Hurlingham women flourish in their golden years in Rosehaven Retirement Village’s gardens
Rather than slowing down, Heidi Tietjens, Val Acher, and Noeleen Brown have embraced retirement by volunteering in the gardens at Rosehaven Retirement Village, proving that purpose and passion can flourish at any age.
For many, retirement signals the end of a career.
For Heidi Tietjens, Val Acher, and Noeleen Brown, it marks the beginning of a new chapter, filled with purpose, friendship, and giving back.
Through volunteering in the gardens of the Rosehaven Retirement Village, the Hurlingham based women are proving that life after retirement can be every bit as rewarding as the careers they left behind.
For 79-year-old Tietjens, retirement was never meant to be about slowing down.
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In fact, it was her biggest fear. “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.”
Tietjens said, before retiring she was a nursery school teacher, and had been a head of two schools, the Johannesburg Children’s Home and Sacred Heart College.
When she was on the look out for a retirement home 10 years ago, Tietjens said the beautiful gardens at Rosehaven caught her attention.
Today, eight years after becoming one of the volunteer gardeners, she spends much of her time nurturing the flowers she loves so dearly. “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.
“Volunteering, I do it for the love of it. 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.”
Archer said retirement has never meant putting life on pause.
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Before retiring, she worked as a reflexologist, a profession she still practices occasionally. Keeping busy has always been part of who she is.
“Life has been very busy. I haven’t ever just sat and done nothing. 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.
“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. It’s up to you. If you are energetic and you are strong and you’re well, then it’s important to keep going and keep busy.”
@caxtonjoburgnorth 79-year-old volunteers Heidi Tietjens and Val Acher share how gardening and volunteering has given them a new sense of purpose in retirement, proving that life after work can be just as rewarding. Video: Xoliswa Zakwe #Johannesburg #SouthAfrica #LocalNews #TikTokNews #tiktoknews #BreakingNews #cityofjoburg #satiktok_sa #2026 #foryourpage #localnews ♬ original sound Caxton Joburg North
Describing what’s gardening and volunteering means to her, Archer said: “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.”
Completing the trio is Brown, who is in her 60s, and has become a passionate member of the volunteer gardening team. Unfortunately, she is currently hospitalised.
