O.k., I am now going to write about a topic that most of you will switch off from before you finish reading the first paragraph, if you haven’t already. That’s o.k. I understand. Your future is not that important. Who cares where you spend the remainder of your years; whether or not anyone will be around to care about you / for you; that you will continue to identify with the human race. Oh you do care!? Oh! Well then...maybe you should read on after all.
Palun.
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| Kul[a] it people! |
I'm guessing your knee-jerk reaction will be "Hell NO!”
Well then, assuming my assumptive response was correct, my next question would be: why not?
Let’s face it. Todays reality is, you might actually end up in some sort of retirement accommodation as you may not have a choice by the time you turn...”old”.
"Ha!" you say, buoyed by the confidence your superannuation and children will keep you independent and away from the indignity of living out the remainder of your years with....”old people”.
You may be right. But what happens when your superannuation isn't up to scratch with the market inflation of the future (if you haven’t already lost it from future market crashes), and your kids live inter-state or in another country. Assuming you have kids of course (and ones that are happy to cover you).
I don’t know about you, but as I get older, the thought of how I’m going to manage when I’m old becomes more and more apparent. Sure I’m another 30 years away from retiring at best, but with the way things are today, I tend to shudder about tomorrow. I’m even considering not threatening my (future) children with boarding school for fear of ‘pay back’ down the track.
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| Eesti Kula entrance on Estonian Road, Thirlmere |
Maybe I think this way as my exposure to the elderly began when I was young. I used to visit my grandparents as a kid at Eesti Kula in Thirlmere as my vanaisa, Leonid Rampe, was the General Manager. There I got to see the varying states of people in their twilight years. It’s from this exposure that I guess I have an un-bias view of what it means to set oneself (or be put) ‘out to pasture’. I don’t know anyone really who had an upbringing like mine in that regard. I know my siblings don’t view old age the way I do. They haven’t had the exposure to it I have had.
Back then (in the 70’s/80’s), Eesti Kula was, as it is now, a pretty special place. Ask any Australian considering a retirement village what their ideal place would be and I’m pretty sure they would describe the ‘Kula’. It’s quiet. It’s picturesque. For us it has an Estonian population so there is a familiar vibe. I don’t know if you have any relatives there of your own, but when my wife says to me lets go and visit your vanaema, I’m like, “Sure!” That’s because it’s nice to go to. It’s not like a government retirement home in the burbs where wafts of...stuff...float through the air, and the very thought of entering such a place makes you recoil into mowing the lawn in preference.
Like so many things about the Estonian community at the moment, Eesti Kula has quietly fallen under the spotlight of viability. The topic about the future of Eesti Küla is becoming more apparent with every year passing.
Why? Not because they are going broke; because it would seem that the village isn't so 'Eesti' anymore. In fact so much so that a name change was recently proposed to align its image more with that of the 'open' clientele now starting to fill the place.
"Why?...Who?...How could this be allowed to happen!?", I hear you cry. Well, frankly, it's because of you. Yes! You! Well “you”, meaning “us”, really.
As (Australian) Estonians, we have decided that as independent, outgoing people, living in a retirement village is way, way beneath us. It’s not a new thing. Most of Western society thinks this way now and consequently Eesti Kula has found over time the number of Estonians filling new or “vacated” accommodation has been dropping away slowly but surely. Because of this, coupled with the cost of maintaining such a wonderful place has meant management have had to look at new ways to keep the place viable and available to those of us who have a change of heart at the tender age of 90 and decide to move there after all.
Currently a proposal is in place that will see funding for a new hostel be built on recently acquired land next to the existing, but dated hostel. The primary source of income to make this possible means the Australian Government has to come on board. Therefore it goes without saying that the gradual induction of all good people will seep into the population of the village.
Initially there were groans from the already existing Estonian population within the Kula, but this was probably more reflective of a generational gap than that of the origin of the possible population. New arrivals know full well that the Kula is evolving into a multi-cultural village, much like that of any other successful village in Australia.
Whilst the retiring age in Australia is 65, the saying "65 is the new 55" might not be far wrong. I mean the body might reflect 65, but for most of us, the mind is still stuck back in the invincible 20's. I’m almost 40 and still think as stupidly as a 20 year old. So with that 'in mind', why would we want to put our minds out to pasture along with our bodies anyway? Again I'm guessing your reaction will be "We don't!"
So were on the same page.
Recently I realised the one major floor that has hampered the Kula more and more over the years. It came to me while talking to a senior Estonian at Eesti Maja in Sydneys Surry Hills one afternoon. Whilst it was hardly a ‘Eureka!’ moment, the flaw presented itself as one of simple geography.
Eesti Kula was essentially created for the moderately large population of Estonians living in and around Thirlmere to retire to when that time came. The Estonians who lived in Sydney or other parts of the state were either an after-thought or it was assumed that the Garden of Eden that the Kula is would keep the oldies banked up at the door trying to beat it down just to get a piece of the action.
Almost the opposite has occurred. As time has passed and the baby-boomer generation who grew up in the area moved out and created families elsewhere, the validity of Eesti Kula (for Estonians) therefore decreased. That coupled with the changes in the way society as a whole looks at retirement accommodation has meant the industry has been pushing up-hill to attract people back to it. It is anticipated with the new extension to Thirlmere that this wont be the case any longer.
Getting back to the senior Estonian... he was in the throes of deciding whether to move to Eesti Kula and maintain some sort of independent normality (even though the Kula is so far from his family), or move into a flat with his family and ultimately lose some genuine independence . Sure he likes the Kula for its atmosphere and the fact he has one or two familiar faces to greet him should he decide to move there. However, two things were playing on his mind; most importantly was its location – Thirlmere - and secondly; the fact the population of the village was becoming watered down with the local natives and not being re-populated with Estonians. Our Estonian gentleman was the first to concede that because his fellow countrymen and women were not moving there, the population was going the way it is. He understood the paradox.
His situation is one of many typical stories (regardless of nationality) as to why and how people find themselves moving into retirement accommodation. In this particular gentleman’s case, his wife passed away a few years ago and he now finds himself living alone in a moderately large house in Sydneys affluent North Shore. At 80+ years of age, cooking for one and maintaining a property takes a lot of effort.
Sure, he has the option to move into a granny flat with one of his kids family, but that's not the point. The point is about maintaining ones dignity through independence which by definition means living alone. Somehow, as nice as being close to you family is, that dignity diminishes as dependence on others grows.
“So how does moving into a retirement village like Eesti Kula maintain ones independence and dignity?”, I hear you ask. Well it’s simple. Although you are moving into an ‘aged care facility’, you are not moving into a hospital with doctors and nurses hanging over your shoulder (per se). In fact it’s the opposite.
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| Not a bad place to kick back huh? |
Take my vanaema for example; she has lived in Eesti Kula now for over 20 years. In that time she has gone from being a robust and active woman living on her own in a semi-house at the back of the village to now, being 93 years of age and with the body not keeping up with the mind. Slowly but surely she finds her independence an inhibitor as the type of accommodation she has, comes with the expectation that people living in those types of dwelling can support themselves and get their own food and medical attention, etc. 20 years ago when she moved in and had a car, this was not a problem, but as time has gone by, it’s not as easy as it once was when your driving licence has been further and further restricted then gone and your friends in the village are slowly losing their licenses as well.
My vanaema therefore is looking at the next phase of her retirement – moving into the Kula hostel. This is generally the next jump after moving into your own house in the Kula, but some move into the hostel from the get-go. What this means for my vanaema is that she will have immediate medical attention if she needs as well as a cooked meal every night - something that’s not guaranteed if you don’t have a licence, or car.
Whilst not having a cooked meal sounds terrible and neglectful, we have to remember that none of her immediate relatives lives within 30 minutes drive of her. Again, geography! This situation is not unique as it applies to just about every resident in the Kula.
So what do we change to make people consider moving to the Kula? How do we pull out of this nose-dive of impending Australiana invading and over-running the place? Do we need to? Do we have to? What are the options?
Whilst people will still want to move to Eesti Kula in the future, the option will always be available I’m sure, regardless of who populates the place. The connection to our heritage and past will never be diminished by the break down of races occupying the place. It will always be ‘Estonian’. Even if the name changes.
But what of the demographic who live in the city (Sydney) with their families nearby and have no designs on moving to Thirlmere. You can’t blame them for not wanting to move there, right? What are their options? Suffer in their over-priced, over-taxed properties having all their retirement fund sucked up by bills, and then end up moving to a government facility with....Aussies...anyway? That’s about all they have to look forward to for sure.
Perhaps the option of a 2nd residence in the city should start to be explored. One where people can go and continue their existence in the city all be it in a different home. It’s feasible I’m sure. Suddenly we might find a facility like that not large enough to hold the amount of people wanting to get in. The polar opposite to Thirlmere.
By placing a facility within Sydney, the issue of geography is lessened greatly. Sure it would never be a perfect fit because Sydney is a big place and there are always going to be relatives in one place who still find the 30 minute drive to another part of the earth too far. But it’s not necessarily about the relatives visiting. It’s about being able to walk out the door into society and be a part of it, car or no car. Small change to you and I who can still drive when and where we want – BIG change to people who don’t want to be trapped in a room seeing out their remaining years because society is in the place they are not.
But please don’t get me wrong. The last thing I want to do is do a disservice to Eesti Kula in Thirlmere. After all, it is my own family that has put so much into what stands there today and certainly for tomorrow.
Much like other ethnic retirement accommodation created around the same time, Eesti Kula is unique. It was created by Estonians with Estonians in mind, though for the sake of the future, other people must be considered. It is beautiful and for some, it is exactly what the doctor has ordered when people become tired of the rat-race that is the city and want to unwind, permanently.
There is however the other side of the coin; those who want to continue feeling the rush, and pulse of life that is the city. Some people have only known the city their whole lives and are scared senseless by the country. After all, to hear yourself think sometimes is like being stuck with a person you don’t like!
So there! Have I convinced you to retire early and move on in? Well, I’m not even sure I’ve convinced myself. However, I do know that when the time comes, Thirlmere will always be an option for my wife and I if we haven’t fulfilled our dream of living out our remaining years in Estonia itself. Well...at least for 6 months of every year (i.e. summer). But for me, coming from Wollongong I'm a country boy at heart and she, coming from Tallinn is a city girl, so wouldn’t it be grand to have a 2nd option such as the city. In our lucky society where choice is everything, it’s understandable to see why Eesti Kula is having a hard time of it. Maybe if there was another choice of retirement village, Eesti Kula might have an even harder time of it. But on the other hand, by the time you move into your retirement home in the city, you decide you’re sick of the city after all and that a bit of the peace and quiet might be what you’re after.
“Now where did I put that number for Thirlmere?” I hear you ask in the future...
WHATS IN A NAME?
- Thirlmere, N.S.W., Australia derives its name from one of several English Midlands villages (and yes, one is just down the road from Penrith in the England as well). Originally settled by timber cutters to supply the mines on the coast in the 1800's, Estonians descended in droves around the 1950's and put the place on the map.
- 'Kungla’ was the first farmers co-op in the area created by Estonian farmers which also came to include Australian farmers in the area. Today the same co-op still stands all be it as a small supermarket still bearing the name.
- The importance of the Estonian contribution to the community is reflected in the name of the road Eesti Kula sits on –Estonian Road.
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