Keith and Margaret Bryce reflect on life in a bygone era. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Retired Barellan farmers Keith and Margaret Bryce were the first residents to move into the Griffith Retirement Estate (formerly Trowella), 21 years before the facility celebrated its completion last week.
Both aged 88, the couple have been married 65 years and have two children, six grandkids, 15 great-grandchildren and welcomed their first great-great-grandchild, Judd, into the world earlier this year.
Keith was the first bartender in the estate that provides accommodation for elderly people who aren’t ready for an aged-care home but want to live in a community set-up. That bar is now called “Keith’s Bar”.
Region caught up with the couple to reflect on life, marriage longevity, retirement living and why the demise of the Saturday dance is a huge loss for country towns.
How did you two meet?
My cousin invited me to go to Keith’s 21st birthday in Moombooldool. I went, but nothing happened there. Later, I went to a dance in Griffith, where I finally danced with Keith.
Was it easier to meet people in those days?
Yes, for sure. Barellan had its own football league. All the surrounding towns had a team. A different club would have a dance every Saturday night. Everyone went, that’s how people met and got married.
There’d always be a ball or a dance, somewhere. Nowadays, they go to the pub or the club and drink; it’s not as fun and much harder for people to meet.
What’s the secret to marriage longevity?
Don’t argue. Work things out. We might have disagreements, but we never argue. We sit down and talk.
Keith has been a bartender for so long, they named the bar after him. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
How do you remain healthy at age 88?
Keep moving. Don’t just sit down in your lounge chair. We keep active; we don’t even have enough time to read books.
Did you ever work outside the home/farm Margaret?
Never. I’ve never had a pay packet. I went to tech in Barellan to do dressmaking; I could have gone to Sydney to become a teacher, but my father wouldn’t let me.
How did you both end up living at Griffith Retirement Estate?
We moved to Griffith 37 years ago and had been living on McNabb Crescent. They turned the sod on the estate the day we went to Queensland for a holiday. We ran into a couple who lived in a Melbourne home owned by the same people opening the facility in Griffith [the Gannon family]. They told us how much they loved it.
We came back to Griffith, we met with Lesley Miller, the sales rep. There were 16 villas for sale, and we bought one near the centre and we were the very first residents to move in here. Margaret Hetherington moved in three weeks later.
Do you recommend others move here?
Yes, but they’ve got to come younger. You can’t arrive here too late. A lot of people are coming when their partners already have dementia so can’t enjoy all the activities on offer.
It’s hard too for a lot of women to get their husbands here. But when they arrive, they enjoy it. You see the men gathered around the table every day for morning tea, having a conversation. That’s good for them.
We love it here. You come to a place like this to live again.
