Country living: ‘100 co-parents’: How Laura Geitz left the city life behind
As one of Australia’s most respected sporting captains Laura Geitz felt something was missing, so she went rural. This is what she found.
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When former Australian netball captain Laura Geitz thinks back to her childhood growing up in the little Darling Downs town of Allora, in southern Queensland, she tends to think of three things: sport, fresh air and, especially, community.
“My earliest memories are of people calling in all the time for a cup of tea,” she says.
“You always knew that if you ever needed a hand with something there were so many people you could rely on. That’s all I knew as a kid.”
It’s something Laura says she struggled to find when she and her property executive husband Mark were based in Brisbane for work.
“It was a bit of a shock to be honest,” she says of her time in the inner city.
“It felt claustrophobic. And every time I asked for help I always felt like I was putting people out.”
That all changed when the family moved to the semirural outer Brisbane suburb of Brookfield, roughly 20km from the CBD, in 2018.
Now the couple and their sons Barney, four, and Franky, two, and daughter Billie Mae, six months, are living the simple life dream in a classic five-bedroom, two-bathroom Queenslander, along with a handful of chooks, a dog and a pony.
The kids spend their days making mud pies and collecting eggs, and have, as Laura says, “100 co-parents” as all the families in the area plays a part keeping an eye on each other’s broods. It’s the community Laura had been craving.
“There’s a real small village feeling,” she says.
“There are always social events happening, barbecues that sort of thing. Every day I see kids riding horses to school. And it’s really nice to be able to give your neighbour a dozen eggs, or if you’ve got pumpkins galore, here’s a pumpkin. I gave someone a pumpkin recently and it came back to me as pumpkin soup.”
More and more, increasing numbers of us are becoming disillusioned with our increasingly fast-paced and disconnected lives. According to the Regional Australia Institute, one in five city dwellers yearns to move to the country. Many of us live with a gnawing feeling that all our technology and busy-ness isn’t making us happy.
“We’re less connected than we ever were and that causes stress on our systems,” says Bronwen Sciortino, simplicity expert and author of Keep It Super Simple: Tips from a Recovering Perfectionist.
“When the busy-ness, the noise and the chaos go on for too long our health – mental and physical – starts to suffer.”
Though Laura is quick to emphasise that a back-to-basics change is not the be-all and end-all. “I’m under no illusion that I’m living the perfect simplistic lifestyle – it’s still a madhouse,” she says of running around after three kids under five.
“You don’t want to be around me at 5pm every day, believe me.” But, she says, it’s been the best thing for her family. “Coming to space felt like coming home to me,” she says. “I feel like I’ve come full circle.”
HOW TO ACHIEVE THE SIMPLE LIFE
Author and simplicity expert Bronwen Sciortino says that even city dwellers, or people living in small spaces, can find ways to bring a sense of ‘simplicity’ into their lives, with enormous benefits.
“You can live in the city and work in the corporate world and still enjoy a simple life,” she insists.
It may be as easy as getting outside and standing next to a tree, which Bronwen says can reduce your stress levels by up to 20 per cent. She also suggests people make use of parks and other green spaces in their area.
“Even a 15-20-minute walk in your local green space will significantly support you. It creates endorphins which make you feel better. And when you feel better, life automatically feels simpler.”
HOW TO ADD COUNTRY GLAMOUR TO YOUR HOME
Want to add some country glamour to your home?
Try some inspiration from these repurposed and upcycled finds that Laura Geitz added to their home for a little bit of old world charm.
– An antique wooden chest that belonged to Laura’s grandfather is used to store firewood. Her grandfather’s cream cans are used for decoration.
– An antique Singer sewing machine has been repurposed into a console in the hallway entryway. You can find similar ones at thrift stores and garage sales.
– A woodfire stove which belonged to Laura’s grandmother, the family plans to turn into an outdoor pizza oven.
– A clawfoot bathtub found on the scrap heap when the family bought the house, was given a new lease on life after a lengthy renovation.
– An butcher’s block from a merchant shop in Bangalow, in northern NSW, is now used as a water station near the kitchen area.
Follow Laura on Instagram at @lmgeitz
Photographer Wayne Pratt is at wpcreate.com.au
Originally published as Country living: ‘100 co-parents’: How Laura Geitz left the city life behind
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