Resthaven’s 90th anniversary brings Leisure Court community together

It was a full house at Resthaven Fulham Gardens ‘Leisure Court’ Retirement Living on Friday 24 October, when the site community came together to mark Resthaven’s 90th anniversary with a celebratory lunch.

Stephanie Sim, Assistant Manager at the village, welcomed everyone to the event before introducing Mel Ottaway, Executive Manager Community Services & Retirement Living, who spoke about the history of Resthaven and the recent, though significant, part the Fulham Gardens site has within that.

Professionally catered, the residents enjoyed a hot, roast meal with all the trimmings, before turning their attention to the birthday cake. Sharing a birth year with Resthaven, residents Frank Bevan and Samuel (Sam) Cooke were called to the front to cut the cake.

Although they have lived very different lives, Frank (a former Registrar of the Nurses Board of South Australia) and Sam (a soccer player in the Irish Premier League in his younger days) both say that showing respect is a key part of a life well lived.

Frank’s secret to longevity: ‘Enjoying life and having fun – also, eating sensibly.’

And Sam’s: ‘Not living a lie – walking, camping and travelling around the world.’

Entertainment for the afternoon was by ‘Little Tony’, who sang and played the piano, performing favourites from the ages, including Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’, which everyone joined in for.

To find out more about the history of retirement living at Resthaven, visit Resthaven: A History of Caring. The website captures the history and innovation of Resthaven since its conception at the 1932 South Australian Methodist Conference and the opening of its first home in 1935, through to its current position as a leader in the aged care sector.

Click here to view a full list of the 90th anniversary events held at Resthaven locations this year.