Straight from the pages of a Hollywood script, a Gold Coast aged care community that has always led from the heart is celebrating its own epic love story spanning 63 years.
When Odyssey Founder and CEO Phil Usher and now wife Rosie Usher first moved to the coast in 1979 and began organising his wedding, Peter and Jean Cooke, their surrogate parents and future residents stepped in to help.
“When my wife Rosie and I first arrived from Perth, we didn’t have much family here to help us with the preparation and celebration of our wedding,” says Mr Usher.
“The Cookes are actually my best mate’s in-laws and we sort of adopted them as family, Peter walked Rosie down the aisle and Jean did the bridesmaid’s makeup.
“Our big day wouldn’t have been what it was without the kindness and love of Peter and Jean.”
Fast forward a few decades, Peter and Jean Cooke have been married 63 years and Phil and Rosie 42 years, with Phil caring for the couple at Odyssey’s Robina community.
“Peter and Jean were among our first residents to move into Odyssey and I love having them here and seeing them almost daily,” says Mr Usher.
“They are very happy here and very much in love with each other, which is beautiful and inspiring to be a part of.”
The community includes a full-service hospitality offering with breakfast, high-tea, three-course lunch and dinner, tea, coffee and drinks, nursing and personal care services, and laundry service.
Odyssey is a three-tower luxury lifestyle care community, located at the high-profile site on the corner of Christine Avenue and The Crestway at Robina, and has set a new benchmark for the sector with an extensive offering of five-star accommodation, care services and amenities for residents.