2000

After lengthy deliberation, the Board of the Aboriginal Elders Village invited Resthaven to manage their facility for a trial period of four months, from 1 June 2000. The Coordinator of North-East Community Programs was seconded to manage the facility.

From the outset, the management of the Village was a challenging task. In addition, there were local board and constitutional matters to deal with at Davoren Park, as well as a host of other day-to-day difficulties that stemmed from a variety of matters, such as provision of services, family relationships and industrial relations. Staff took on a role that required the utmost ‘wisdom in managing this most complex situation’.

In April, Resthaven received an invitation from the Aboriginal Elders and Community Care Services (AECCS) Board and Department of Health and Aged Care to consider a short-term role in managing the Aboriginal Elders Village at Davoren Park. Also involved was a formal review of the service provision at the Village.

We balanced the need for aged care expertise versus Resthaven's lack of cultural awareness in providing such care to Aboriginal Elders and accepted the invitation for an initial period of four months. The contract commenced 1 June 2000 and expired on 13 March 2001, after which the management contract transferred to the Italian Benevolent Foundation.

It was a significant experience for a number of Resthaven's senior staff, fitting comfortably with our mission and desire to offer services in the northern suburbs. The appointment of an Aboriginal Liaison Officer and cultural awareness training of the staff enabled us to manage the site without having previous experience with Indigenous communities.

This commitment was consistent with our mission as an agency of the Uniting Church and the role of a public benevolent institution.

In April 2001, the partnership ended. The venture had brought a greater understanding of service provision and of just how far Resthaven’s knowledge and practice of aged care could be extended within the wider community.