Sisters state their case for a reunion

After 76 years living in Sebastopol near Ballarat, Gwen Quince is preparing to join her sister in Queensland as homeowners in Halcyon Rise in Logan Reserve, Queensland. 

After Gwen’s parents retired to Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast in the early 80s, her two sisters soon headed north also.  

Gwen, however, remained in Victoria, venturing north each Christmas to visit her parents and siblings while raising her family of five. 

Gwen’s sister Dianne McLennan and her husband Jeff were looking to move from their home at Nerang to somewhere smaller. 

When they told Gwen about Halcyon Rise, a spark was lit. 

 “Since COVID, I haven’t done much. I couldn’t go anywhere, no one could visit and I realised I would rather be up in Queensland, enjoying my sister's company at this point in my life,” Gwen explains. 

Gwen's adult children are spread between Ballarat and Darwin, with one son on the Gold Coast, and her grandchildren live everywhere in between.

“I haven’t visited Halcyon Rise but my son and daughter-in-law, who live locally, checked it all out for me and agreed it was a great opportunity for me to make the move.” 

“The heated magnesium pool was the selling point for me. I’m not a great walker but I can walk in the pool so I bought the block right opposite the pool! It's great how it’s all included in your price of living. I'm also looking forward to joining in some get-togethers and making new friends.” 

Dianne and Jeff have been married for 53 years and are very active in their community. Dianne volunteers at Vinnies and Jeff at the Animal Welfare League. They still drive down to Victoria to stay with friends and enjoy the AFL Anzac Day match most years. 

When the yard at their Nerang home became increasingly hard to maintain, they found Halcyon Rise and discovered all the green space to be enjoyed without the work involved. 

Leaving the big gum trees that graced their backyard, they are now looking forward to having a small garden of their own while still enjoying the sprawling acres of the community that fronts the Logan River. 

“We have a grand-dog who spends much of the week with us so it will be a lovely place to take him out for walks,” Gwen chuckles. 

Jeff was the manager of the Mt Gravatt Bowls Club before he retired and still plays bowls there, however, Dianne has her eye on one of the local greens. 

“I used to play. With a bowling green right there, I might get back into that and you never know, I might even talk Gwen into playing too,” she says. 

“It will be lovely to be in the same complex with Gwen. We talk every day anyway but now it will be so easy to spend time together.”