Ryman Times Australia Summer 2019

RYMAN TIMES • SUMMER 19/2 0 Connecting with the community Neurosurgeon wins the 2019 Ryman Prize Debra blazes a trail to Ryman

AU ST R A L I A N E D I T I O N

Construction team's 2020 vision

A note from Gordy Gidday, Merry Christmas, and welcome to your summer edition of the Ryman Times.

If anyone knows where 2019 went, could they please let me know! I shouldn’t really be surprised that it has flown - we had a busy agenda!

We will be continuing to build at Nellie Melba and Burwood East, and we will be well under way at Aberfeldie and Highton in Geelong.

It has been a year full of progress, we have built a whole lot of momentum, and I think 2020 is going to be a cracker of a year in Victoria.

We are also working on the development process for our new Highett and Ocean Grove villages, and we are working on development applications for our Mt Martha and Mt Eliza sites.

We have invested in safety, improving our care for residents and making sure they love living in our villages.

We have also invested a lot in our team through training, development and increased pay, and will continue to do so.

And we are giving back to the community with our new stroke van in Victoria, which I’m sure will help save lives.

As ever, staff wellbeing is a focus and the story of Danny Frawley (page 6) will stick in the minds of our team. The RU OK campaign is fantastic. We need to look out for each other, and there is no shame in asking for help.

Caring is part of our DNA and I was pleased to see that Nellie Melba passed a surprise audit of its care systems with flying colours (page 8).

I have spent a lot of time in Melbourne this year watching progress, and next year looks even busier.

In total we have ten sites in Victoria to develop, five of which already have development applications approved.

We now have two villages operating in Victoria, which are home to 650 residents, and another nine to build.

We are just getting started and we are excited about the work ahead.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Have a restful and safe break and I’m looking forward to updating you all again on the world of Ryman next year.

Take care,

Gordon MacLeod Chief Executive

In this issue

Ryman Healthcare Ltd

New Highett site for Baysiders ................................................................................................. 3

Level 10, Suite 10.03, 420 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004

Ryman behind the wheel of new stroke van ...................................................................4

1800 288 299 • rymanhealthcare.com.au

The story Danny Frawley couldn’t be there to share ................................................6 Nellie Melba prides itself on individualised care .......................................................... 8 Connecting with the community .............................................................................................9

Ryman Times is printed on an environmentally responsible paper, FSC® certified, Mixed Source pulp from Responsible Sources.

Canadian neurosurgeon wins 2019 Ryman Prize .....................................................10 Debra blazes a trail to Ryman ..................................................................................................12 Remembrance Day ........................................................................................................................ 14 Construction team's 2020 vision ......................................................................................... 16

Produced using Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) Manufactured under the strict ISO14001 Environmental Management System.

Front cover: Weary Dunlop resident Bill Powell during the Remembrance Day service.

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New Highett site for Baysiders Ryman Healthcare is planning to build a new $180 million retirement village at Highett in Melbourne.

Ryman has proved itself as a fast-growing new entrant into the aged care and retirement living sector in Victoria, building villages that combine beautiful apartments and full-service care centres, including dementia care.

“We’re delighted to secure a site in Highett. We know Baysiders love the area and we can’t wait to get started on building a community where they can enjoy their surroundings.’’

The Highett village will include a care centre with residential aged care, as well as specialist dementia care. It will include serviced and independent apartments, an indoor swimming pool, movie theatre, café, and hair and beauty salons.

The 1.2-hectare Graham Road site is a short distance from the Highett train station and Southland Shopping Centre, and there is a high demand for independent living and care in the immediate area.

The village will provide a significant number of construction jobs during the building phase and more than 120 permanent jobs once it is operating.

The village will be 15km southeast of Melbourne’s CBD and is in a popular Bayside location.

Ryman has been providing retirement living and care for 35 years and has been voted the Most Trusted Brand in the aged care sector in New Zealand.

Ryman Acting Chief Development Officer Jeremy Moore said it was rare to find a large site in the area and the Highett village would make a great place for retirees to live.

Ryman opened its first village at Wheelers Hill in Melbourne in 2014 and now has more than 650 residents in Victoria.

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Ryman Healthcare names its villages in honour of respected local people.

Other Ryman villages include Weary Dunlop at Wheelers Hill and Nellie Melba at Brandon Park.

Ryman Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Debbie McClure said naming suggestions to name the village in honour of a Melbourne local were welcome.

Ryman Healthcare has sites for new villages at Burwood East, Aberfeldie, Ringwood East and Coburg in Melbourne.

In addition, it has sites at Mt Eliza and Mt Martha on the Mornington Peninsula, and at Geelong and Ocean Grove on the Bellarine Peninsula.

Pictured: At the half-year results Ryman Healthcare announced that it bought a site in Highett, Melbourne. This will be the 11th site in Australia.

Ryman behind the wheel of new stroke van The latest driver in stroke prevention has hit the streets of Melbourne, delivering a roadside inspection with a difference – free blood pressure checks.

The Ryman Healthcare blood pressure van was launched at Nellie Melba Retirement Village in Wheelers Hill during October, coinciding with World Stroke Day. The BP van will offer free five-minute health checks at venues including shopping centres, public events, and workplaces in support of the Stroke Foundation Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Check campaign.

To mark the launch, Melbourne Radio personality Denis Walter broadcast his afternoon show live from the village centre.

“This van will save lives, there’s no doubt about it.”

Denis had his own blood pressure checked in the van before hitting the airwaves, where he interviewed stroke survivor Kevin English.

Ryman Healthcare Community Relations Team Leader for Victoria Denise Thompson said Ryman was excited to team up with Stroke Foundation to get the BP van on the road.

“We’re a company that puts care at the heart of everything we do, so supporting the Stroke Foundation’s fight against stroke was an easy decision for us,” Denise said.

“Ryman already funds a BP van in New Zealand, so knows the positive impact it can have in empowering

people to understand their stroke risk and take steps to manage it.

“This van will save lives, there’s no doubt about it.”

Stroke Foundation Executive Director Marketing John De Rango said mobile health checks were another way of reaching people in different parts of the community and raising awareness of the dangers of high blood pressure.

“Stroke is a devasting disease that strikes the brain – the human control centre. It is one of this country’s biggest killers and a leading cause of disability,” John said.

“High blood pressure is the main risk factor for stroke, but it can be managed through medication and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.

“The difficulty we face is high blood pressure often goes unnoticed because it has no immediate symptoms. That is why having a regular health check is so important.”

He said the foundation hoped the BP van would help thousands of Victorians to reduce their risk of stroke.

The BP van health checks will include a stroke and type 2 diabetes risk assessment.

Following the check participants are emailed their personal results and relevant health recommendations, including advice to see their doctor if necessary.

Pictured: Nellie Melba resident Rosa Mendoza

was one of the first to get tested in the new Blood Pressure van.

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The story Danny Frawley couldn’t be there to share AFL legend Stan Alves wasn’t meant to be on the stage.

Another icon of the game had been invited to speak to Ryman Healthcare’s construction team at its event to mark RU OK Day, Australia’s annual suicide awareness day.

That person was going to share a deeply personal story about his struggles with anxiety and depression, a story he had shared many times in recent years as a prominent mental health advocate.

Tragically, Danny Frawley died in a single vehicle car crash less than 72 hours before he was scheduled to address more than 80 construction workers at Ryman’s Nellie Melba Retirement Village in Wheelers Hill.

The death of the St Kilda great and media personality sent shockwaves through the footy community – and beyond.

Among those coming to terms with Danny’s loss was Stan, who coached him at St Kilda and knew him well.

“It’s shattering to anybody who knew him, close and from afar,” he told a predominantly young, male audience.

“Danny Frawley, 56 years of age, to look at him he was a larger-than-life character. As strong as a bull, he was courageous, he never took a backward step.

“He was a leader of men, he was charismatic, he could make people feel good. He had a terrific sense of humour, he was compassionate and caring. A husband, and father of three girls whom he idolised, he was extremely well-liked and respected by all.

“A man who in our eyes we believed had so much going for him, but now we know this was only on the outside.

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“And so, the questions will become; why, why, why?”

Stan said it was “extremely difficult” to find any positives in what happened to Danny.

“But if there is one, hopefully it brings an awareness and is a catalyst, such as you guys and girls being here today, for others who may be struggling.

“It could be you or it could be somebody else. And now, with that awareness, you’re just looking for the signs. And sometimes it just needs to be a touch on the shoulder and saying, ‘Hey, how’re you doing?’

“Sometimes all we need to know is that there’s somebody in our corner and we’re not alone in that situation.

And then help them find the ways to emerge from their dark space.”

And Stan knows something about emerging from dark spaces.

In 1989, his 13-year-old son, Matthew, was hit and killed by a train while riding his bike home from school.

“I cried all day because I was living with guilt. And the guilt was – what people didn’t know – was that on the morning of my son’s death I argued with my wife and said; ‘You’re actually making a little sook out of him, let him ride his bike to school instead of you driving him’.

“So, I won the little battle and got her to let him ride his bike - and he didn’t come home.”

Stan said during that time he “lost it totally”.

“I tried to put on this persona of this brave person, but I was just ripped apart.

“And then I found myself six months later – and I don’t know how I got there – in a place called Seymour, standing looking at the Goulburn River, thinking the only way I could fix this up is by jumping in the water.

“By the grace of God, I don’t know why, but for some reason I didn’t.”

The following day, former Hawthorn great Peter Hudson and Ken Sheldon, who was about to take over as coach of St Kilda, walked into Stan’s office.

They wanted him involved with the Saints new coaching team.

“And I said, ‘Nick off, you don’t want me, I can’t even handle myself’.”

But they were persistent and kept coming back.

“Then one day Kenny Sheldon hit me right between the eyes.

He told me something I needed to hear – sometimes you need tough love – he said to me in his typical fantastic fashion: ‘Stan you’re selfish. You’ve lost your son – an unbelievable tragedy – what about your wife and daughter?

Who’s looking after them?’

“It was a day when two people saw what I needed and reached out. They put their arm around

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me and brought me back not into football, they brought me back into life.”

It marked the beginning of Stan’s emergence from his dark space.

That he could stand on a stage on RU OK Day 30 years later and share his story is a testament to an individual’s ability, with love and support of others, to find a way out of the darkness.

That he was there in someone else’s place is a powerful reminder of just how important the fight for a brighter future is.

If you or someone you know needs support call: Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Pictured left: AFL legend Stan Alves talking to a Ryman construction team member.

Pictured above: The Ryman Healthcare construction team at its event to mark RU OK Day.

Nellie Melba prides itself on individualised care Auditors who carried out an unannounced accreditation of Nellie Melba Retirement Village’s aged care centre have stamped their seal of approval on the quality of care provided at the Wheelers Hill facility.

Three auditors inspected the Ryman Healthcare village last month, assessing its aged care centre against stringent new standards introduced by the federal government in July.

Nellie Melba received a 100 per cent pass mark for all eight standards.

The auditors interviewed almost 50 residents, family members and staff across the two-day audit.

They reported that 100% of the residents and family members randomly sampled said Nellie Melba staff treated them with respect.

“Consumers and representatives interviewed commented on how patient staff are with consumers, how they get to know their background

and preferences and seem to enjoy their job,” the audit report said.

The auditors noted that all family members they spoke to said staff greeted them by name, made them feel welcome, and talked to them in detail about their loved one.

They found that all residents sampled had care plans, progress notes, charting and other documents that reflected “individualised care that is safe, effective and tailored to the specific needs” of each person.

The positive assessment of Nellie Melba’s care centre was delivered just days before the Aged Care Royal Commission released an interim report, which was highly critical of Australia’s aged care sector.

Ryman Healthcare Regional Manager Eileen Kielty said with so many negative headlines about the industry in recent months, it was “extremely satisfying” to see the outstanding work of Nellie Melba’s care team publicly recognised.

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“It’s easy to tell people in the brochures and on the billboards that kindness and care are at the heart of everything we do.

“But to make that real takes people who are highly trained, passionate about what they do and who care for our residents as if they were caring for their own mother or father.”

While the results were not surprising, Eileen said the audit result was proof that the philosophy of kindness and care Ryman was founded on in the 1980s is still the hallmark of its villages 35 years later.

“We know our care team is amazing because we see what they do with our residents every day. It’s still really gratifying, though, to have a team of independent experts examine their work in minute detail and reach the same conclusion.”

Pictured: Nellie Melba received a 100 per cent pass mark for all eight standards it was assessed against.

Connecting with the community Ryman is making waves in Australia and talking to the local community, with its first Australian sales suite opening in Mornington.

The suite, in Bentons Square shopping centre, Mount Martha, provides a relaxed, informal setting for people considering their retirement living or aged care options to find out more about Ryman’s villages.

Regional Sales Manager and Community Relations Team Leader Denise Thompson says, with Ryman still relatively new to the Australian market, the suite is aimed at letting people know what the company is all about.

“We want to be as visible and as accessible as possible, so this is

a great way to reach out to people so they can learn more about us and we can learn more about them,” Denise says.

“It’s just a place where people can stop in while they’re out shopping, have a cuppa and a chat with our staff and find out more about what we offer.”

While Ryman has plans to build two retirement villages on the Mornington Peninsula – at Mt Martha and Mt Eliza – the suite is a point of contact for people interested in any one of the company’s 11 completed or proposed villages in Victoria.

Sales Advisor Kay Jeffs, who is one of three staff members based at the sales suite, says there has been a steady stream of interest in the shop since it opened on September 19.

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“People are hearing a lot about Ryman Healthcare and asking; ‘who are we?’, so it’s a good way to demonstrate exactly what we do,” Kay says.

“Some people won’t pick up a phone, but they will pop in for a chat and a cuppa while they’re doing their shopping. It creates more of a personal touch."

"You may also be interested in visiting our sales suites at 355 Buckley Street, Essendon, Aberfeldie, and 3/63A The Terrace, Ocean Grove."

Pictured: Sales Advisor Kay Jeffs left, and Sales Assistant Michelle Child at Ryman’s new sales suite in Mornington.

Canadian neurosurgeon wins 2019 Ryman Prize Dr Michael Fehlings won the 2019 Ryman Prize, in recognition of his long career dedicated to helping older people suffering from debilitating spinal problems.

Dr Fehlings was presented with the prize by the Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, at a special ceremony in Auckland in October.

The annual Ryman Prize is a $250,000 international award for the best work carried out anywhere in the world that has enhanced quality of life for older people. It is the richest prize of its kind in the world.

The Toronto neurosurgeon was chosen from a strong field of contenders for the 2019 prize by an international jury.

The jury singled Dr Fehlings out for his pioneering work for older people suffering from degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), a degenerative neck compression problem which is the most common form of injury to the spinal cord.

“I think it is a real boost to people who are working hard to improve the wellbeing of older people.”

“Dr Michael Fehlings is a neurosurgeon, a researcher and a teacher, who has had an amazing impact on patients with degenerative spinal conditions. He has dedicated his long career to their care and to research into alternative ways of treating debilitating problems, which can have a profoundly negative impact on the lives of older people,” Prime Minister Ardern said.

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“There can be no doubt that his research and his teaching has made a difference in improving the quality of life for many and I want to personally congratulate Professor Fehlings for that.”

The Prime Minister also thanked the Board of Ryman for establishing the Ryman Prize.

“It supports some of the world’s most important innovations, research and initiatives that are literally changing people’s lives,” she said.

“I think it is a real boost to people who are working hard to improve the wellbeing of older people.”

DCM symptoms generally begin in patients over 50 and the condition is estimated to affect one in 10 people. Little is known about how best to manage the

condition, and its symptoms are often mistaken for other problems.

Patients report neurological symptoms such as pain and numbness in limbs, poor coordination, imbalance and bladder problems resulting in loss of independence and in many cases, confinement to a wheelchair.

As well as working on treatment and management of DCM, Dr Fehlings has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the condition within the medical profession.

“It’s a great honour for me to receive the Ryman Prize. It recognises my team’s translational research to enhance the care of individuals with degenerative cervical myelopathy, the most common cause of spinal cord impairment in adults worldwide,” Dr Fehlings said.

“I wish to recognise my colleagues, students, mentors, patients as well as my supporters and family.”

• Dr Naoko Muramatsu, health and ageing research specialist, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr Fehlings is Co-Director of the Spinal Program and a Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and a Clinician-Scientist in the Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital.

• Professor Erwin Neher, Nobel Laureate and Professor at the University of Göttingen, Germany. Dr Neher is a biophysicist who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1991.

The Ryman Prize jury includes:

• Dr David Kerr, Ryman Healthcare Chairman, Fellow and Past President of the New Zealand Medical Association, Fellow with Distinction of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.

• Professor Brian Draper, Conjoint Professor in the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales.

• Professor Sarah Harper CBE, Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing.

• Professor Tim Wilkinson, consulting geriatrician and Associate Dean of Medical Education, Otago School of Medicine.

Pictured: Dr Michael Fehlings won the 2019 Ryman Prize for his dedication to help older people with spinal problems.

About the Ryman Prize The Ryman Prize is administered by the Ryman Foundation.

The annual prize consists of a $250,000 grant, which is awarded by an international jury to the best invention, idea, research concept or initiative that has enhanced quality of life for older people.

Gabi Hollows set up the charity with her late husband Professor Fred Hollows, and together they worked tirelessly to tackle the problem of preventable blindness in the developing world.

It is the world’s richest prize of its type and was established to create the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for people working in the field of the health of older people.

The 2016 prize was won by Professor Henry Brodaty.

Professor Brodaty is a pioneer in diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and dementia and his influence has been felt around the world.

The prize was launched in 2015 and the inaugural prize was won by Gabi Hollows, the founding director of The Fred Hollows Foundation.

The 2017 Ryman Prize was won by Professor Peter St George-Hyslop, a geneticist and researcher based at Cambridge and the

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University of Toronto. Peter has spent 30 years researching neuro-degenerative diseases, focusing on discovering the key genes and proteins that cause cells to degenerate in diseases such as early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor Takanori Shibata won the 2018 Ryman Prize for his tenacity in pursing new technology to help ease the burden of older people suffering from dementia.

Professor Shibata pioneered the use of robots and artificial intelligence to create a drug-free therapeutic device for dementia patients.

Debra blazes a trail to Ryman From being among just 2 per cent of women in the police force in the 1980s, to being the first woman recruited to the Victorian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence squad, Ryman’s new Victorian Sales Manager Debra Richardson has been smashing glass ceilings from the start.

“Looking back at what I’ve done, I tend to be in roles that are challenging and can be a bit controversial, but they are about helping people,” she says.

In 1986, Debra’s outstanding career was almost ended before it had truly begun.

A split-second decision by the then 21-year-old police officer to arrive at her workplace at the Russell Street Police Station 20 minutes early, and enter through the back door, rather than the front, saved her life.

Debra says, had it not been for her change in routine and a piece of plywood that for a reason still unknown was placed on her office window the night before, she would have been the second victim of the infamous Russell Street Bombing.

“At 1.01pm there was a red flash, the room filled with smoke and I was blown off from my chair from one side of the room to the other against the wall, as every window and door caved in around me.”

Debra’s colleague Angie Taylor, who was also 21, was killed in the blast.

For most, such a cataclysmic event might spur a career change, but not Debra.

Seven days after the bombing she was resolute in her need to return.

Weary Dunlop the first thing I said was ‘wow!’ it was really impressive.”

“I remember having a conversation with my mum and dad. I told them I have a job to do and I’ve got to go back, I’ve got to continue to make a difference and to help people.”

When a message from the Ryman team encouraging Debra to apply for the Victorian Sales Manager role appeared in her LinkedIn inbox, she thought it was too good to be true.

Thirty-three years on, Debra’s unwavering passion to help has seen her work as an undercover police officer, support grieving families as a funeral director and sales manager for funeral home company Invocare.

“It took me about 10 days to respond because I actually thought it was spam!”

“It came down to Ryman is a company that wants to make a difference and it is doing just that. Everything about it aligns with my values.”

Debra says working in the funeral industry reinforced what a privilege it is to work in the aged care sector.

“In my 10 years in the [police] force I was thanked once. I went into the funeral industry and I had piles and piles of cards on my desk.”

After visiting Ryman’s Weary Dunlop village while offering pet therapy through Invocare, Debra realised her values of caring for and helping people were a perfect match with Ryman’s core principles.

“I visited many places in the aged care sector and I really saw one extreme to the other in terms of facilities. When we walked into

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Fortunately, the warmth of Weary Dunlop’s residents and facilities stuck in her mind and she decided to have a closer read of that “spam”.

“I am so lucky and honoured to be head hunted for this role.”

Now three weeks in, Debra says she is thrilled to be leading the Victorian Sales team at time of “massive opportunity and rapid expansion”.

“It came down to Ryman is a company that wants to make a difference and it is doing just that. Everything about it aligns with my values.”

Pictured: Debra Richardson is excited to take on her role as Ryman's Victorian Sales Manager.

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Remembrance Day One hundred and one years after the guns on the Western Front fell silent, so too did residents at Ryman’s Weary Dunlop and Nellie Melba villages.

The following year Queen Elizabeth II awarded Keith the Victoria Cross for his actions. Today he is the last living recipient of the original “Imperial” Victoria Cross.

Adorned with poppies and strings of gleaming medals, former servicemen and women gathered with others in the villages on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for King and country.

Such acts of bravery are echoed in the actions of the village’s namesake Weary Dunlop who is renowned for his courage and leadership while being held prisoner by the Japanese on the Thai-Burma Railway during WWII.

Weary Dunlop Village Manager Kym Faulkner said similar “simple services” were being held across Australia, but that did not make the service any less moving.

Weary Dunlop resident Jim Garrie recounted the courage and bravery of VC-recipient Keith Payne, who was commanding the 212th Company of the First Mobile Strike Force Battalion in Vietnam when the company was surrounded on three sides by Vietcong in 1969.

Despite suffering wounds to both his arms and legs, Keith threw grenades to keep the encroaching group at bay.

“Payne then spent three hours looking for wounded and isolated soldiers,” Jim said.

The service revealed a former Royal Australian Airforce hero pilot, marriages that were formed during the war effort, and the children of WWI soldiers with everlasting memories of that war and the impact of it on their fathers.

Weary Dunlop resident Margaret Jenkinson’s father Frederick Lucas was wounded five times after he enlisted at the age of 19.

For Frederick, the scars of war were far from just physical, Margaret said.

While the service highlighted the outstanding actions of Australians in wartime, it was the very ordinariness of those on the

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front line, oceans away from home, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, that shone through.

Steve Costelow’s reading of Duncan Butler’s “Mates” perhaps best summed this up.

“And so to all that ask me why we keep these special dates, like ‘Anzac Day’… I answer WHY??! We’re thinking of our mates.”

At Nellie Melba, around 100 residents, family members and staff gathered in the village centre to pay their respects.

It was the village's first Remembrance Day service since officially opening in April this year.

Both services were followed by a morning tea.

Pictured: Weary Dunlop resident Bill Powell wore the medals he received during his service in WWII and the Korean War.

Construction team's 2020 vision Ryman’s Victorian construction team is gearing up for a monumental year in 2020, with work hitting top gear on new retirement villages across the state.

“Work at Nellie Melba and Burwood East is full steam ahead and we’ll be ramping things up at three other sites very shortly,” says Victorian Construction Manager Martyn Osborn.

“It’s going to be a watershed year for the company,” Martyn says.

Two new blocks of independent apartments at Ryman’s Nellie Melba village in Wheelers Hill are due to be completed by the middle of the year.

Remediation work has been completed at Ryman’s Aberfeldie site, and foundation and construction works are set to begin early in the New Year.

Martyn said the construction team will enjoy a well-earned break over Christmas then “will hit the ground running” in the new year.

Construction has already begun in earnest at the company’s Burwood East site, with handover of the first building of independent apartments scheduled for around July next year.

Earthworks are due to start for the village at Highton, near Geelong, before Christmas, paving the way for the construction of townhouses.

The village’s first residents are due to move in by the middle of next year.

Work on the village centre, which includes some serviced apartments, will begin later in the year and is due for completion in early 2021.

Ocean Grove will not be far behind with the team continuing to work through the development application process.

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“We are targeting to have five villages open by the end of 2020, so it’s going to be all go.”

“There’ll be lots to get on with but that’s really exciting. It’s why we do what we do, and the end result will be some wonderful village communities that people will be proud to call home.”

Pictured: Nellie Melba Retirement Village project manager Greg Conquest looks on as a crane is installed at the construction site.