At home with Chris and Vernon Knight

In this week’s Sunraysia Life, Melanie Whiting was invited inside the home of two prominent local residents, secretary of the Merbein Cemetary trust Chris Knight and her husband, former Mallee Family Care CEO Vernon Knight. Pictures: Carmel Zaccone

ALMOST two years ago, Chris and Vernon Knight made the move from Yelta to their “forever” home on the doorstep of the Mildura Golf Resort to be closer to services and family.

Their modern contemporary two-storey home, built by local builder Luke Tierney, features three bathrooms, three bedrooms, a study and an elevator.

“Instead of having a pool like everyone else does, we put a lift in,” Chris explains.

“Vernon uses the lift, I use the stairs. I use the lift sometimes if I’m taking things upstairs.”

The first thing you’ll notice when you step inside the Knight’s home is the incredibly high ceiling which stretches all the way up to the second floor.

The acoustics also make for great entertaining.

“We have friends who play the harp, and acoustically, it’s amazing,” Chris says.

“She put the harp on the solid floor and the sound was just amazing.

“The reason I liked the ceiling that way is because you’re not disconnected to upstairs, we can talk to each other.”

With a bathroom on each floor, the Knights also have the option of relocating downstairs later in life if needed.

Their favourite area in the home is the lounge room, which Vernon describes as the “hub”.

“In our other home we had a lounge room and a sitting room, but here, this is it,” Chris says.

“I like the idea that everyone can be in here and there’s enough space for everyone.

“I also love my kitchen.”

From the lounge room, you also have a view of the Knight’s no-fuss garden, and beyond that, the Mildura Golf Resort course.

Both Chris and Vernon often wave to the golfers passing by if they’re not too focused on their game.

“We don’t mind seeing the golfers,” Vernon says.

“It’s a great place to live.”

The Knight’s describe the interior design of their home as an “eclectic” mix of the old and new – with a few of their grandchildren’s toys thrown in.

Most of the artwork and decorations in their home are animal-inspired, with some items passed down from their parents.

“Some of those things you don’t want to get rid of – they mean something to us. So the styling is a bit of this and a bit of that,” Chris says.

“It’s a family home. The kids are in and out all the time and we’ve got three grandchildren here now, the youngest is only two months old.

“We don’t care if there’s fingerprints on the glass, we’re very free and easy.
“It’s nice to be closer to the kids.”