Montecillo Veterans Home & Hospital Serving veterans since 1918

Montecillo Veterans Home & Hospital has been a part of Dunedin’s history for over 100 years. It began when a group of Dunedin citizens achieved the extraordinary feat of raising funds to purchase a house in Eglinton Road for the care of Boer War and First World War veterans. The Red Cross Military Convalescent Home at Montecillo on Eglinton Road opened on 27 June 1918.

At the end of the Second World War, the Government used the accumulated surplus from the soldiers’ canteen funds to take over the ownership and management from the Red Cross for veterans homes throughout New Zealand. Those homes were in Auckland, Levin, Christchurch and Montecillo in Dunedin.

His Royal Highness Edward, Prince of Wales.

In 2001 The Montecillo Trust was established to take over the ownership and management of Montecillo. The Trust chose to rebuild, and with funds from the sale of Eglinton Road, a grant from the Government and community fundraising, they built a new 44-bed Veterans’ home on Bay View Road, St Kilda. The new Montecillo Veterans Home & Hospital opened in August 2006 and continues to operate today. Montecillo has received many visits from sports teams and politicians, some of their more notable visitors have included His Royal Highness Edward, Prince of Wales, (later King George VI) Lord Mountbatten, Field Marshal Montgomery and General Bernard Freyberg, VC.

In 105 years of operation, Montecillo has cared for over 2,000 veterans.

The name Montecillo came from an area called Montecillo Ridge in south Dunedin. Probably of Spanish or Portuguese origin.

These have included veterans from all services who have served in the various conflicts in which New Zealand has been involved.

Servicemen and women who fought at Gallipoli, in the Middle East, one First World War resident fought in Egypt and was part of the ‘Kiwi Cameliers’ and on the Western Front, in the various theatres in Second World War and then in the more recent conflicts of the 21st Century have all been resident at Montecillo. All the Montecillo residents are witnesses to some of the most well-known moments of our military history.

Thank you Montecillo and all who worked there for caring for our veterans.

For more information about Montecillo Veterans Home & Hospital 03 4664 778
information@montecillo.org.nz
www.montecillo.org.nz