George Town was not in our original travel itinerary. It was Lucy's idea to go and spend a morning there, partly to meet an ex-actor and artist, Lawrence Mah.
I was pleasantly surprised that George Town though small did present a few surprises. Top among the list is the Retirement Home adjacent to the seafront built by the Roman Catholic Church. I thought it's a very good and practical model.
There are two types of quarters. The single storey detached units which are next to the sea are designed for couples or single individuals who are without serious health issue. The residents who occupy these units are healthy enough to look after themselves. Each unit is offered at a one time non-returnable fixed sum of A$10,000 followed by monthly service fee of A$500 plus. The monthly fee covers utility charges and sewer disposal etc. For senior citizens or retirees who continue to live long life, the fixed sum payment is considered very economical. Upon death, the unit is reverted back to the Church.
For retirees who have health issue and are no longer able to take care of themselves, they are moved to units built at a higher platform and which are more communal in design. This I believe is to enable easier and quicker attention by the carers. The one time fixed payment is still the same but the monthly charges are higher.
I was pleasantly surprised that George Town though small did present a few surprises. Top among the list is the Retirement Home adjacent to the seafront built by the Roman Catholic Church. I thought it's a very good and practical model.
There are two types of quarters. The single storey detached units which are next to the sea are designed for couples or single individuals who are without serious health issue. The residents who occupy these units are healthy enough to look after themselves. Each unit is offered at a one time non-returnable fixed sum of A$10,000 followed by monthly service fee of A$500 plus. The monthly fee covers utility charges and sewer disposal etc. For senior citizens or retirees who continue to live long life, the fixed sum payment is considered very economical. Upon death, the unit is reverted back to the Church.
For retirees who have health issue and are no longer able to take care of themselves, they are moved to units built at a higher platform and which are more communal in design. This I believe is to enable easier and quicker attention by the carers. The one time fixed payment is still the same but the monthly charges are higher.
Some may argue that retirees should stay in a bigger city to spend the twilight years. But in those fading years, a peaceful and quiet outback is probably more suitable than a noisy metropolis.
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| Posing with Lawrence in front of his paintings. Lawrence, stays in one of the units for the healthy retirees which is very comfortable. |
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Lawrence, a resident of George Town for over forty years proved to be a good guide. We were taken by him to see some of the attractions in George town. The Hillwood Berry Farm is one place worth spending an hour or two. There is a 40-acre farm planted with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Visitors can choose to pick and eat on the spot for free or pick and pay for takeaway.
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| Berries are grown in polytunnels and almost all under hydroponic growing principle. |
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| Fruits blended ice cream at the Farmgate Cafe. |
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