Every Wednesday the craft room at HammondGrove Miranda fills with conversation and the steady click of knitting needles. 

For more than a decade, residents of the seniors living apartments have gathered not only to create blankets for charity, but to enjoy the friendships and conversation that make Miranda home.  

The knitting group has been part of village life since Miranda opened in 2015. It was inspired by early resident Elva and encouraged by her daughter and volunteer Susan, who thought a knitting group would be a meaningful way for her mum to share something she loved.  

Around eight women now meet each week to knit, crochet and sew squares that are transformed into blankets for the charity Wrapped with Love. Susan still visits the group, helping to collect the finished blankets at the end of each year. 

The knitting group is just one part of a vibrant community. Residents take part in swimming, art classes, cards, bowling, social gatherings and outings, with many saying the friendships they've formed are among the greatest benefits of living at Miranda.  

 ‘If you're lonely, go down and have a cup of coffee in the café and someone will join you. Or they'll ask you to join them,’ says Sue, a regular of the group for three years.   

 Knitting group member and resident Judith recalls a friend whose son questioned her decision to move into the village. 

 “He said, ‘You could have bought a really nice apartment at Cronulla.' And she replied, ‘But who would I talk to?'"  

The group's history is closely linked to the HammondCare community itself. Elva, now 101, has moved to Mason, HammondCare's residential care home on the same site. Her story reflects the reassurance residents find in being able to remain part of a familiar community as their needs change. 

 For Shirley, who has been part of the knitting group since the beginning and is now in her 90s, that is what makes Miranda feel like home: people know one another, there is always someone nearby. 

‘There’s always someone to talk to, someone to help, or something to do,’ she says. ‘And if you don’t want to join in, that’s okay too.’