More time to relax for Robyn and Philip

When Philip and Robyn met through a mutual friend, they said they quickly felt like soulmates, but family and friends were sceptical as their relationship moved fast from one phone call and a first date, to Philip moving in a week later and the couple getting married within a year.

Fast forward almost 30 years, and the couple are enjoying their next chapter, now that they’ve settled into their new affordable home in Burpengary East’s Avaline estate.

It was a big move for Robyn and Philip in mid-June - relocating from Gayndah, a small country town four hours northwest, to be back closer to family and essential medical and health services in the Moreton Bay region.

Philip a veteran, said that while their recent years of country life in Gayndah was quite idyllic, with a larger home and space, a near-fatal heart attack in 2020 - that resulted in two stents, and regular follow-up appointments with his cardiologist and other medical services -changed their circumstances.

“I had 15 minutes before I was dead…they (doctors) saved my life,” he said.

“But living in Gayndah became unsustainable…it was quite stressful driving down to Brisbane every six weeks,” Philip said.

“By the time I got home, I was more stressed than when I left.”

The couple said that while they were sad to say bye to their life in Queensland’s oldest town - a citrus region and the only town where the street signs are vertical - they knew it was for the best.

Now that they’ve done the hard work of moving house and have settled in, they are once again enjoying a peaceful and quiet life in Burpengary East.

“We settled in pretty quick,” Philip said.

“It’s nice and quiet and the house stays cool… it’s comfortable for our age,” Robyn said.

“This house is low maintenance, and we can just lock and leave.”

Robyn and Philip are renting under the Everyone’s Place Affordable Housing project, which caps rents to eligible households at 75% of market rates to ease financial pressure on families, couples, and multigenerational households in need, including veterans.

With more than 100 affordable homes completed and tenanted, the project continues to expand in the high-demand areas of Burpengary East, Jimboomba, Logan Reserve, and Joyner.

By early 2027, consortium partners Tetris, Metricon, KDL Property Group, and National Affordable Housing will deliver affordable 483 homes in total with support from the Queensland Government.

For Robyn and Philip, the downsizing in properties and the reduced time in travelling to and from medical appointments, has meant that they have more time to enjoy their hobbies.

Robyn is an avid crafter and enjoys spending her time stitching quilts and scarves for her children and grandchildren, while Philip loves building and collecting model cars, going to the gym and cooking.

“I’ve got six Legos car sets in there I haven’t started yet…I’m like a big kid,” Philip said.