The women of Rosehaven Retirement Village in Hurlingham find purpose after retirement
For Heidi Tietjens, Val Acher, and Noeleene Brown retirement opened the door to a different kind of fulfilment; one found in colourful gardens, community spirit, and the simple joy of keeping busy.
For some people, retirement is seen as a chance to slow down, rest, and enjoy a quieter pace of life. Others usually ask themselves what to do now?
At Rosehaven Retirement Village, based in Hurlingham, the answer is blooming in every flower bed. Armed with gardening gloves, trowels, and an unwavering love for nature, Heidi Tietjens (79), Val Acher (79), and Noeleen Brown (60), who is currently hospitalised, have turned their retirement years into a season of purpose.
Their days are no longer determined by careers or deadlines, but by blooming roses, colourful petunias, and the joy of creating a beautiful space for everyone who calls Rosehaven a home.
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Before retirement, Tietjens spent decades shaping young lives as a nursery school teacher. Later, she headed schools at the Johannesburg Children’s Home and Sacred Heart College. After a lifetime of caring for children, and worried about being bored as years to her retirement neared, Tietjens now pours that same energy into caring for flowers. “I was very worried of being bored and stiff, but the garden is maintaining me. It’s a new life. I’m as busy and happy as can be.”
Today, eight years after joining the volunteer gardening team, she still finds joy among the flower beds. “I’m now flourishing in the garden. I love it to bits. Flowers are a blessing. You talk to them. They do not answer you, but they do smile at you.”
She added that she does volunteering because of love, not for recognition. “I don’t need a thank you, but if thank yous come, I am delighted and it cheers me up. I hope young people can learn to be a good example of what you can be as an oldie.”
A former reflexologist, Acher said she never sat and did nothing after retirement. “I have all sorts of hobbies, and I still work a little bit as a reflexologist. Of course, the garden takes up quite a lot of time.
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“A lot of people think that retirement means slowing down and, possibly, if they’ve had a very hectic life, they actually need to slow down, especially if they’re not well, but I think it’s a choice. If you are energetic and you are strong and you’re well, then it’s important to keep going and keep busy.”
Describing what gardening and volunteering means to her, Archer said she always enjoyed gardening. Before moving to Rosehaven, she had a small garden as her home in Parkhurst. “I’ve always enjoyed gardening. I love the colour and I think it’s really important for everybody to have a beautiful garden for their mental health.
“Just to be surrounded by beautiful colour, beautiful plants, and somewhere where they can walk without having to go out of the property.”
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