We're here and we care! (Testimonials linked)

About this sitter

Hello! We are a very fit and active married couple (Mary-Jane, 58 and Ashley 63) leading busy lives in New South Wales, Australia.
Ashley has retired in 2015 after a very respectable 40 years in the Australian Army as an Officer (Engineers) and Mary-Jane works now just works in part time child- care. Now that our six children have flown the nest, we have taken to house-sitting and are pretty much addicted! We love experiencing other life-styles and cultures. We both have a keen sense of adventure and love all the new friendships it is providing. We have opened our own home to people we have met through house-sitting. It's a fabulous way to see the world and provides an outstanding service for both house-sitter and home-owners with the opportunity to try something new.
We experienced our first house-sitting adventure in 2012 - a wonderful French adventure for 6 weeks. Since then we have done two more in the UK, one in Sweden, 4 in NZ and about 22 in our country. We are heading back to Yorkshire for a third stint this summer (June July) to help other friends we met during our first two house-sits in Yorkshire.

Why they want to house sit

Recently retired and with the nest now empty (sad face), we can travel anywhere in the world. We are loving the adventures of pet and house sitting and being able to provide a service to the owners and also to immerse ourselves in the area. It's fabulous to be able to 'live like a local' and experience a new cultures, cuisines or just a slightly different way of life. We think it is a great way to experience different places and  people.
We live in our own beautiful home at Redhead beach in NSW and fully understand the importance of getting the right person to look after your home. Taking care of pets and/or farm animals is something we have always loved to do and understand that they are part of the family. We are both very family orientated and our grandkids are a huge part of our lives.

Their experience

We have now completed 29 wonderful house/pet-sit assignments -5 overseas, 4 in NZ and 21 in Australia.
We have just returned from another (3rd!) house-sit in Yorkshire. We have been to Yorkshire twice to the same people and they came out to spend a two week holiday with us in our home, in Nov 2014. This time we're house sat for different friends. It has become a great way to make new lifelong buddies!
I have now linked some of our refs and testimonials. We can provide phone numbers and emails for those who require them, if they are not listed on the actual testimonial.
Ashley is a qualified carpenter, joiner and project manager and has completed projects world-wide. He is open to assisting with any maintenance issues and general household duties including gardens. Mary-Jane is the nurturer and will attend lovingly to pets, plants and maintaining a spick and span house! We have rented a lot of holiday houses in and around Australia and New Zealand and we know how to take care of and maintain other people's property.
Our very first house-sit was for 6 weeks from October 20 - Dec 5 (2012) in the Midi-Pyrenees in the south of France. We were looking after the house and animals of a wonderful English couple who went back to the UK for a six week catch up with friends and family. Our daily jobs were to feed the animals and walk the dogs. They had 11 chickens, 4 pigs, 3 dogs, 2 cats and a donkey! We also did a few other jobs around the property and have made life-long friends with the owners.
We did a life-style block sit in Nelson, NZ in August 2014 where we were in charge of minding 30 odd chickens, roosters and ducks, two cows (one pregnant), two sheep (one pregnant), goats and a pussy cat. It was another wonderful adventure for two and a half weeks. We've done two more in NZ and also a month in Sweden last summer. Bliss!!
We've done another 21 house-sits around Australia in the past few years.

What can they bring to the assignment

We are a quiet living, respectful, non-smoking couple. We will treat your property with care and respect, just as we do our own. Ashley and I are both very fit and active people and can easily manage any challenges of your property or district. We will be extremely careful in your home and be attentive to your pets. We will meet your requirements and can assure you of peace of mind and security.
Please contact us for our glowing testimonials.