For many people it’s hard to imagine jumping out of an aeroplane for fun – let alone having the courage to do so when they're 73-years-old. But Peppertree Hill resident Edel Wignell recently did just that, making the decision to go skydiving on the anniversary of her husband’s death.
“I didn’t want to sit around at home being morbid. So I thought about what I could do and skydiving was something I had always wanted to try,” Edel said.
“I was thrilled because the pilot flew around for a while for a view of the wonderful Nagambie Lakes area. The only moment I felt a bit scared was when I actually had to step away from the plane – but the instructor said I was as cool as a cucumber. I’m certainly glad I did it as the whole experience was fantastic.”
Skydiving isn’t the only experience Edel has had with heights recently; she also took a hot air balloon ride over the city of Melbourne, finishing with a champagne breakfast at the Observatory Café in the Botanic Gardens.
“Before I moved to Peppertree Hill my husband and I lived in a townhouse in Malvern. I used to see hot air balloons going past our window and it was something I always wanted to try,” Edel said.
When she’s not taking part in high flying activities, Edel dedicates her time to freelance writing. She is the author of more than 90 books for both children and adults including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, play scripts, short stories and articles for newspapers and journals. “I’m lucky in that I can write about anything interesting that I come across,” Edel said.
After working as a teacher in primary schools for eight years, Edel moved on to train young teachers at a teachers' college where she was invited to write a column for an educational journal – the start of her writing career.
“I started writing part-time in 1973 and, by 1979, it had taken over and I was a full-time writer,” Edel said. “My time working as a teacher has given me some insight into children’s developmental stages, which helps with writing books, both entertaining and educational.”
Edel and her late-husband Geoff moved to Lend Lease Primelife’s Peppertree Hill retirement village in Rowville in 2001 in an effort to downsize. “We bought our unit at Peppertree Hill after months of searching for the right place,” Edel said.
“Peppertree Hill was the only retirement village we came across that had a unit floorplan that suited us. Geoff and I each needed a study and the homes at Peppertree Hill were perfect – they have two large bedrooms and a study, as well as a delightful living area, so we could have a study each where I could write and he could enjoy his collection of books.
“We moved into the unit in 2001 and I’ve been very happy. It’s a lovely village – everything I need is close by. As I’m still working I don’t participate in many activities, but I know that I can if I want to. And there's a great group of people around to provide assistance and support.”
With any spare time Edel enjoys visiting the Art Gallery and seeing performances by the Melbourne Theatre Company and the Australian Opera. And she’s not planning on retiring anytime soon.
“My latest book, Big Eyes, Scary Voice was released last March and I plan to keep writing for as long as I can.”
For many people it’s hard to imagine jumping out of an aeroplane for fun – let alone having the courage to do so when they're 73-years-old. But Peppertree Hill resident Edel Wignell recently did just that, making the decision to go skydiving on the anniversary of her husband’s death.
“I didn’t want to sit around at home being morbid. So I thought about what I could do and skydiving was something I had always wanted to try,” Edel said.
“I was thrilled because the pilot flew around for a while for a view of the wonderful Nagambie Lakes area. The only moment I felt a bit scared was when I actually had to step away from the plane – but the instructor said I was as cool as a cucumber. I’m certainly glad I did it as the whole experience was fantastic.”
Skydiving isn’t the only experience Edel has had with heights recently; she also took a hot air balloon ride over the city of Melbourne, finishing with a champagne breakfast at the Observatory Café in the Botanic Gardens.
“Before I moved to Peppertree Hill my husband and I lived in a townhouse in Malvern. I used to see hot air balloons going past our window and it was something I always wanted to try,” Edel said.
When she’s not taking part in high flying activities, Edel dedicates her time to freelance writing. She is the author of more than 90 books for both children and adults including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, play scripts, short stories and articles for newspapers and journals. “I’m lucky in that I can write about anything interesting that I come across,” Edel said.
After working as a teacher in primary schools for eight years, Edel moved on to train young teachers at a teachers' college where she was invited to write a column for an educational journal – the start of her writing career.
“I started writing part-time in 1973 and, by 1979, it had taken over and I was a full-time writer,” Edel said. “My time working as a teacher has given me some insight into children’s developmental stages, which helps with writing books, both entertaining and educational.”
Edel and her late-husband Geoff moved to Lend Lease Primelife’s Peppertree Hill retirement village in Rowville in 2001 in an effort to downsize. “We bought our unit at Peppertree Hill after months of searching for the right place,” Edel said.
“Peppertree Hill was the only retirement village we came across that had a unit floorplan that suited us. Geoff and I each needed a study and the homes at Peppertree Hill were perfect – they have two large bedrooms and a study, as well as a delightful living area, so we could have a study each where I could write and he could enjoy his collection of books.
“We moved into the unit in 2001 and I’ve been very happy. It’s a lovely village – everything I need is close by. As I’m still working I don’t participate in many activities, but I know that I can if I want to. And there's a great group of people around to provide assistance and support.”
With any spare time Edel enjoys visiting the Art Gallery and seeing performances by the Melbourne Theatre Company and the Australian Opera. And she’s not planning on retiring anytime soon.
“My latest book, Big Eyes, Scary Voice was released last March and I plan to keep writing for as long as I can.”
For many people it’s hard to imagine cycling 60-70 kilometres weekly or being part of an organised cycling club - let alone doing it at the age of 81!
But Rowville resident Ken Rushford regularly leads organised group rides with the Whitehorse Cycling Club, often cycling up to 100 kilometres each week. “I first joined the Whitehorse Cycling Club in 1992 and while I’m not riding as much now as I once used to, I still do an organised ride every Tuesday morning as well as a ride or two with my family on the weekends,” Ken said.
“The organised rides are graded easy, medium or hard and I often do a ‘medium’ which is between 60 and 70 kilometres, or an ‘easy’ which is about 40 kilometres. It’s a great way to keep active and healthy and all of the rides include a mandatory break for morning tea, so it’s also a good chance to catch up with people
for a chat over a coffee.”
Despite the fact he only started to cycle seriously after he retired from his job as a school teacher in 1988, Ken has managed to cover a lot of kilometres, across a number of continents.
“As well as the week day and weekend rides the club organises a number of ‘spoke rides’ each year which are week-long cycling trips held in locations across the state. There is also one interstate trip and one international ride – which in the past has been held in locations such as New Zealand, Vietnam, France and Ireland.
“It’s a lot of fun and, surprisingly, a lot of the club’s members are also retirees.” Ken moved to Rowville’s Peppertree Hill retirement village a little more than 12 months ago and when he’s not cycling, there are plenty of other things going on at the village to keep him busy.
“Peppertree Hill is a great place to live – I’ve made a lot of good friends and it’s close to everything I need,” he said.
“My children and grandchildren all live close by so on the weekends I enjoy riding with them. I’ve also joined Peppertree Hill’s camera club and I’m trying to convince some of the other residents here to help me form a Peppertree Hill cycling group.
“Cycling is certainly a great way to keep healthy and young at heart.”
For more information about Peppertree Hill, please call the village on 9764 1306.