Retirement villages coming up with creative ways to celebrate Father’s Day

There’s always something interesting going on at retirement villages when Father’s Day comes around, but organising this year’s celebrations has been difficult (for obvious reasons).

That said, you can’t keep a good village down.

We’ve been impressed by some of the solutions we’ve seen in villages around the country.

The Outlook at Albany in Western Australia
If there’s one time of the year when Dad jokes are excused, it’s Father’s Day. 94-year-old retiree Stan Eastwood from The Outlook at Albany has joined 23 others in having his corny jokes printed in the ‘Book of Dad Jokes’ specifically produced and given to father-figures in retirement villages in WA and Queensland.

“This Father’s Day particularly, we wanted to bring some joy to our communities who like the rest of Australia have struggled through the challenging times of COVID-19 lockdowns, restrictions and social distancing,” said Rob Nichols, CEO of Serenitas which owns The Outlook.

“They may not make you laugh out loud, but Dad jokes always manage to elicit a wry smile and that’s exactly what we wanted to share with the much-loved father figures in our villages.”

So, what was the joke?


I used to have a job at a calendar factory but I got the sack because I took a couple of days off.

– Stan Eastwood, The Outlook at Albany

Ryman Healthcare splash the cash
Not to be outdone, Ryman Healthcare held a Father’s Day competition.

Contestants were encouraged to send a message detailing what they loved most about their Dad, and the winner, Amanda, won a $250 gift hamper.

Hopefully her father will get to see some of that!

Stockland Unity in South Australia
Another great example comes from Stockland’s Unity Retirement Village in South Australia.

93-year-old Alex Bates and his devoted daughter 69-year-old Jan Allen are making time to celebrate the important day, even if they can’t go all out.

The father-daughter duo live together at the Aberfoyle Park village and will be celebrating Father’s Day together along with other families members over lunch at home this year.

“It made sense for us to live together as I can help care for him as he gets older,” Jan said.

“He means everything to me, I couldn’t live life without him."

“I’ve put my life on hold for him and he appreciates everything I do for him.”

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A special thanks to our contributors

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Caroline Egan

DCM Media, agedcare101

Caroline has a wealth of experience writing within the retirement and aged care sector and is a contributing journalist for the Villages.com.au and agedcare101 blog and accompanying newsletters.

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Ian Horswill

Journalist

Ian is a journalist, writer and sub-editor for the aged care sector, working at The DCM Group. He writes for The Weekly Source, agedcare101, villages.com.au and the DCM Institute fortnightly newsletter Friday. Ian is in daily contact with CEOs of retirement living, land lease and the aged care operations and makes a new contact every week. He investigates media releases, LinkedIn and Facebook for a good source for ideas for stories.

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Lauren Broomham

Retirement and Aged Care Journalist

Lauren is a journalist for villages.com.au, agedcare101 and The Donaldson Sisters. Growing up in a big family in small town communities, she has always had a love for the written word, joining her local library at the age of six months. With over eight years' experience in writing and editing, she is a keen follower of news and current affairs with a nose for a good story.

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Jill Donaldson

Physiotherapist

Jill has been practicing as a clinical physiotherapist for 30 years. For the last 13 years she has worked solely in the Aged Care sector in more than 50 metropolitan and regional facilities. Jill has also toured care facilities in the US and Africa and is a passionate advocate for both the residents in aged care and the staff who care for them. She researches and writes for DCM Media.

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Chris Baynes

DCM Media, agedcare101

Chris has been a journalist and publisher in the retirement village and aged care sectors for 11 years. He has visited over 250 retirement villages and 50 aged care facilities both within Australia and internationally. Chris is a regular speaker at industry conferences plus is a frequent radio commentator.

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Annie Donaldson

Nurse and Carer

Annie has a long career in both nursing and the media. She has planned and co-ordinated the medical support from both international TV productions and major stadium events. In recent years she has been a primary family carer plus involved in structured carer support.