What better way to celebrate turning 60 than to have a retro fancy dress party harking from the days of mini-skirts, paisley, flares and beehives? Sue Howie did just that when she booked the Country Club at Seachange Riverside Coomera for 40 guests. “When you’re born in the ’60s and grew up in the ’70s, it seems appropriate to do a ’60s and ’70s fancy dress party,” Sue says. “About 99 per cent of the guests were dressed up, which was a great conversation starter, and we put together our own ’60s and ’70s music list and played it through the clubhouse speakers.”

The party was made even more special by the presence of both Sue’s sisters, Ann and Ros. Ann travelled more than 1000km from Mollymook, in NSW, to pay a surprise visit while Ros merely had to stroll down the road to get there. “When Graeme and I were looking to buy into Seachange Riverside Coomera in January last year, Ros was actually paying us a visit while she was holidays from Leeton in NSW,” Sue said. “She came with us to help us make up our minds whether we should buy. Then two days later her daughter Bridget, who lives in Lismore, also wanted to have a look and it was her who suggested Ros could be really happy here too. “We moved here in June and Ros bought a place four houses down from us and moved here in November. Now we see each other every day and we go for walks or swims together. There’s not a day goes by we don’t see each other.”

Sue Howie (middle) with her sister Ros (left) and Ann (right)

Residents at Seachange are encouraged to use all of the facilities on offer, and have the opportunity to book spaces like the Country Club for private functions. Sue’s husband Graeme took care of catering, starting in the morning and using the clubhouse facilities to pull party treats together. “We borrowed crock pots from all our neighbours and put pulled pork in them and left them to slow cook all day serving them with tortilla wraps and coleslaw and we also cooked roast beef which we served with bread rolls and gravy. It was perfect,” she says. “The country club has awesome kitchen facilities and it made it so easy to hold a fabulous event. What’s more, we even used the Country Club fridges to keep all the drinks at the perfect temperature. “Most people were outside because it was so lovely and we also played barefoot bowls, which was awesome. It really is a great venue for a party.”