When Pauline Meek moved into The Orchards two years ago, Jill Miller was the first resident she chatted to. Now the pair are as thick as thieves and couldn’t imagine village life without each other.

“My late husband Neville and I had only been in the village for a couple of days,” says Pauline. “We were sitting upstairs having a cup of tea and Jill came over and asked if we would like to join her table. We’ve been best mates ever since!”
The pair have a shared passion for indoor petanque and croquet, and catch up at least three times a week, often more.

"We got on really well from the first time we met each other, and our friendship has just grown from there. We like to have our few little drinks together and we were in each other’s bubble after lockdown. I’m a lot older – I’m 82 and Jill is in her 70s – but we really just hit it off.”

Jill puts it down to their ability to have a good laugh.

“Pauline and I have similar personalities and we like to share a joke. Like me, she has a wicked sense of humour. Some may find our humour weird, but we find it hilarious,” says Jill, who moved into The Orchards six years ago shortly after the village opened.

As well as companionship and camaraderie, the two women provide each other with invaluable support.

“I teach line dancing at the village every week and Pauline and a couple of other ladies always come and watch. It means a lot to me.”

For both women, life at The Orchards is rich and rewarding, and has been the birthplace of treasured new friendships.

“Because we are a small village of just over 120 people, you sort of get to know everybody. It’s really lovely. Whenever I go to the local shops, I always run into a couple of residents I know and say hi,” says Jill.

Pauline couldn’t agree more: “The thing I enjoy most about village life is that everyone who lives here is so nice. Nobody walks past without saying hello. I feel very lucky and am so happy to be living here.”

In the lead up to International Day of Friendship on Friday 30 July, residents from Metlifecare’s 26 retirement villages have been sharing stories of the life-changing friendships they’ve made since moving into their village, as well as tales of reconnecting with old mates from work, school or even kindergarten!

Nearly 6000 Kiwis chose to call a Metlifecare village their home and the opportunity to make friends with like-minded people, who share common interests and who you can share the joys of life with, is one of the great benefits of retirement village living. To read more fabulous stories of friendships and to get a taste of what village life is about, download your copy of The Villager magazine at metlifecare.co.nz.