WA Premier’s high praise for Phase One

John Tonkin, the long-serving parliamentarian and WA Premier at the time, congratulated the council on their foresight, and was pleased to note that the State Government had committed funding to help realise the venture.

He also had plenty of praise for his old parliamentary colleague, Mr Toms, admiring his work ethic for the district.

Stage Two was immediately given the goahead, with an additional 27 units for single or double accommodation planned, at a cost of $229,465 at the time.

Meanwhile, Mrs Elsie Fitzgerald, a widow from Kalgoorlie, was the first person to move into the Village, choosing a single unit, complete with modern TV and kitchenette.

It wasn’t all good news however. As Stage Two got underway, existing residents had to endure ‘a constant barrage of noise and wind-blown sand, literally from dawn to dusk, for many months’, reported the 10-year anniversary booklet. Nevertheless, there was a New Year’s Eve party held on the lawn behind Cottage 20 on December 31 1973, with ‘supper prepared in Laundry No 7’ and guests happily supplying their own chairs and crockery.

Welcome To Your New Home

It was the first of many social activities which have come to be an important part of the Mertome Village DNA - with regular ‘get together’ functions planned from the earliest days.

In 1974, it was suggested the formation of a club to promote and organise all types of social and other functions in the Village be created - called the Mertome Village Amenities Club. Mr Campbell donated $10 to establish a fund for the club, rising to $49 after further donations. However, despite initially having no hall or assets, the Club continued to operate for many years, launching with a Christmas party in 1974.

In 1976, Stage Three was declared open by the then premier, Sir Charles Court. It cost an additional $1.2million, provided accommodation for over 65 people with the addition of The Lodge, a self-contained hostel-style design with a section for the ‘frail aged’ called The Annexe.

A highlight during this period, we’re told, was a ‘chicken and champagne lunch’ on Melbourne Cup Day and a garden fête in December.

Friends And Neighbours

Mertome Retirement Village has always been a social place, with plenty of community activities - like the first New Year’s Eve party complete with blankets to keep everybody warm, pictured here.

Over $1,000 was raised for the Amenities Club which proved extremely useful to purchase additional items for residents. In addition, a piano was donated by the Morley Lions and Apex Club, a glass-topped table, a wall clock and ‘sundry pictures’, from the premier, Sir Charles Court.

In due course, a workshop for residents and gardening staff was built in 1980, and it quickly became a useful addition to the Village, with many items manufactured within its walls for use by the residents and staff.

Such was the popularity of the Village, a waiting list soon formed with prospective residents hopeful of finding a spot within Mertome’s grounds.

Another eight new units were planned to be built in Stage Four in 1981 and were occupied as they were completed. An additional agreement to provide 14 ‘pensioner units’ on land donated by the Shire on the south side of Winifred Road was also given the go-ahead and completed in 1982.

Landscaping continued to be a feature of the Village, and over the years, the gardens near the units and surrounding the buildings have always been a significant draw card for keen green thumbs.

From a rather barren patch of land to the verdant oasis it now is, Mertome Village has continued to blossom and grow with each passing year.

Keeping Busy Every Day

An early precursor of the nowfamiliar concept of a Men’s Shed was an early addition to the Village in early 1980. First members included Mr Colk, Mr Edwards, Mr Russell and Mr Blanchard in the empty workshop (left and below). The gardens have always been a high point (bottom).