It’s your time

Julie, Steve and Honey Cooke, Halcyon Greens

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS

It’s hard to tell, but Honey Cooke was incredibly timid and suffered from separation anxiety before her owners Steve and Julie made the move to Halcyon Greens last year.

“She has improved so much since we’ve moved here, she’s so friendly and outgoing now,” Julie said. “Our neighbours love her and she will stay with them and she has her “Nanna Shirley” who lives around the corner and she will go and visit her.” It’s testament to the tight-knit supportive community that Honey, a 13-year-old Maltese Terrier has started to come out of her shell – even at her mature age. “Everyone has just been lovely and so welcoming,” Julie said. “I’m a night owl and Honey and I like to take a wander out in the street.”

The couple, who have lived on the Gold Coast since 1987, and spent many years working at SeaWorld and Movie World made the move to Halcyon Greens from their townhouse complex in Hope Island at the end of last year. “We got tired of the people coming and going and there really wasn’t a feeling of community there,” Steve said. “We were very excited to move into our home and we really are making the most of it.”

WOOF BY HALCYON

Halcyon Greens is the latest community to get their own off-leash park for our furry homeowners to enjoy.

Our two newest communities B by Halcyon and Halcyon Rise will also have a private off-leash dog park as construction on facilities progresses through the year. They join Halcyon Glades which has had its own private park since 2019, which is well used by homeowners and their pets. For Gill West, who lives directly opposite the park, it was one of the deciding factors in choosing her new home at Glades. The space is ideal for her highenergy Papillion cross, Mia. “It’s tremendous to have the dog park just over the road. I’m over there three or four times a day,” she said. “If Mia looks out the window and sees that someone’s over at the dog park then she wants to go over.” Gill said the park was another way to meet other homeowners at Glades.

“It gets used a lot and more and more people are coming along with their dogs,” she said. Two of the most widely supported charities through our Friends of Halcyon program are the RSPCA Queensland and the Animal Welfare League of Queensland (ALWQ). To discover the good work these charities do, go to https://www.rspcaqld.org.au/ and https://www.awlqld.com.au/

Dog park at Halcyon Glades with Gary Hall and Remi, Gill West and Mia, Anne Gillard and James

Angie Wiseman, Jo Feiner, Wendy Mosley and Lyn Lamble, B by Halcyon

From corporate to coastal chic

Words by Wendy Mosley

We moved from the UK in 2019 and were so happy when we became foundation homeowners at B by Halcyon in Buderim.

Everyone has been so lovely and we have made real friendships very quickly – so quickly that I wasn’t in the least bit offended when Jo (Feiner) said to me one night: “Wendy, you always look lovely, but you’re so formal with your suits and high heels. You need to loosen up a bit, this is Queensland.” She was saying it in a fun way and some other ladies heard and joined in on the conversation. I had mentioned I needed to find some brighter colours because I was wearing my corporate clothes from England, lots of navy and grey. I also told them that I had been to Sunshine Plaza but didn’t really like anything because the shopping centre has a lot of brands from Sydney and Melbourne. They then concocted a plan for us to take the community Tesla on a shopping spree in Cotton Tree, where there is a block of lovely boutiques. Unfortunately it was teeming with rain on the Friday we had planned it, so I ended up going there myself the following Monday. I went to the first boutique on the corner and said to the sales assistant whose name was Carol: “I need sorting out, help turn me into a Queenslander.”

Carol took on the challenge and we had a wonderful morning. She really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I didn’t go into any of the other shops on that block, but I emerged a few hours later with 11 pieces. I’ve been gradually turning up to events in the community in my new clothes and everyone has given me the thumbs up and remarked that “I’m looking like a Queenslander.” It really illustrates how friendly and welcoming everyone at B by Halcyon is. We’re so lucky to be living here. We came to Australia because we wanted an adventure and we’re certainly having the time of our life.