The Siblings – Joy Cooper, Lincoln Jeffreys & Dawn O’Callaghan

“In the Village, they call us the Three Amigos!” laughs Lincoln Jefferies, referring to himself and his two sisters, Joyce and Dawn, who all now live at Helena Valley Lifestyle Village.

Adds Joyce: “All three of us like music and if there’s a karaoke night or dancing on at the Village, we’ll go do that together.”

It was Joyce and her husband, John, who are in their 80s, who first moved into the community in 2016, after realising the time had come to downsize their Lesmurdie home.

“We looked at some retirement communities in Kalamunda but they weren’t quite right and we came here and thought ‘what are we waiting for?’” she explains.

“It had everything we wanted.”

The couple bought a larger Powderbark home design, which has two bedrooms and an office for John.

“We can have 10 people for dinner at the house; I have better social life now than I’ve had for years,” says Joyce.

“I can’t swim but twice a week I walk down and do the Aqua at the Village pool (a heated pool with sauna and spa) – there’s about 18 or 20 of us – and the water exercises are great for my osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.”

Both Lincoln, who’d been living in Shelley, and Dawn, who shifted from a large home in Mandurah, made the move after experiencing the community first hand when visiting their sister and brother-in-law.

It was closer to their unwell mum and brother, who lived a short drive from the Village.

For Dawn, it meant she was also nearer to her daughter and grandkids.

“I’d come to a couple of functions with Joyce beforehand too; it’s lovely and you never need to be alone because we all look out for one another in the Village,“ she shares.

Dawn also loves the ease of her new home: “It has a second bedroom, a storage/office space, a bathroom, two toilets, and air conditioning – and only takes 15 minutes to vacuum!”

For Lincoln, the Village life ticks all the boxes.

“It’s absolutely fabulous,” he states.

“I save $600 a year just by going to the gym here, because it’s free, and there’s always something you can go and turn your hand to, such as the darts club or the men’s shed.”

Lincoln has a two-bedroom home that’s ideal for hosting the grandkids and it features a carport big enough for his beloved sportscar.

His house is opposite his older sister, making it easy to help her and John out if needed.

Being in the Village together allows him to also support Dawn, who’s just a bit further away.

“We’ve all got our own lives…but we’re very close and it’s a nice feeling,” says Joyce.

Lincoln agrees: “Living next to the family again is sort of like coming home – and both my sisters spoil me rotten!”

“We just love it here”

Information in this article is true and correct as of 5 September 2022.