News

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, to mark the contributions that nurses make to society. Today we would like to pay tribute to this honourable profession by sharing the story of one of them. As a young girl, Nell couldn’t stand the sight of blood, but she studied hard to become a nurse and she devoted her life to this profession. At the end of her career she worked nine years at Mercy Hospice: “I call it my soul work."

Auckland Zoo is celebrating a century of life this year, with many special events including the opening of its South East Asia Jungle Track. Epsom Village didn’t want to miss the fun and their residents were lucky to visit the zoo on a very sunny day. Lots of animals were enjoying the warmth outside, so our residents got close and personal with the giraffes, the siamangs, the meerkats and even the two new tigers!

Our Community fun day at Epsom Village was a roaring success. More than 200 people visited the village on Saturday including lots of families with little children, who had the best time with Lolipop the Clown and the colourful dance show from Peru. On top of having a great time, the village raised more than $650 for the victims of Cyclone Gabrielle. Well done Team Epsom!

At Real Living we’re very proud to have some very talented artists among our residents. One of them is Dorothy Tomlinson, an accomplished opera singer with soprano roles in La Traviata or La Boheme. Being 90 years old, Dorothy has been retired for a long time, but that doesn’t mean that she has stopped sharing her expertise: now she’s in charge of the Talent Group at Epsom Village.

At Real Living one minute you're at the village at the next one...you're in Hollywood! Epsom Village organised a very glamorous Christmas party last week where all the residents and staff pretended to be attending the Oscars. The event ticked all the boxes: delicious food, great friends, lots of laughs and a proper awards ceremony, delivered by Mrs Claus and... the Grinch!

With Halloween fast approaching and Christmas around the corner, there’s no doubt that the sweet season has started. John is one of our most charming residents and he also works part-time at Kea cookies, a New Zealand company established in 1988. Alongside his daughter and son-in-law, John bought the factory a few years ago and since then he’s became an expert in golden syrup, icing cookies and new flavours such as lemon coconut.

It’s time to celebrate! At Epsom Village they were so happy with the ending of the Traffic Light System that they decided to throw a big party. The residents invited their family and friends, the village opened the pool, they had a sausage sizzle and a Happy Hour with Live Music. At the end of the evening most of the villagers were up on their feet showing off their dance moves!

It’s a universal truth that grannies make the best soup, so at Real Living, we’re blessed with some of the best cooks in the country. Diana not only makes a soup that is good for the body and the soul, she’s also one of our most active, social and friendly residents and in her spare time she also writes poems and children’s books.

Epsom Village raised $650 for the Cancer Society with a very successful Happy Hour to support Daffodil Day. The event included a Raffle sponsored by local businesses, with Hell Pizza Epsom and the Florentine Tea Room as their top donors. There was also a fierce cocktail competition with the Mighty Margarita and the 80s classic Fluffy Duck fighting for the top spot.