All the single ladies! How Gwen found her next adventure at Amberfield
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For Gwen, choosing a one-bedroom apartment at Amberfield – LDK’s latest retirement living development next to the Arboretum – was not about downsizing her life.
It was about creating exactly the right home for independence, friendship, family and the future.
After becoming a widow in 2020, Gwen remained in the beautiful, sustainable home she and her husband had built together in Wright.
It was carefully considered and thoughtfully designed, but the quiet that once felt peaceful began to feel isolating
“During the day, I could have shot a cannon down the street and maybe hit a cyclist,” she jokes.
Her daughter and grandsons lived in Canberra and were an important part of her week, but Gwen could see that her home no longer offered the everyday community connection.
After a year of travelling Australia, Gwen realised how much she enjoyed having people nearby. When she returned to Wright, she began looking forward rather than simply staying put.
Gwen wanted a home she could lock up and leave when travelling, a place close to services if she eventually stopped driving, and a community that was available without ever becoming compulsory.
Amberfield offered all three, plus the chance to make a new apartment completely her own.
So she made the leap – not only to Amberfield – but to the idea that a one-bedroom apartment could provide her with the space she loved for entertaining and to encompass her family on a regular basis.
For Gwen, living alone did not mean paying for a second bedroom that would sit empty most of the time. And she figured the difference in cost between a one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartment was money she would rather use to travel and visit her son and granddaughters in Washington, DC.
Her Canberra grandsons can happily sleep on air mattresses when they stay, she says, while visiting friends can be treated to a hotel room.
Drawing on her experience of building the Wright house, Gwen sought permission from Amberfield to have custom joinery, shelving and storage installed. The result is compact without feeling compromised – everything has a place, and the apartment reflects the way she actually lives. This includes extra floor-to-ceiling wardrobe space, modified kitchen cupboards that slide out so she doesn’t have to bend low to get to her appliances, and has room for extra storage in the bathroom through some clever modifications.
Gwen did not want to wait for a crisis to decide where she would live next. She moved while she was active, independent and able to choose the apartment, inclusions and community that felt right.
And she hasn’t looked back.
“Honestly, it’s like staying in a fancy hotel!” she says of the services and warm staff always on hand.
“I didn’t want my children saying, ‘What are we going to do with Mum?’” she says. “I feel like I have future-proofed – for them and for me.”
That decision has brought real peace of mind as Amberfield has the infrastructure Gwen was looking for – a café and restaurant, grocery options, a gym and (soon-to-be-completed) pool, and activities and services close at hand. If driving becomes difficult in the future, daily life will not suddenly become inaccessible.
She can also travel without worrying about an empty suburban house or a garden that needs attention. Her apartment is secure, simple to maintain and ready to welcome her home.
Gwen hopes to remain in her own apartment for years to come, with support available if she eventually needs it and familiar people around her.
The fact that her floor is made up almost entirely of single women, apart from just three men, has created a particularly supportive neighbourhood. These are women making their own decisions, looking out for one another and close friends.
Gwen knows the Amberfield dogs by name, holds a key to a friend’s apartment so she can help with the dog when needed, and can find company close by without surrendering her privacy. The friendships are practical as well as social: someone notices, someone checks in and someone is usually ready for coffee.
There are ladies’ lunches, coffee catch-ups and informal drinks, along with monthly trivia and a broader calendar of onsite events and activities. Gwen loves that everything is offered “but nothing is obligatory”. She can join the fun, head out to play golf or close her door and put on her pyjamas at 5 pm if she chooses.
Entertaining is easy, too, with friends able to gather in Gwen’s apartment for a drink, then head downstairs for dinner at the restaurant. At the end of the night, her guests drive home while she simply takes the lift upstairs.
Most importantly, her grandchildren are part of this new life rather than visitors to a place set apart from it. They can stay with Gwen, share meals and become familiar with the residents and communal spaces, and they too are building many happy memories of their Nanna at Amberfield.
It turns out that future-proofing can look a lot like a beautiful sunny apartment, coffee with friends (old or new), dinner downstairs and an air mattress ready for the grandkids.
If you want to know more about Amberfield you can visit the website here or call 1300 535 000 to book a tour.
Better yet, see it for yourself and enjoy a free Zumba class on Tuesday 24 November from 10.45am to 11.30am with morning tea afterwards. Register here for Zumba.
