Someone
said, “Time flies when you are having fun” and that was what happened with two
days of exploring and experiencing Dee Why with Uncle and Auntie, that just
passed in a flash.
Already
in their early 80’s Uncle Steven and Auntie Polly are considered very able
people who can find their way around the neighbourhood, buy groceries and
prepare their own meals or cook a full dinner spread to eat when Gillian and
Michael came home from work.
With Uncle and Auntie after dinner at
Top BBQ & Seafood Restaurant, Dee Why
With
the dinner project in view, Auntie prepared all the ingredients in the morning,
ready to cook in the evening and get the meal ready to serve at dinner time.
This
gave us plenty of time to walk to the town center and let them show me how they
usually spent their time, enjoying their retirement.
Auntie
took the lead with deciding which route to take so that we would go to the
must-see spots, where to pause for lunch and when to return so that there was
sufficient time to cook dinner.
Uncle and Auntie, my official local
tour guides in Dee Why
I
have learnt (from reliable sources!) that spending time with seniors like Uncle
and Auntie in particular, will require a great sense of humour – the ability to
see the funny side of life – as they were living out that life.
With
my experience in caring for seniors, I have not only developed a sense of
humour that goes beyond jokes but have embraced the reality of our elders growing
older, with changing temperaments and health conditions in advancing age.
Both
Uncle and Auntie are using hearing aids now. It was a challenge getting them to
accept the need to rely on modern technology several years ago but they finally
accepted it and managed to adjust to the use of their devices for better
hearing.
Uncle and Auntie do so
enjoy spotting beautiful blooms
With
advancing age comes the issue of a poor memory. Very often, after taking their
shower, Uncle or Auntie may forget to wear their hearing aids. So when one
speaks to the other, the other does not respond because he/she did not hear
anything.
What
ensues is a shouting match in an attempt to understand each other, until the
one who did not wear the hearing aid suddenly realizes that, Oops! He/she did
not wear his/her hearing aid after the shower. So when he/she goes to put on
his/her device again, peace will again prevail.
I
was told that this and other equally interesting senior-moment-scenarios were a
frequent occurrence so we must approach it with a sense of humour and accept it
as ‘normal’ in this House of Comedy.
Armed
with this info about these seniors, I was well prepared and will not be alarmed
or unduly stressed but should take it as ‘normal’ senior moments in everyday
life. 
It was encouraging to see them
enjoying their retirement
Thankfully,
the weather was bright and sunny throughout my stay in Dee Why. On Day One, we
walked the streets and enjoyed browsing in the shops. When the heat became quite
unbearable, we retreated into the mall to shop and eat.
Along
our walking routes, we passed houses and paused to admire well-kept front
gardens that flowered with interesting blooms. Very often Auntie would spot a Hibiscus
in a shade of colour which reminded her of grandfather’s Hibiscus plants.
It
was encouraging to see Uncle and Auntie enjoying their outdoor walks, keeping
themselves fit and shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables of their choice.
When
we got home, Auntie declared that she should have a rest before starting to
cook dinner. I did not realise that she rested too long because when she got
up, I was told that we must rush to cook or else dinner may not be ready to
serve on time.
Sunny skies and everything nice!
With
a little bit of help, Auntie quickly prepared a vegetable soup and several
dishes to eat with steamed rice, a simple homecooked meal which we served
comfortably on time when Gillian and Michael came home.
As
always, Uncle volunteered to cut fresh fruits for our dessert. It was a
pleasant evening, chatting and catching up about family members, long into the
night.
On
Day Two, Auntie decided that we should take a bus to nearby Collaroy to savour
a taste of award-winning pies by The Upper Crust.
They
told me about their first experience of seeking out this pie shop with
directions from locals who recommended this destination to them. “Just two
minutes’ walk,” was the standard info they received when asked how far to go
before they reached it.
The sun did not deter us from
heading to The Upper Crust
The
distance was in fact, 2.5km or seven minutes’ drive from Dee Why, pass a
residential area. It was an uphill walk but these two seniors managed to get
there in more than 35 minutes, after stopping to rest (in front of houses!) a
few times along the route.
Yes,
their pies were certainly worth the walk. And this was why Auntie was keen to
share her pie experience with me.
As
we were getting ready to leave that morning, Auntie received a message from her
daughter who said, “If you are too lazy to cook, we shall go out for dinner
tonight.”
This
meant that we did not have to prepare any ingredients to cook and were free to
enjoy our day. So we walked to the bus stop at Dee Why for a short ride to
Collaroy. 
We picked our pie choices from the wall menu
In
the bus, Auntie told me to keep an eye out for a Yellow building along the road
and once we spot it, we should press the bell to get off the bus. And there it
was, that building with its brand name, boldly emblazoned on a wraparound signboard
on the canopy above its shopfront.
It
was a weekday but the little shopfloor space was crowded with pie-lovers who
knew exactly what they wanted from the menu. Their orders were efficiently met
and each one left with little brown paper-bags of savory treats.
This
short wait gave me time to scan the menu posted high up on the back wall and
let me decide on my choice. I picked a Steak, Cheese & Onion Pie while
Uncle and Auntie both asked for Steak & Mushroom Pie. 
Our warm pies on park table
at Griffith Park, Collaroy
When
she saw fresh trays of Shepherd’s Pie and Cheese & Potato Pie coming out of
the bakery and into the display showcase, Auntie insisted that we also ordered
this.
Clutching
our warm brown paper-bags, we crossed the road to Griffith Park to savour our
pies on a park bench and table. It was clear we could not wait until we reached
the beach to eat, so we happily devoured our tasty pies at the park but saved
two pies for later.
A
short walk in the sun brought us to Long Reef Point & Fisherman’s Beach,
where a beachside bench was just waiting for us. Bathed by balmy breezes while
seated in the shade, we spent a wonderful afternoon enjoying the sights, sounds
and smells of the Pacific Ocean.
On
the sandy beach right in front of us, a man was arranging his kite on the sand,
preparing to launch himself off for sky surfing off the water. It was fun to
observe how he pulled himself on a board across the water’s surface while
controlling the kite as it was billowed by the strong wind.
Heading towards the beach at Long Reef Point
We
were thrilled to watch this extreme sportsman as he applied his skills in
windsurfing, water-surfing and wake-boarding at high speeds as he jumped and
skied on the water while the wind lifted him higher and higher until he was
surfing in the sky.
Our
excitement went up another notch when he was joined by another
water-sky-surfer, a lady who displayed similar skills in launching herself into
the sky using her board and kite.
We felt like an exclusive audience to this
skillful show by a pair of sky-water-surfers
So
there we were, wowed by a show of skills as this pair of water-sky-surfers
propelled themselves across the ocean for more than 30 minutes before they came
back to shore.
We
watched as the sky-surfers folded up their equipment to load into the cars. And
it was just typical of Uncle to strike up a friendly chat with them, and gave
them our compliments for such an entertaining and skillful performance.
While
there were some women sun-bathers on the sandy beach who probably also saw the
sky surfing, we felt that we were an exclusive audience who were treated to such
an exciting show.
Watching the sky surfers performing for us!
Auntie,
who insisted on touching the waters of the Pacific Ocean, persuaded Uncle to
take a walk down to the shoreline. I watched as she made him pose for a photo, an
action shot of throwing water into the wind…
When
they were ready, we made our way to the bus stop for a ride back to Dee Why.
The hot sun and briny air must have slowed us down so we took our time to get
home, showered, rested and got ready to go out to dinner.
Just
as we were about to leave that evening, Michael gently reminded Uncle that the
restaurant was located on The Strand, close to Dee Why beach so Uncle had
better dress warmly.
Photo session at Long Reef Point
Michael
and Gillian were regulars at the Top BBQ & Seafood Restaurant, a
popular Chinese restaurant that also serves a range of dim sum for yum
cha. The proprietor, Paul Cheong and his wife, were from Hong Kong so
everyone in the restaurant spoke in Cantonese dialect.
After
the food order for whole fish, lamb, pork and shellfish was placed, Gillian
asked for a steamer tray of siew mai as appetizer. It was very considerate
of her as she thought the dishes may take a longer time to be served, so she
wanted her mother to have this dim sum to alas perut or line her stomach.
My
stay in Dee Why with this family ended with a delightful dinner over good
quality food, served by friendly and attentive, yet unobtrusive staff. 
Are these the Three Bears?
A
walk on the promenade by the beach was very welcome especially after such a
sumptuous meal. As we were walking just a few steps along the breezy promenade,
Gillian politely asked if we wanted ice-cream. We never said, “No!” to
ice-cream so the reply was a unanimous, “Yes!”
Only
a few more steps and across the road, we were looking at the choices of icy flavours
at Chill Gelato & Expresso, reading the labels quickly to make a
decision. The helpful assistant asked, “Cone or cup?” and I replied, “Cone
please,” because I would also like to taste that crispy wafer.
Our
walk along the promenade took us to a rockpool where some young men were still
frolicking in the water even after the sun had set. 
View of Dee Why Lagoon at low tide, by night
On
the way back, Michael drove us to the highest point in Dee Why and round to the
spot where, during the season, they could sight spectacular aurora in the night
skies.
Then
it was time for me to pack and get ready to leave Dee Why the next morning.
Thanks, Uncle and Auntie, Michael and Gillian for a memorable glamping stay
with its share of pleasant surprises. Once again, a “handover” was arranged for
tomorrow where Malcolm will pick me from a meeting point in Chatswood.
#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue
#MyJohorStoriesFebruary2026
