Graham and Tui France are looking forward to celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this November after moving into our village in July this year.
“We knew that we needed to downsize, as our Napier house and garden had become too large for us to manage comfortably,” Graham explains. “Nothing that we saw in Napier appealed to us. One of Tui’s three sisters living in Tauranga suggested that we look at a villa on offer at Omokoroa Country Estate.”
The couple visited three different villages in Tauranga before settling on OCE. They say our village “won the day by the proverbial country mile” because of the ambience of the complex, the wonderful gardens, the friendliness of staff and residents, and the diversity of facilities and activities offered.
Graham says the sales process was remarkably painless, with both Emma and Kevin excelling themselves by assisting every step of the way. “They never made us feel anything other than valued and wanted.”
The pair have three adult children and six grandchildren. While none of them live in Tauranga, they are very happy and supportive of Graham and Tui’s decision to relocate here.
Graham is now 90 years-old and has enjoyed a long and distinguished career. He served as Director of Finance at ACC, was Chief Executive at Sealords, Managing Director of Carter Holt Harvey International in Chile, and was a director on many boards including the Crown Forestry Rental Trust.
Tui is from a large family of seven girls and one boy. She grew up on a dairy farm in Invercargill and trained at Christchurch Teachers’ College. Besides having a lengthy career in teaching, she also served a number of years on the Nelson City Council. These days she loves baking and gardening so feels right at home here in Omokoroa.
We are delighted to have Graham and Tui join us, and we wish them all the best for their diamond wedding anniversary celebrations.
