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Palm Lake Ladies Celebrate Together

Palm Lake Ladies Celebrate Together

Date: 2017-05-12
When Karen Bonsall movedfrom Johannesburg to Palm Lakes three years ago after a fulfilling career in the media industry, she didn't know a soul.

She had recently retired as general manager, business intelligence and people development, at Business Day and Financial Mail, after holding several other GM positions, including sales and publishing.

"I was not sure whether I had done the right thing in moving to the coast as I loved the buzz of Joburg and missed family, friends and colleagues. But KZN was not new to me as I had grown up on the Berea and in Westville, and started my family in Cowies Hill before moving inland for 25 years," says Karen.

Karen, who is also a business leadership coach, loves interacting with people. When buying a house at Palm Lakes, she became friends with estate agent Meryl Greaves, who invited her to a Book Club evening.

"I learnt that lots of chatting, laughter and some wine replaced anything to do with books!"

It quickly became evident to Karen that the residents were open to building a meaningful and caring community. People who move to Palm Lakes, she says, are looking for a relaxed family estate and are open to meeting other like-minded residents.

"Most encouraging is observing the willingness of others to put themselves out to help fellow residents. This can be seen from the many posts on the various social media platforms."

"What I enjoy about Palm Lakes is the casual family atmosphere offering secure lifestyle living for all ages."

Ladies Night happens monthly at the Dragonfly Clubhouse and Karen believes timeous communication is key to involving as many residents as possible.

"These evenings provide an excellent opportunity to network, share ideas, make friends and let your hair down without venturing from the estate.

"The highlight of our year is the December Charity Drive Dinner. It's wonderful to see everyone work together to make this evening such fun. Serious partying takes place!"

In November, the ladies challenged residents to surprise the security and gardening/landscaping staff, as well as the Dragonfly waitrons, with Christmas hampers and personalised thank-you cards.

"We were overwhelmed at the response. The money left over was donated to local charities -- Animally Haven, Furever Pet Rescue and Feline Feral Fund."

Annual events include Ladies Night, Quiz Night, Easter Egg Hunt, Diwali Celebration, Halloween Trick or Treat, the Charity Drive and the Children's Christmas Party.

"The success of these events depends on the teamwork of many of our ladies to achieve the desired outcome -- bringing residents together to have fun."

The aim of Karen and her team is to involve more residents and with the influx of people over the past year, many have come forward to be a part of what's happening at Palm Lakes.

"On the home front, our rescued cats rule the roost and my supportive partner Gordon Amos and I could not live without them."

Meeting friends over coffee or a meal and doing aqua or exercising now fill her days, she says.

Karen is the mother of Andrew in London and Kerry in Ballito (thankfully close by!) and the grandmother of Ruby (3) and Leo (11 months) in London.

"My aim is to spend more time with my family, who are very important to me," she adds.