“When people ask us what it’s like living at Peninsula Grange, our answer is always the same. We genuinely believe it is one of the finest retirement villages on Mornington Peninsula.”—Kevin La Fontaine, Peninsula Grange resident
Key points
- Kevin and Suzanne La Fontaine were the very first residents to move into Peninsula Grange Retirement Community on the Mornington Peninsula, 15 years ago.
- They bought their villa “sight unseen” after a chance visit to a display office.
- For Kevin and Suzanne, Real Wellbeing at Peninsula Grange comes down to camaraderie, close family and the peace of mind of extra support close by.
- Their advice to anyone considering a retirement community: don’t leave it too late, and once you're in, join in.
Fifteen years ago, Kevin and Suzanne La Fontaine weren’t looking for a retirement village. They were shopping in Mornington.
“We had lived in our family home in Seaford for 43 years. We’d never even been inside a retirement village and moving into one wasn't something we’d even consider,” Kevin says. “One day, while shopping in Mornington, we noticed this little office promoting a brand-new retirement village that Australian Unity was planning to build.”
“There was a display set up, showing what one of the villas would look like and the staff impressed us. We went across the road for a coffee to think about it, by the time we finished that coffee we decided to buy a villa sight unseen,” Kevin says.
They'd originally chosen Villa Seven but changed their minds overnight in favour of Villa One. Which in Kevin’s words turned out to be a good decision.
A decision made easier by circumstance
The timing wasn't accidental. Kevin had been seriously injured in a motorbike accident in 2009, spending 14 weeks in hospital.
“He was in intensive care in an induced coma at the Alfred. We thought he wouldn't be able to do the things he had done and that was incorrect. You would never know it had been such a bad accident,” Suzanne recalls. “His recovery has been amazing.”
The accident and the realisation their family home was becoming harder to manage, pushed the decision along. “When we saw the retirement village, we said this is what we want—somewhere we've got someone doing our gardens. I don't have to do much around the house, anything that needs doing is generally done by the gardeners or maintenance. It's the best thing we ever did,” Kevin says.
Weathering the wait to move in
Signing the contract didn’t mean a quick move. One of the wettest summers in over a century delayed construction for months.Then came the twist: a long-booked European holiday and a settlement date on the very day they were due to fly out. “They rang us and said our villa would be ready on the day we were flying out. Settlement was brought forward, so we moved into our new home while the tradesmen were still finishing it, unpacked and two days later headed off for Europe,” Kevin states.
Kevin and Suzanne returned home as officially the first residents. “There were only a handful of us here, so everyone knew everyone else, which was great.”
Fifteen years of camaraderie
That closeness has stayed with them, even as the village has grown well beyond those first few homes. The village manager’s office doubled as a temporary community centre in the early days. “Every Friday evening we'd gather there for drinks, plenty of laughs and the chance to get to know our new neighbours. It was a wonderful way to build friendships and many of those friendships have lasted right through to today,” Kevin recalls.For Suzanne, community connection is the heart of it. “The camaraderie—the facilities are good, we’ve got the community centre and the activities—but it's the camaraderie of other people that matters,” she states.
“I think it's so important to be social with other people, it’s just so beneficial. Even during COVID, when we were locked up, we could walk around here and chat to people, whereas if you lived in a residential zone you didn't have that opportunity.”
Friday happy hour remains a favourite—raffles, a monthly spinning wheel and around 100 residents most weeks. Suzanne adds that their grandchildren love visiting for it too: “We have eight grandchildren, but three of them, the youngest three boys, love to come to happy hour—can you believe that?”
Kevin has thrown himself into village life, serving on the residents committee, he also plays lawn bowls and is lead guitar in a band that still plays occasional gigs at the village. “There's a lot of camaraderie in that, we have a lot of fun,” he says.
Peace of mind, close to family
Beyond friendship, Kevin and Suzanne point to the practical reassurance of village life. “We have the nurse call system, so we feel some security—if we have a problem, we can press a button in almost every room and get a response fairly quickly. Being here in Mornington, we also have the best medical set-up, with specialists and two private hospitals,” Kevin says.For the future, it’s family that gives them confidence. “We're very fortunate, our three children live very close and now two of our grandchildren have settled on the peninsula too. We have our family close by, and I feel confident they will look after us,” Suzanne says.
Their advice: don't leave it too late
Asked what they'd tell someone weighing up a move to a retirement community, Kevin doesn't hesitate. “Do it now and don't leave it too late. You get a lot of people that say, ‘I don't want to move,’ and by the time they're 90 they've left it too late, they’ve missed all the fun,” he says.Suzanne agrees. “Don't leave it too late—but certainly, late 60s, early 70s is an ideal time to be downsizing and to come into a place like this,” she says.
And once you've arrived? “Join in. Join in,” Suzanne enthuses. Kevin reassures us that he always invites new people to attend happy hour with him. “I’ll meet you there and get you a seat,” he promises.
Fifteen years after that coffee in Mornington, Kevin sums it up simply: it was one of the best decisions they have ever made.
