“I haven’t regretted one minute of being here.”

Eileen is one of the most well-known faces at Epsom Village. Having spent most of her life in England, she decided to move to New Zealand in 2014, when she was already 82 years old. Her son and his young family had settled down in Auckland and together they decided that it was the best move for Eileen. “Looking back, I’m surprised of myself, that I made the bold decision to move to New Zealand. But I think I made the right choice. I haven’t regretted one minute of being here”.

Eileen visited some retirement villages with her family, and Epsom Village was the one that won her heart. “When we found Epsom Village, I didn’t hesitate for a second. There was nothing I could find fault of, it was ideal for me and in a good position, overlooking parts of the city.” Thanks to her decision to move to New Zealand she has been able to spend as much time as possible with her two granddaughters, Aimee and Caitlin.

When she’s not spending time with her family, Eileen is normally running around Epsom Village like a busy bee. She organizes the Cinema Sessions and runs the Quirky Quiz, she participates in most social events and is a very enthusiastic member of the Thursday Travelling group. Eileen loves visiting the countryside to have lunch in quintessential pubs and cafes, and she also joins the most active trips such as the recent excursion to Hamilton Gardens.

With her energy and sparkling personality, Eileen gave everybody a big shock when she announced she was turning 90 on March. She thinks that keeping herself active, physically and mentally, is probably one of the reasons why she’s ageing so gracefully, to the point that “it’s only been barely two years since I had my first medication for high blood pressure.”

She recognizes that she gets tired more easily now, but that doesn’t stop her from making plans for the future. “Before Covid, I used to visit England once a year, to see my family back there” she explains with a hopeful look. She's looking forward to seeing again her three grandsons and her granddaughter in law and hear all their news.

“If I can make one more visit to the UK, I’m determined I will do it!”