked at everything and just thought, ‘nope, this is just above my ability to pay what’s required here’. When the sales team explained that there was flexibility, I thought, ‘wow’. It took a while before I found out that I had the right amount to get in here.

What drew you to a one-bedroom plus study unit?

I can visualise sizes just by looking at a plan, and I thought, ‘wow, that is really convenient and there’s lots of storage as well.’ I didn’t need a second bedroom – this is just for me. Often people want a two bedroom just because they think they need it, but I didn’t want another bedroom that’s empty except for the few times someone comes to stay. So, if my family want to visit, they have to stay somewhere else, but they can do that. And I have more storage and living space in my unit, in this one-bedroom and study unit, than some people have in the two-bedroom units. There’s plenty of room! I was really surprised by how much space there was, and even more surprised when I got the container of my belongings delivered – everything fitted!

Were you concerned about being a single person among many couples?

It didn’t even occur to me! They’ve had some really great social events, and everybody’s really friendly. I haven’t met anyone who’s unhappy about moving here.

What’s your favourite thing about Yarra Rossa?

The peace of mind! I don’t have to worry about, ‘is that a bush banging against the house, and I’m going to have to get somebody in to cut it down?’ I don’t have to worry about if the security lights come on, I just call somebody. Nothing do I have to be concerned about that I can’t get somebody else to do for me.

Does having an emergency call system, and the village manager always available to help, give you a feeling of safety?

Absolutely! My daughter’s a paramedic and she told me that they have all the codes and have no trouble getting in here at all, so all emergency services knows the entry codes. And we all have special lock boxes outside our doors with spare keys.

Has anything surprised you about life at Yarra Rossa?

I think it’s just the openness and the willingness to help, and the generosity of people. We’re all strangers to each other initially, but we’ve all faced similar situations. We have had to sell our houses, we’ve had to get rid of a lot of stuff we thought was important, but found when we get here that life’s pretty good without it all. It’s the empathy of everybody around who has had to go through the same sort of thing.

What advice would you give someone considering moving to Yarra Rossa?

Do it! Just do it – you’ll be absolutely pleased you did it.