“I was supposed to go to Ireland, but my sister lived in New Zealand and told me not to go to Ireland, because it’s too cold.” In 2002 he moved to New Zealand from South Africa, where he was working in a massive entertainment complex with two championship golf courses and a crocodile farm. He comes from a family of chefs, so he began cooking when he was ten. Close modalĬooking is Bradley Castle’s career and lifetime passion. She's worked with some of the most famous fashion designers in New Zealand. Janet is very passionate about her side of the business, specially the wedding designs. After that, she and Tony decided to open their own business, creating both corporate and fashion and bridal designs. Janet ran the design studio for Lawrie Embroidery for 12 years. Illustration is the latest interest of a gifted career that started more than 60 years ago, when Janet finished her studies at the Foley College of Fine Arts and Design in London. Janet is currently sketching the drawings for a children’s book inspired by one of her grandchildren. “My son says that I need to live up to 200 years, otherwise I won’t fit everything in.” Janet is a very social person who thrives in a retirement village like Pakuranga Park, with plenty of activities and social gatherings to choose from. We realised that it was big enough to include a business, so we signed the following day.” A friend of mine invited us for coffee at Pakuranga Park, and we had a look at this villa. “We had visited every village in Auckland. When Janet and her husband Tony decided to move to a retirement village seven years ago, it was very important for them to be able to bring their work machinery along. Janet has been working as an embroidery designer for more than 60 years, and although she's officially retired, she still does some freelance work.

Ray and his wife are the best example that retirement doesn’t have to be boring. They have a batch and a campervan, and before Covid they used to travel to Scotland every year to spend a few weeks with their son and his family. “Your neighbours are there if you need them, but they’re not in your pocket.” He enjoys the social side of a retirement village and one of his favourite activities is croquet. “This is the only village that has streets that you can find in a New Zealand road map!”, he says excitedly. Him and his wife moved to Pakuranga Park three years ago and they couldn’t be happier with their decision. I like pottering around and building things, also repairing them.” Ray is always ready to help his neighbours at the village if they need assistance fixing small appliances or if their car battery suddenly dies. The bit I enjoy the most is the making of things. “The railroad doesn’t get a lot of running nowadays. Ray installed a folding table in the garage of his villa at Pakuranga Park, where he built a new railroad from scratch. Ray’s passion for model railroads started around 30 years ago when he lived in Howick. He had a dedicated room in his house where he spent hours assembling train tracks and decorating landscapes. Moving to a retirement village was not going to put a stop to his devotion.

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