Community service has been a mainstay for Busselton resident Rae Cooper, and it’s what she recommends to live a happy and fulfilled life.
After almost two decades as neighbours at Busselton’s Ray Village retirement units, best friends June Ridley and Clare McMulkin moved into Capecare Busselton residential care just one week apart. Their story reflects the comfort that familiar people, places and support can bring as care needs change.
June and Clare first met through lawn bowls, but their friendship truly flourished after they moved into Ray Village within a week of each other in 2008. As next-door neighbours for 19 years, they shared everyday conversations, Village activities and celebrations, while supporting one another through the changes that come with growing older.
“We all looked after one another,” June said of life and the friendships they formed at the Village.
Both women also love the beachside living Capecare provides. June visited the beach most days when living in her unit, while Clare regularly walked along the coastal path towards the yacht club.
As their needs changed, both women began receiving Capecare Community home care services in their Ray Village units, including help with cleaning, meal preparation and personal care. Having support come to them allowed June and Clare to remain living independently for much longer.
“We had plenty of help,” Clare said. “We were looked after, just the same as we are looked after here.”
Eventually, both women reached the point where residential aged care offered the reassurance and day-to-day support they needed. It was an important decision, and one they each made for themselves.
For June, who just turned 94, part of the decision was a desire to ease the responsibility on her children, who live outside Busselton. Her son had been travelling from Perth each week to support her.
“I wanted to give my children some free time,” she said. “They’ve got their lives to live. We’ve lived ours.”
At age 99, Clare also recognised that she was spending increasing amounts of time on her own and would benefit from having more support around her.
Both women reached the same conclusion themselves. “It was our decision,” Clare said. “That was important.”
Although moving into residential care is a significant adjustment, there was comfort for June and Clare in already knowing and trusting Capecare. They were familiar with the organisation through their years living at Ray Village and the home care support they had received. Clare had also volunteered in the Shop at Capecare Busselton and knew the buildings and many of the people working there.
Staff members who had previously helped with maintenance and gardening at their units recognised them when they moved into residential care. “It makes you feel good,” Clare said.
Another welcome and familiar face was Capecare Property Manager Kelley Robinson, who had previously helped manage Ray Village and had known both women for many years. Kelley continues to visit June and Clare regularly and has been available to help them navigate their new surroundings and resolve any concerns.
For June, knowing her best friend would also be moving into Capecare Busselton made an enormous difference.
“When I knew Clare was coming, I was so happy,” she said. “Someone I know, someone I love.”
June moved in first, with Clare following a week later—just as they had moved into their Ray Village units within a week of one another many years before.
The friends are honest that residential care brings change. There are new routines to become accustomed to, new surroundings to learn and moments when people naturally wonder whether they could have continued managing at home.
However, they have found kindness, companionship and plenty of support.
“The staff are really lovely,” Clare said. “They can’t do enough for you.”
June agrees that kindness matters most.
“They’re kind, and that’s the main thing,” she said.
The pair enjoy sharing meals with the other residents, describing the dining table as being like “one big family”. They take part in activities that keep them engaged and connected and particularly enjoy regular visits from local schoolchildren.
Clare continues to enjoy regular strolls around the Capecare grounds and neighbouring Ray Village. A weekly game of canasta with Village friends remains a highlight, and she regularly enjoys outings with her family. Maintaining these longstanding relationships and routines has helped her remain connected to the life she enjoyed before moving.
“I’ve always been a walker,” Clare said, recalling the bushwalks and orchid-spotting trips she enjoyed while visiting her son and daughter-in-law in Leeman.
June and Clare’s journey—from independent retirement living, through home care and into residential aged care—shows the value of having trusted support that can adapt over time.
While their surroundings and care needs have changed, the relationships they built have continued. For June and Clare, that continuity has meant entering the next stage of life together, surrounded by people who already know their stories.
And, just as they did at Ray Village, the best friends remain side by side.
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