The story of a sea change

THIS IS A GUEST POST by Denyse Whelan

More information on Denyse and how to connect with her can be found at the end of this post.

---

We have moved to live closer to the sea.  This is the story of why we made a sea change.

We are two retired teachers who were born and bred by the sea.  Well, as close to the sea as you can get on the New South Wales Coast.  I grew up in Wollongong and then moved to Sydney’s Northern Beaches near Manly.  My husband spent ‘the best years of his growing up life’ near Ballina on the Far North Coast.

Most teachers in the late 1960s did not receive appointment close to the sea!  In fact, far from it.  In my husband’s case, it was over the great Dividing Range of NSW to the North West to a couple of one-teacher schools.  My first appointment was to a North West country town.  We met in a regional city that is part of that area.

Our married life saw us live near Narrabri.  Hot summer days and nights and cold winter nights with some sunny days.  Then we moved, by now with a little daughter, to South Western NSW.  We lived (and he taught) in a little school half way between Hillston and Griffith where the famous Black Stump is located.  I was appointed to the Central School at Hillston.  Hot, cold and remote but we loved it as young teachers and there was always family holidays back at Mum and Dad’s near the beach.

Our most isolated school together was at Weilmoringle – a twelve-hour drive from Sydney.  A great and unique teaching experience and it was where our daughter started school in the 25 kids, 2-teacher school with Mum and Dad as teacher and principal.  We stayed two years.  Beaten by the isolation and a need to be closer to medical attention for my husband’s recently diagnosed health challenges and the realization it was time to find a house of our own.

And we did.  From 1978 until 2014 we lived in North-Western Sydney.  Our first home was located in Kellyville and it was a brand new one for our little family of one child.  However, within the 12 months of moving in, we became a family of two kids.  Onwards through roles for me in various schools in the same area where we lived and out into far western Sydney we were very far from the sea!

We moved too, into new and bigger places to accommodate us, family occasions and childcare of some of the grandchildren – the kids of our kids.

But, every January school holidays, when our kids were young, we’d pack up the car and travel to various beach towns such as Port Macquarie, Port Stephens, the Central Coast of NSW and the Far North Coast.  We always LOVED our seaside breaks and vowed that one day we WOULD live by the sea.

Then one day came in January 2015 when we sold up in Sydney and moved into a house on the water (Central Coast), as a couple, in fact, a retired couple.  Now we have made the sea change, we doubt we could live anywhere else.  Whilst we do not yet have a permanent place to call ‘home’ we are trying before buying.  We love the weather here and the ability to drive ten minutes and walk on a superb beach as we did recently.  The family hasn’t visited as often as we’d like and we miss them but we catch up on some of our trips back to Sydney.  But, we are now here to stay!

Have you made a significant change to a new place or area to live?

---

Thank you Denyse for sharing your sea change story with us!  I am quite envious of your sea change to the Central Coast and exciting new beginning!

BIO: Denyse Whelan is a retired school principal and blogs every day in 2015 about life, making the transition to retirement, art and photography.  She’s been blogging for over 5 years and is an active user of social media – all links provided below. 

CONNECT with Denyse
BLOG  |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER  |  INSTAGRAM  |  EMAIL

---

Ciao for now,

Linking up with With Some Grace for #FYBF