Ebbie & Prem

WHAT IS THE MEASURE OF A FULL LIFE?

Embracing adventures 

Premila and Ebbie are locals. They’ve called Wheelers Hill home for almost 50 years. It’s where they formed lifelong friendships and where their daughters have chosen to settle. 

So, when they discovered Ryman’s Nellie Melba Village was being built in their neighbourhood, they immediately put their names down. As Ebbie says, “we’ve got to be close to our old habitat, where we feel comfortable with our own surroundings.” 

Family is an essential part of their happiness. And hosting Sunday dinner for the past 18 years is how they’ve gathered their growing family. A tradition they’ve maintained since moving to the village. “It’s a challenge to cook for 13 people but we kept the dinners going because it brings the grandchildren together, and the sons-in-law get on like a house on fire,” laughs Premila.  

And that’s not the only thing they’ve maintained since relocating. “I still go to the gym, Ebbie plays tennis and golf, and I teach part-time.” With the added benefits of village life. They’ve made terrific friends at Nellie Melba, enjoy the many activities on offer, and take off on holiday whenever they feel like it. “You just lock up. We feel like travelling more now because we feel so safe.” 

Knowing they can stay together in their beloved neighbourhood, even if their health needs change, is important to the couple. According to Ebbie, having comprehensive care options on site was “a very big thing for us. Not that we want to get into it now,” he laughs, “but the fact that it’s there is a big thing.” 

Premila and Ebbie belong in Wheelers Hill. Here, they’re surrounded by family, the community they’ve built over the past 50 years, and their new village friends. That is Premila and Ebbie’s measure of a full life.