The Tudor Village Devotions Group marked an important 20th Anniversary milestone on Wednesday 13 August 2025, with around 35 residents enjoying the Devotions service and a special celebratory morning tea to follow.
The first Devotions took place at Tudor Village on Wednesday 17 August 2005. The idea for the weekly Devotions gatherings came from the Tudor Village manager at the time, Colin Round. He suggested to Reverend Don McLean, a retired Presbyterian minister living in the village, that people arriving in the village and missing their home churches would benefit from a weekly devotional service. It is not meant as a replacement for local churches but more as a complementary service that is accessible to all Village residents, providing shared faith, friendship and social engagement.
Don established the weekly morning meetings and it has continued in a similar format for the past 20 years.
Don has since handed the reins over to Eric and Gail Smyth, with Gail being one of the founding members and Eric also getting involved when the couple moved to Tudor Village 17 years ago.
The services are held weekly from the beginning of February until mid-December each year. Each service features a rotating schedule of guest clergy from a wide range of churches including Anglican, Catholic, Baptist, Church of Christ, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventist, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Discovery Church and Grace Community. Music for the hymns is provided by guest pianists and one violinist who comes in to play for the service on a rotating basis.
The services generally have around 30 residents attending with some services attracting up to 45. As well as Gail and Eric, there are a number of Tudor Village residents who have been with the group since its early days, including Edna Parker, Val Oliver, Beth Tawes and Derek and Yvonne Burridge.
Gail said she stresses that the services are non-denominational and inclusive for all.
“We ensure our services are welcoming and friendly for guests of all faiths, we are not exclusive and we warmly welcome any residents to join us,” she said.
“In fact, you don’t have to be aligned to any faith to come to our services, just enjoy the fellowship and support that the group offers.”
Gail said there’s many people who are the unsung heroes of the group, giving generously of their time and services. This includes the many residents who bake for the morning teas, who help set up and dismantle the room for the services and who help in other ways. Gail says even the podium used by their speakers was made by Tudor Village resident and keen woodworking craftsman, Ray Oliver.
The group also gives generously to charity, helping the homeless and those families in the community struggling to put food on the table.
“We have a regular collection of food and groceries at each service and also daily from the residents of the village, and we take the donations to the Mustard Tree Op Shop, run by the Lilydale Baptist Church. They work closely with the Lilydale Foodbank and our donations go to the needy each week,” Gail said.
Whilst the services are run independently by the residents, Gail said they also enjoy tremendous support from Tudor Village management and staff.
“Thanks to the seed of an idea from Tudor Village management 20 years ago, and their ongoing support through the years, The Tudor Village Devotions Group continues to shine a light in the lives of many residents,” she said.
“We believe we were one of the first non-denominational groups like this to form in a retirement village in Victoria, and our group has inspired the establishment of many other Devotions groups like this.”
