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Choosing a retirement village can be an emotional and confusing task, but creating priorities and exploring all the options against those priorities can help.
For some, one of those priorities is a village where the owners are directly involved in the business and pride themselves on a close relationship with the residents, as opposed to a large corporate structure.
Treeview is one such village. Andrew Evetts founded the village in 2006 with business partner Ian O’Rourke.
“We saw a need for a retirement village for people from the Blue Mountains, and there was no room to build a new village. We found this great spot, and at that time many people were already coming to Lithgow from the mountains for shopping anyway,” he said.
“Now about 70 per cent of our residents are from the mountains, and we are also seeing more people coming here from Western Sydney, attracted by the opportunity to get out of the rat race and the affordability.”
Mr Evetts said affordability was one of main considerations behind the establishment of Treeview.
“We wanted our residents – most sell their existing house to move here – to have enough left over to enjoy life after paying their lease. We also ensure our monthly charges are competitive.”
Frank and Judith Barr moved into the 100th villa in Treeview in June.
“The problem in the mountains is the fires, so Treeview is more convenient,” said Frank, who is still active in the RFS. “I feel much safer leaving Judith here than in Hazelbrook when I have to go away.”
However the Barrs said there was one thing that really stood out for them.
“Our villa has a garage attached – it was the only place we saw that did. And with the Lithgow climate, the internal access is really handy.
“We were also attracted to the Treeview fee structure – if it doesn’t work out for any reason, it is easier to leave than some other places.
“Also the house is fantastic – not one step from the road to the back fence,” Frank said.
Judith added that the village is a lot friendlier than they were expecting, and that the transport is excellent.
“There is a bus out the front to the station every hour, and then it is only $2.60 into the city. Also, having the hospital so close is a bonus,” she said.
Mr Evetts said they work closely with all the facilities that form part of the health campus, especially with Three Trees Lodge next door which offers in-home care.
He said the focus is now on finishing the village, with the last stage recently released and due for completion by the end of next year.
“We’re looking forward to finishing the building and being able to completely focus on our residents and continuing to improving the quality of service, lifestyle and community.”
Details: http://treeview.com.au
