A New Zealand network of Elders Villages for lesbians is currently in discussion and planning stages, and interested people are invited to get in touch with their thoughts. Arafelle Oné says she bought land in the far north over twenty-five years ago and established a ‘Lesbian Land’ community. “That place is called Earth Spirit and it is where I still live today,” she tells Divaweb. “It has been a great life – not at all easy at times – with the usual struggles in relationships and just working things out living together – but it has been well worth the effort. We have together nurtured a distinctly lesbian culture alternative to the heterosexual world. This is what we do when we are together; it is what lesbians are doing all over New Zealand and the world.” Oné believes many older lesbians are in the closet because of their experience of living through very oppressive times in their youth. “Those now suffering from dementia, along with their partners if they are not alone – which is more than likely – seem to be completely invisible. They blend into the heterosexual dominant cultural background.” Lesbians and gays in the so-called ‘baby boomer generation’ are waking up to the need to organise what they want for their old age, continues Oné. “Many of us I believe have dreamt about and had long involved discussions about living together in an ‘old dykes home’ later in life. Well, life is getting later very rapidly now and where are the old dykes homes? Not in New Zealand for sure, and after another Google search I found few in the world. “There is however a lot of talk about it on the Internet, a lot of places in the planning stages, almost exclusively mixed gay and lesbian retirement villages. So how about it? Let’s do it here in Aotearoa. Let’s start now and get organised. Let’s take steps beyond the talk around the dinner table...” A large piece of land with many different sorts of accommodation and facilities – units for one, couples or more living together – to buy or rent – a rest home area for the care of the older and less abled, a secure area for those with dementia, and a total hospital care and hospice wing for living, being nursed and dying in, are all ideas for what an ‘Elders Village’ might involve. “There will be community areas of all sorts of course – communal kitchen and dining areas, gardens and orchards for good organic food and flowers, and to enjoy working in, a swimming pool/gym, natural health clinic, massage, arts and craft work space, a music room, golf course – or at least one near by,” suggests Oné. Discussion and planning meetings will be held in Wellington and Auckland in August, with dates and venues to be announced soon. Those interested can write to: Arafelle Oné, Earth Spirit, 1563 Diggers Valley Road, R.D.1 Kaitaia 0481, or e-mail: arafelle@ihug.co.nz. Related links: http://divaweb.co.nz/edit/content/view/96/2/ Ref: DivaWeb (m)