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A chance conversation at Sundale Coolum Waters Care Centre led to a commitment from Sundale’s Customer Engagement Manager Lisa to join the Walk to Defeat MND – and opened the door to John and Johanna’s remarkable story.
John and Johanna have been married for almost 66 years.
They raised two children, moved from South Australia to Queensland and travelled around Australia in a bus John converted himself.
Years later came a diagnosis of motor neurone disease, along with the news that John likely had between two and five years to live.
That was 29 years ago.
Seventeen years of connection
John has lived at Sundale Coolum Waters Care Centre for 17 years, becoming a familiar face around the broader Coolum Waters community.
When he first moved into residential aged care at Coolum Waters, he delivered newspapers to other residents. At 90, he is still making deliveries – these days, taking mail and parcels around the village.
Johanna lives nearby in the Coolum Waters retirement village, after moving there during COVID so she could remain close to John while he continued living in the Care Centre.
Their almost 66-year marriage can be seen in the everyday things.
She still reads the newspaper each morning before taking it across to him. She still does his washing too.
When asked about the things she has done to stay close, Johanna’s answer is simple: “That’s just what you do.”
Walking together
Over the years, strong relationships have grown around John and Johanna.
Team members at Sundale Coolum Waters Care Centre know John’s preferences, what makes him laugh and what matters to him.
Those connections were visible again when members of Team Sundale joined John for the Walk to Defeat MND, along with a former Sundale chef who returned to walk beside him.
For families exploring an aged care facility on the Sunshine Coast, John and Johanna’s story offers a glimpse of the relationships and sense of community that can grow over time.
It also shows how residential aged care and retirement living at Coolum Waters can exist side by side, allowing couples and families to remain close even when their care needs are different.
Twenty-nine years after John was given his prognosis, he remains surrounded by people who know him well.
Care travels both ways.
The people we care for become part of our stories too.
Learn more about residential aged care and community life at Sundale Coolum Waters.
Read more in Life Magazine
This story first appeared in Sundale’s Life Magazine. Discover more stories from across our communities in the Spring/Summer 2026 edition of Life Magazine.
Read Life Magazine – Spring/Summer 2026
Photo Credit: Leah Desborough
