Artistic pursuits, teaching and the timeless appeal of the French language have remained constants in the life of Rowethorpe Retirement Village resident Michelle Denise.
Amongst Michelle’s creative outlets are portrait painting, heading up the Rowethorpe Writers Group and taking part in the Out of the Blue singing group, which performs around the villages.
“It’s become my little world here (at Rowethorpe) – there’s a real community feel,” Michelle said.
“Being an introvert, it has changed my life as it gets you more social and outgoing.”
With a Swiss French background, Michelle originally came to Australia from Neuchâtel, Switzerland with her parents as a youngster in 1958.
After finishing her school years in Sydney, she later ventured into the world of primary teaching, collecting a national teaching competition prize along the way.
Michelle moved back to Perth in 1995 to be closer to her mum who was living with dementia at Juniper Trinity at the time.
Before long, Michelle met Geoff Bebb and the duo had a creative 13-year partnership researching, tripping overseas and jointly writing four self-published books including the historical fiction novel Deceitful Moon.
Sadly, Michelle has since lost her much-loved writing partner, but his inspiration remains an ongoing part of her life, and she continues to keep her artistic interests at the forefront.
In recent years, Michelle has started painting again, capturing fellow village residents in portraits and compiling books of her artworks titled 100 Hands and 100 Dogs.
With a variety of artistic and social outlets in and around Rowethorpe filling her schedule, Michelle has an enviable number of friends and community connections.
“Being in a village, you form strong friendships,” Michelle said. “My petrol bill has gone down dramatically, but my interests have gone up dramatically.”
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