Friendships bloom in Paradise

Ian and Cheryl Cope couldn’t be happier with the friendships they’ve made at Living Gems Pacific Paradise over-50s lifestyle resort. Just 15 months ago, the couple made the lifechanging decision to take the leap from Tin Can Bay to Pacific Paradise on the Sunshine Coast.

“We moved because it’s so central to where our families live,” Cheryl says.

“We spotted a villa and fell in love, then sold up and made the big move, but the biggest bonus is the friendships we’ve made.”

Cheryl says her fellow residents are full of life and value friendship above all else. And with the majority still working full time, they like to play hard too.

“We love socialising,” she says. “We have a bus that takes us on wine tasting adventures to local wineries, golfing days, book clubs, metal workshops, betting groups and there’s so many artists here.”

This excites newly elected social president Phil Layton.

“My wife Bev and I are the new kids on the block who moved in last November, so we have a fresh outlook of the resort,” he says. “What attracted us is the size of the resort and that it being smaller lends itself to an easier way of meeting people.”

“I’m an artist and, to my surprise, this resort is full of artistic talent. One of the things I introduced here is an art display program. Half a dozen homeowners’ paintings now hang on display at the Country Club that we rotate every month with new paintings from resident artists.”\

Phil, who ended up with the president position by default, says it’s a great place to live.

“I stood up for the presidency to meet new people, never expecting to be the only one standing, getting the role, and instantly making new friends.”

Cheryl says the residents love to party so there’s never a dull moment.

“We have a huge caravanning group here and we all head out together, it’s just fabulous. Everybody intermingles and it doesn’t matter if you have different interests, you just get together and have a blast,” she says. “If we are walking our dog and see other residents with theirs, we join up and all walk together. Everybody has been so welcoming, and we just love it here. It’s like a regular Ramsay Street.”

Cheryl’s husband Ian loves the friendships he’s made too.

“I thought I’d try lawn bowls and several months later, not only do we bowl here at the resort, we take trips up to Mooloolaba to play at the club there. I couldn’t have asked for better mates.”

Phil can’t believe how much activity there is to enjoy at Living Gems Pacific Paradise.

“Every Friday we have an event at the Country Club, once a month we organise a catered dinner and every second week we do what we call a shared table where everyone brings a plate and we mingle,” he says. “We even have a fabulous choir that’s really taken off this year. Bev is a pianist, so she plays for it and the group has gone from about five to 25 now,” says Phil.

The resort has several events coming up including a live band night.

“Every couple of months we get a band in and really rock it out and I can’t wait for the next one,” Phil says.