The amazing team of Coral and Christine, with the help of a heap of fantastic volunteers, put together another successful Village Garden Market yesterday.
Garden enthusiasts and hungry residents stayed dry while they ambled through the tables full of plants and baked goods.
The girls did a great job as acting Bookies, selling tickets in next week’s Melbourne Cup Sweep.
Thanks Prue, Christine and Coral.
At these prices you could afford to fill your balcony with amazing plants.
When you weren’t buying plants, it was a great time to catch up with neighbours.
Plants. plants and more plants
The pool provided a peaceful backdrop, especially with the raindrops landing on the surface of the water, while shoppers pondered their potential purchase.
Cheryl, Tony and Anna stocked up on house-plants, while Kerrie and John, Wendy and Peter caught up on village news.
Margaret took care of sales and greetings. She had a huge smile for everyone who stopped to say hello.
Susan sold heaps of tickets for the beautiful butterfly decoration. If the person who won it is having trouble figuring out where to put it, I have the perfect spot at my place. Just saying…
Linda guarded the baked goodies. I bought some carrot cake, had it for lunch (yep – that’s what I do…), and it was so good I‘ve pre-ordered another one for next week (thanks Christine).
I don’t think Linda needed to up-sell any of the great variety of cakes and slices. Judy knew exactly what she wanted. The Brownies were really popular.
Am I the only one who thinks these plants are amazingly inexpensive?
I’ve resorted to buying plants that grow in water, not soil. So far the last lot I bought have survived.
The good old sanitiser and sign-in sheet greeted everyone on arrival. Where would we be without them.
I love those decorations that swirl around. I’m sure I’d just sit on my porch all day, watching them catch the breeze.
Mary didn’t waste any time working out which plants to buy for her balcony.
The day was a great success, and there were many more volunteers than the ones mentioned here.
To everyone who helped make the Village Garden Market another awesome success – Thank You!
Helping each other is what Mountain View residents do well, and it’s what makes this place the best place to live.
Mine was one of the generations raised with the gender defining notion that boy babies wore blue booties, and girl babies wore pink booties.
Fast forward to 2019 – those boy babies are now in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and blue has been ditched in favour of pink.
For seniors who attended the recent Project Pink function at Mountain View Retirement Village, the room was a sea of pink. Our now more senior boy babies wore pink shirts, pink ties, pink braces, and pink hats.
There was not a blue bootie to be seen… anywhere.
Pink bras were strung high and wide, along with the usual bunting and balloons.
So why would these trend-setters of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s don their finest pink outfits, and assemble in the Community Centre on a fine day in October?
Because….
Mountain View Retirement Village puts on an annual event to raise money for the PA‘ s research into Breast Cancer.
Project Pink – Mountain View Style
Project Pink is our way of raising money for a great cause, and residents came out in full force to support it.
Food was plentiful and the drinks flowed.
Each attendee paid a nominal fee to attend, and then untied the purse-strings to buy heaps of raffle tickets.
You could be forgiven for thinking the cost of admission wouldn’t even cover the cost of lunch, let alone drinks and raffle prizes.
And it didn’t. We had some serious help with the funding.
Aveo supports Project Pink events in its communities across the country, with an aim to raise one million dollars for the cause.
Businesses in Murwillumbah donated generously to make sure there were enough raffle prizes.
And the staff and residents of Mountain View worked tirelessly on the day.
David, Dave and John flipped burgers and sausages on the BBQ.
Shanneen, Ellen and Kerrie took care of everything inside.
And Ray, one of the boy babies adorned in pink, greeted guests and helped sell raffle tickets.
Residents ate, drank and were merry – their participation making a difference to the families who have or will be affected by Breast Cancer in their lifetime.
Have you heard me say Murwillumbah is the best place to live?
Here’s why…
Resident volunteers took to the streets of Murwillumbah a few weeks before the event and ‘door-knocked’ businesses. I visited five places who all generously donated gifts or services, and the other volunteers had similar results.
There was no shortage of fabulous prizes donated by the generous businesses within the Murwillumbah community.
The table and notice board overflowed with the generous donations from Murwillumbah businesses.
You could have heard a pin drop when David started calling out the raffle winners. Eyes focussed on lucky (or not..) tickets, as each attendee waited with much anticipation to hear their lucky number called out.
There may have even been a bit of skullduggery going on between winners because I’m sure I noticed a couple of deals going down.
I know Wendy and Ray came to some kind of arrangement.
“Love your new haircut, Ray”.
“Nice new pot-plant, Wendy!”.
Those who didn’t win were grateful that the purchase of their tickets helped raise much needed funds for research into Breast Cancer.
We raised a little over $1500.00!
That’s a mammoth effort for the little community up on the hill.
And we could not have done it without the support of Aveo, and our Murwillumbah community.
A Huge Thank You To:
The amazing Aveo Mountain View management team for their dedication and energy in organising the event, food, drinks and BBQ.
Shanneen, for orchestrating the event from beginning to end.
The residents of Mountain View Retirement Village who:
helped cook the great BBQ lunch
attended the function
bought heaps of raffle tickets
Thank you to all who attended and made the day a huge success, and most importantly, those who delved deep into their wardrobes to find something pink to wear.
And an even bigger Thank You! to these amazingly-generous Murwillumbah businesses for opening their hearts (and wallets) to donate the amazing prizes that helped us raise a whole lot of money.
Your generous donations have made a big difference and we thank you, sincerely.
Australia Post
B Spoilt Hair Salon
Balcony Restaurant
Beverley’s on Main Street
Bottle-O Bray Park
Bi-Rite Electrical
Bray Park Butchery
Cafe 81
Chantilly Boutique
Country Style Barber
Con Varella Pharmacy
Dinki Di Discounts
JH Williams
Juju’s Cafe
Katrina Hair Salon
Keith’s Cafe
Lavender Blue
Mapp & Hession Pharmacy
Mother Js Nursery
Murwillumbah Cellars
Murwillumbah Golf Club
Murwillumbah RSL Club
New Leaf Cafe
Office Choice
Opal Nails
Outdoorism
Priceline
Rumour Has It
Soul Pattinson Pharmacy
Sports World
Sutto’s Floor Coverings
Sunnyside Meats
Take a Break Cafe
The Foundry
The Style Shop
Tweed Fruit Exchange
And at the end of the day, our boy babies…..
….. hung up their pink shirts, dusted off their pink hats, and folded their pink ties and braces. Will the pink gear be kept in a dark cupboard until next year’s Project Pink, or will our boy babies show up in their finest pink garb at other events?
That is the burning question that only time will tell.
Come back and visit this page often, and if you can support any of these local businesses, it would be a great way to thank them for donating to the PA’s Research into Breast Cancer, through Mountain View’s Project Pink function.
Did we miss knocking on your door this year?
If you would like to support Mountain View’s Project Pink next year by donating goods or services, make sure you leave a comment on this page, or contact the office at Mountain View Retirement Village to have your name added to the list for 2020.
At the end of Day Two, fifteen weary but happy travellers were delivered safely back to our beautiful village. So with Part One of the Tenterfield Trip done and dusted, here is a pictorial account of Day Two.
Day Two
On Wednesday morning we woke to a beautiful crisp Autumn morning in Tenterfield (that’s code for FFFFF – Freezing Cold!). The sun was shining in a clear blue sky and all was right with our world.
Our Home-Away-From-Home…. for one fantastic night…
Breakfast was cooking at the School of Arts Cafe and the fabulous team of Marion and Amanda were waiting to greet us. Marion and Amanda had started work early so that we could eat and be on our way. We still had some sightseeing to take care of – oh – and maybe just a little bit more shopping.
Marion and Amanda got up extra early to accommodate us, and still had a welcome smile for us when we arrived. What an awesome team!
Breakfast!
Who wouldn’t want to go back for more, once they have eaten at the School of Arts Cafe at Tenterfield? That’s how it happened for us… lunch one day – breakfast the next. These girls, (and the lovely Kylie), made sure our dining experiences were met with a smile, and every detail attended to. Thank you, Amanda, Marion and Kylie for contributing to our first overnight bus trip.
Make sure you stop in and say Hi! to these lovely ladies next time you are in Tenterfield.
And leave enough time to read the walls leading through to the cafe. You’ll come away with a deeper knowledge of our Prime Ministerial History. And yes, they have had to add a bit more wall space to accommodate our revolving-door Prime Ministership of recent years.
Photos from the early years to…..…what the heck!Funny how we were more subdued over breakfast than we were at pre-dinner drinks the day before…
With breakfast done and dusted, the early birds opted for a walk while waiting for others to finish, before meeting back at the bus.
Joan, Elizabeth and I opted for a quick dash to the Haberdashery store we had spotted the previous afternoon. What an experience that was!!! It was like finding Aladdin’s Cave unlocked, and with the lights on.
We each settled on our own version of obsession – mine was more wool for yet another scarf, as well as some awesome quilting fabric for yet another cushion (I don’t have the skill or patience for a big project yet).
In real friendly Tenterfield style, the saleslady approached us, started a conversation about our warm headgear and scarves, and immediately put us at ease. She showed us different wools and what they would look like as a finished product. To say we were impressed would be an understatement! And the best news? You can phone Country Curtains and they will post items to you.
Apparently, they are very used to hearing visitors say ‘we don’t have a haberdashery store in our town’.
Joan found a great souvenir for a friend, and the last we saw of Elizabeth, she was immersed in a mass of colourful wool and fabric. She eventually caught up to us – looking as happy as we felt.
Meanwhile, back at the bus…
Bags were loaded and travellers resumed their seats for the next leg of the journey.
First stop: The Tenterfield Saddler House
Don’t ever go to Tenterfield without visiting the home of the Tenterfield Saddler. But don’t expect to only see saddles and whips. This tiny cottage is overflowing with history.
Just love this door!
Yes, youngsters, this is a telephone!
Recognise the remake of the old string bag?
There’s nothing like wearing a hand-crafted belt
Yep… this is a saddle
I was fascinated to see the handwritten note from Hugh Jackman, thanking the Saddlery for the whip he used in the film about Peter Allen. But you will have to make the trip to Tenterfield if you want to see it.
I dare say Keith, the amazing volunteer on duty that day, was sick of hearing ‘Oh Wow!’, every time I turned around and discovered another memory from the past.
We owe a huge thank you to the unsung heroes who keep the history alive for those who lived through it and those born too late to be part of it. To the Volunteers who keep the Tenterfield Saddler Museum running – Thank You. You are all Legends.
Back to the bus…
The next ‘must-see’ item on our itinerary was the Cork Tree.
Not bad, considering the cork tree came to Australia in a jam tin in 1861…
The Cork Tree is reported to have magical powers if you walk around it three times while reciting a special chant. If you make a wish while chanting, it is supposed to come true. If only we could have walked around it!
And finally, the Railway Museum
Old trains and railway stations conjure up images and memories of the past. And the Tenterfield Railway Museum provided a nostalgic snapshot of how travel used to be.
They just don’t make buildings like this anymore…Part of the happy-travellers group
Murwillumbah Calls….
Ted navigated us back to the highway and we were homeward bound. But not without thoughts of lunch. We had our sights set on a Pie Shop we had seen advertised on the highway the day before. But to quote a famous line from Robert Burns – To A Mouse, “The best laid schemes of mice and men….”. Our pie-shop plans went sadly ‘awry’!
A short detour from the highway should have delivered us to the door of the pie-shop. Instead, we stared blankly at a door that was closed, despite a sign at the front and on the side wall blatantly advertising the promise of a cafe inside.
Doubling back we headed for a hotel we had passed moments earlier. A reconnaissance team was dispatched to see if the hotel could feed fifteen hungry travellers, but returned with ‘mmm – we might keep going…’. They also reported that the cafe down the road had been closed for about ten years.
The final leg of the journey continued.
Yes, we all had a fantastic time away – but there was something magic in seeing Mt Warning in the distance on the homeward-stretch.
We were almost home!
Casino – Next Stop
It was just before 2.00 pm by the time we pulled up in front of the Commercial Hotel in Casino. Google assured us the Commercial Hotel was the place for lunch. Except – lunch has prescribed times at the Commercial Hotel – and 2pm isn’t one of them. We were politely directed to a coffee shop at the end of the building, so coffee and cake would have to do. Surprisingly, there was more on offer than just coffee-shop fare, and fifteen hungry travellers were fed.
The best part of our impromptu change of plans was the garden seating – as long as you could find a seat in the sun.
Some of us even found time for a short walk before regaining our rightful places on the bus.
The sun was setting on Day Two…
Desley’s calculation that the sun would be setting as we came over the Burringbar Range was spot-on. The sun-visors did little to deflect the blinding light of the sun as the earth began its journey towards darkness.
The sight of the Tweed Regional Art Gallery signalled our return to Murwillumbah. Back to familiarity – back to routines.
At 4.48pm, the bus stopped at the first drop-off point.
We were home!
One-by-one, well-worn travellers retrieved their luggage and said their goodbyes.
As Day Two closed around them, the fifteen adventurers probably relived the highlights of their two-day trip to Tenterfield. They may have had a few chuckles at the memorable moments – like – trying to count the votes for where to have breakfast (after a few drinks), finding the cafe that had closed ten years earlier, and meeting the most colourful character of Tenterfield.
And sleep found them all, probably a little earlier than usual that night.
We would like to thank the following people for making our first overnight trip to Tenterfield so memorable:
Desley, our fabulous bus-driver
Ted, our brilliant navigator
Alan from No Bull Vintage and Collectables Kyogle
Shelley and Staff at The Sugarbowl – Kyogle
Luke – the perfect host – Peter Allen Motor Inn Tenterfield
Marion & Amanda – School of Arts Cafe Tenterfield
And the fantastic team of travellers! Let’s do it again – soon!!
The countdown is on! Only four days until Aveo Mountain View’s Seniors Expo. That’s just four sleeps and a wakey – until Friday the 22nd February. We’ll put the coffee machine in overdrive, crank up the kettle, and make sure the biscuit tin is full. So take a drive up Byangum Road (from Murwillumbah), turn left into Ingram Place – we are at the end of Ingram Place (1 Ingram Place). Let us know you are coming so we can put enough beans in the coffee machine.
We are really excited about showing you our place.
You’ll see:
inside one of our fabulous units
the lake
the Bowling Green
our community centre – the Hub for most of our activities
bin chickensibis (sorry – couldn’t put them in the beautiful birds category)
water dragons
happy retirees enjoying life
presentations from outside agencies – providing information about all things ‘ageing’
presentations from residents – to show what we do all day
If retirement is on your horizon, or the horizon of someone you know, come and talk to us. We’ve (nearly) all hit the retirement button – some of us are new at it – others are old-hands – but we can show you some of the options available. Even if your retirement plans feature foreign shores, you might pick up some valuable tips from someone who has been there and done that. Some of our residents split their retirement time between Aveo Mountain View and a resort on a tropical island. Can it get any better than that?
Come and see Julia’s beautiful quilts
Click here to see the Timetable for the day. Come for the full day (11.30 – 3.00) or just an hour or two. Oh, and don’t forget the cooking demonstration at 2.00pm. You won’t want to miss it!
Just remember though, the roads throughout Mountain View Village are shared roads. That means, we share the road with cars, trucks, seniors (some of us don’t move as fast as we used to) and our wildlife.
Our speed limit is 15 km/h!
Please slow down while in the village.
Our beautiful lake…
Well, what are you waiting for?
Pick up the phone and call the office to let us know you are coming.
The phone number is: 02-6672-4800 (Office Hours)
Or you can email me: retired@mountainview-living.com
Or, fill out the RSVP at the bottom of this page
Remember, there’s only four days until the Aveo Mountain View Seniors Expo – so….
