Over three decades ago, Barbara Nalder was preparing to donate a kidney to her son, leaving her wondering how she would manage a large family home during her recovery.
Widowed and living alone, she faced several months of recovery, knowing full well she would be unable to manage the property herself. With plenty of her friends already living in the retirement community, at 65, she decided to join them.
“My daughter said, ‘Mum, you’re too young to go there,'” Barbara recalled. “But I knew people there and thought I would have some help around me. I’m not sorry, and my daughter says it’s the best thing I ever did.”
Now 97, Barbara still lives at the community on Cook Street, where two one-bedroom villas are currently available.
For locals looking to downsize, the villas offer a way to stay close to Forestville’s shops, transport and bushland without maintaining a larger home.
Community Manager Penny McIntyre said most enquiries come from people who already know Forestville or have heard about the village through local friends and groups.
“It’s very local,” she said. “People usually know who we are or know someone living here through a bridge group, gym class or another part of the community.”
A smaller home without leaving the area
Forestville Retirement Community includes 31 independent-living villas beside Garigal National Park.
Villa 10 and Villa 22 each include one bedroom and one bathroom. The community’s villas range from approximately 40 to 50 square metres internally, with some adding a further 10 to 20 square metres of external decking.
Penny described them as compact, single-level homes with an adjoining kitchen, living area, bedroom and bathroom.
Both are positioned on level ground without stairs and have been refurbished within the past few years. Penny said villas are either partially or fully refurbished depending on their age and condition.
Parking can also be allocated according to a resident’s needs and is agreed upon when contracts are prepared.
Bus services near the retirement community connect residents with Forestville, Killarney Heights, Chatswood, Brookvale and the city.
“They’re looking for the convenience without the hassle of running a huge house,” Penny said. “They can live independently but have the support of a community around them as well.”
Life inside the village
Residents can take part in activities as much or as little as they choose.
The community has a clubhouse where residents gather for knitting, arts and crafts, seated exercise and social events. Barbecue lunches and excursions are organised throughout the year, with many residents, including Barbara, playing cards and mahjong or attending other activities at Forestville RSL and nearby community facilities.
“We encourage residents to be as involved as they want to be,” Penny said. “They can join the activities, but they also have the privacy to do their own thing at home.”
Fresh Hope Communities owns and operates Forestville Retirement Community, maintains the grounds and assists with smaller jobs inside the villas. As residents’ needs change, Fresh Hope Communities can arrange occupational therapy assessments and make tailored modifications to help them remain in their villas.
“We modify things based on the resident’s needs,” Penny said. “Rather than putting a grab rail at the wrong height, for example, we get an occupational therapist to assess what will work for that person.”
A residential care service, Alexander Campbell House, also operated by Fresh Hope Communities, is co-located on the Forestville site. Existing independent-living residents receive a priority pathway if they later need residential care, subject to assessment and availability.
What prospective residents should know
The villas are available to people aged over 55 who are no longer working full-time and are assessed as capable of living independently.
Both are priced at $540,000. Fresh Hope Communities says no stamp duty is payable under the retirement community’s licence arrangement.
Residents enter a non-registered licence agreement and pay fortnightly recurrent charges towards village operations, some villa maintenance and water rates. A Deferred Management Fee is payable when a resident leaves the community.
Prospective residents can arrange a private appointment with Penny to inspect the villas, tour the village and discuss the contract and application process.
To book a private appointment, call 02 8350 8221 or email forestville.rv@freshhope.org.au.
You may have to pay a departure fee when you leave this retirement community.
