Joy Patten has spent 98 years mastering the ways of the world. She’s seen many places, lived in many towns, and mastered many sports.
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But why did she decide the Great Lakes was the place to spend almost half her life in?
“It’s just a beautiful spot, it’s lovely,” is Joy’s simple explanation.
“You can hear a pin drop half the time. People just come and leave things at the door which is nice, this morning my neighbor left a couple of books.”
Joy moved to Smiths Lake more than 38 years ago, after her husband returned from World War II.
They had been living on Sydney’s North Shore, where they were quite happy in the hustle and bustle.
Thankfully, they had a couple of friends up here who knew what they needed, and convinced them of their lifestyle error.
It was just lovely, and the little ant eaters would waddle up the dirt road, it was really primitive, beautiful.
- Joy Patten
“Our friends lived in Blueys Beach, and whenever they came to stay with us, they asked when we were going to move up," she said.
“Eventually we gave in, and we moved here after my husband retired.
“When we came here, at first when we would wake up there would be kangaroos in the front yard, and the trees always had koalas in them.
“It was just lovely, and the little ant eaters would waddle up the dirt road, it was really primitive, beautiful.”
Joy and her husband chose their spot and built their house at popular holiday destination Pacific Palms, before it was really discovered.
“There were only about four homes on the street then, it was very quiet,” Joy said.
A new home called for a new sport.
Joy spent many years horse riding, playing tennis, and mastering golf.
Then, she chose bowls. There was no bowling club in the vicinity, so Joy set out to remedy this, and build one herself.
“We started the bowling club down here nearly 20 years ago,” she said.
“There was my husband and I, and about eight other families from the area. We had to lay the green ourselves, it was all good fun.
“Of a Sunday, there used to be a coach full of holiday makers who came out from town, and to make money we would make scones and sandwiches and cakes to sell.
“We all just got stuck in to get the club started. Everybody in the district, the few who were residents, did whatever we could to raise money to get it going.
“It was all good fun, those days were wonderful days.”
Now coming up to her 99th birthday, Joy couldn’t imagine living in any other place.
“It’s a spot that I don’t think I could find anywhere else that I liked better,” she said.
“I have been wonderfully lucky to find it.”