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Auckland, New Zealand, Home for the Aged

Photo courtesy of Adventist Heritage Centre, Australia

Adventist Retirement Villages, South Pacific Division

By Milton Hook

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Milton Hook, Ed.D. (Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, the United States). Hook retired in 1997 as a minister in the Greater Sydney Conference, Australia. An Australian by birth Hook has served the Church as a teacher at the elementary, academy and college levels, a missionary in Papua New Guinea, and as a local church pastor. In retirement he is a conjoint senior lecturer at Avondale College of Higher Education. He has authored Flames Over Battle Creek, Avondale: Experiment on the Dora, Desmond Ford: Reformist Theologian, Gospel Revivalist, the Seventh-day Adventist Heritage Series, and many magazine articles. He is married to Noeleen and has two sons and three grandchildren.

First Published: January 29, 2020

In the post-World War II era the number of Seventh-day Adventist retirement villages in the South Pacific Division has steadily increased. General provisions usually include church facilities on site or nearby, a visiting chaplain, fully trained nurses for high-care residents, medical and dental assistance by appointment, library and television facilities, and periodic social outings. All institutions are subsidized by the Australian federal government. Institutions that are currently operating in Australasia are:

Victoria

AdventCare Bendigo: This is a small community of 24 self-care units named Allawarra Retirement Village. It was opened in 1970. A fifty-bed nursing home was added later, but this facility was leased in 2018 to another entity because of a persistent low occupancy rate.1

AdventCare Pavilions: Due for occupancy in 2020, this facility will consist of 136 self-care units located near AdventCare Whitehorse in suburban Nunawading, Melbourne. The specific location is known as Blackburn Lake.2

AdventCare Whitehorse: The first stage of the Home for the Aged at Nunawading, Melbourne, was opened in January 1956, consisting of a dormitory and self-care units.3 For a decade their number was gradually increased, and in 1972 the complex was given the name Coronella Retirement Village.4 A nursing home was also added, its current capacity being 134 beds.5 There are 14 self-care units on site. On a neighboring site at Laughlin Avenue there are a further 37 self-care units.6 The Nunawading SDA Church is located at the front of the property.

AdventCare Yarra Ranges: The establishment was opened in 1976 under the name Mountain View Retirement Village, located at Warburton. It consisted of ten one-bedroom units for self-care residents. In 1981 the village was extended to include a 42-bed hostel. This section had a ten-bed high-care extension added in 1990. In 1995 the name of the complex was changed to Yarra View Retirement Village, one that overlooks the upper reaches of the Yarra River.7 In 2016 a decision was made to close the institution, but a suitable contract was found to refurbish the hostel to bring it into compliance with government standards. It is now functioning according to best practice.8

New South Wales

Adventist Aged Care, Hornsby: The first of the Camellia Court self-care units were opened in 1965,9 and the Azalea Court self-care units were opened in 1982.10 Both were owned and operated by the Adventist Business and Professional Men’s Association (ABPM). They were purchased by the Greater Sydney Conference in 2005, when ABPM became insolvent.11 There are a total of 39 one-bedroom units in the complex.12

Adventist Aged Care, Kings Langley: In 1955 the Greater Sydney Conference voted to build six units on what was then known as their Blacktown campground.13 These units were ready for occupancy the following year, the residents being elderly women who could care for themselves but had very limited finances.14 Additional units were constructed later, and a nursing home was opened in 1971.15 Originally called Parklea Village, it was renamed Kings Langley Village when the local council changed the boundary lines between suburbs. An extensive rebuilding program has resulted in a complex of 71 self-care villas on the perimeter of a lightly wooded park. An aged care facility is also on the same site providing 123 beds, 32 of them assigned to dementia patients, nine for respite and four for palliative care.16

Adventist Aged Care, Wahroonga: The Greater Sydney Conference began to build Elizabeth Lodge in 1977. It was dedicated on May 20, 1979, with accommodation for 68 residents in a hostel arrangement, having meals, cleaning facilities, and laundry facilities provided. It was named Elizabeth in honor of Elizabeth Petherbridge, one of its generous benefactors.17 In 1986 a high-care nursing home comprising 27 beds was added. It was named Esther Somerville Nursing Home in honour of another member of the Petherbridge family.18 Major additions on campus were ready for occupancy in 2005 when twenty freestanding homes for self-care residents became available. This became known as Wahroonga Village. At the same time a high-rise tower providing another thirty units for self-care residents was opened. It was named Waratah Towers.19 The availability of self-care units made it possible for Elizabeth Lodge to morph gradually into an institution offering a higher degree of care that included round-the-clock nursing staff.

Alstonville Lifestyle Community: Established in 1991 on the Far North Coast at Alstonville, this community consists of 84 one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas.20

Avondale Lifestyle Community: The North New South Wales Conference began accumulating donations in the 1950s for this project.21 Building the first group of units started in 1960 on the site of the former Avondale Health Retreat opposite the Avondale SDA Church.22 It has expanded considerably in the past sixty years. Currently the original site is occupied by Kressville Villas, a complex of 128 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units for self-care individuals, a village café, and the Avondale House Aged Care Facility (formerly Charles Harrison Memorial Home), with a capacity of 122 beds for residents under nursing care. This community is connected to Alton Villas to the north by a walking track under the main road, Freemans Drive, granting safe passage for residents. The Alton Villas complex consists of 104 two- and three-bedroom villas. Adjoining this complex is the Alton Lodge Aged Care Facility, with a forty-bed capacity.23

Jewells Lifestyle Community: Opened in 2004 by another business entity, this retirement community was purchased in 2013 with government approval to eventually expand to 98 villas.24 It currently consists of 58 villas for self-care residents. It is located in the coastal suburb of Jewells just north of Belmont.25

Wyee Point Lifestyle Community: Opened in 2006 by another business entity, this retirement community was purchased in 2013 with government approval to eventually expand to 111 villas.26 It currently consists of 71 villas for self-care residents. It is located at Wyee Point on Lake Macquarie.27

Queensland

Caloundra Adventist Retirement Plus: This property in Little Mountain, Caloundra, is situated alongside the Caloundra SDA Church. It was purchased in 1992 and has 41 self-care villas in addition to an aged-care facility with a capacity of 48 beds, 12 of them assigned to dementia patients.28

Capricorn Adventist Retirement Plus: This complex at Yeppoon began with two self-care villas in 1992. In the same year it attracted a $1.2 million government grant to build a 42-bed aged-care unit that was opened in March 1994. The community has grown to 182 self-care units, some being simple bedsitters for those financially disadvantaged.29 The aged-care facility has been expanded to provide 66 beds, 12 reserved for dementia patients.30 The Yeppoon SDA Church is located on the village property.

Victoria Point Adventist Retirement Plus: The property, purchased in 1946, is located on the eastern edge of Brisbane at Victoria Point opposite North Stradbroke Island. The Victoria Point SDA Church is on site. In 1991 major additions were opened in the form of a $500,000 nursing home,31 which received further expansion in later years. The community consists of 145 self-care villas and a nursing home with a bed capacity of 179, twenty beds being for dementia patients.32

Melody Park Adventist Retirement Plus: The 46 self-care units named Melody Park at Nerang were built in 1988 by a private company and purchased by Adventist Retirement Plus in 1992. Government funds were obtained to add an aged-care facility which opened in late 1996.33 This added facility has a capacity of forty beds, half being reserved for dementia residents.34

Western Australia

Adventist Special Families: The West Australian Conference began this enterprise in 1996, offering 12 intellectually disabled residents accommodation in four homes at Milford Way, Nollamara, a northern suburb of Perth. A further home for four more residents was added in 2004. The services received some funding from the Disability Services Commission of the West Australian government. On March 31, 2019, the services were transferred to a specialist disability provider.35

Busselton Adventist Retirement Village: Opened in the late 1990s next door to the Busselton SDA Church, the complex consists of ten two-bedroom self-care units in West Busselton.36

Rossmoyne Waters: The initial Adventist retirement complex in Western Australia was opened in 1953 at Leederville, suburban Perth. It was called Elmshaven. It was replaced by Sherwin Lodge at Rossmoyne on the banks of the Canning River, Perth. Sherwin Lodge, named after Dr. Thomas Sherwin, was opened in July 1963 with 14 cottages completed. The Freeman Nursing Home, named after Dr. Margherita Freeman, was opened on the same site in October 1970 with a bed capacity of 24.37 Since then the bed capacity has been increased to sixty, and the self-care cottages now number 126. The complex has been renamed Rossmoyne Waters.38

North New Zealand

Bethesda Home and Manakau Retirement Village: When the North New Zealand Conference offices were transferred from 27 Esplanade Road, Mount Eden, suburban Auckland, the premises were refurbished and renamed the Bethesda Home for the Aged in 1974.39 The grand two-story building served as an administrative center, staff quarters, and kitchen to service 25 units arranged in one long block to the right-hand side of the main building. This institution functioned until 1995 when a new high-care center was constructed on the site of the Adventist Retirement Village at 743 Great South Road, Manakau, suburban Auckland.40 This site is advertised nowadays as a “boutique village with 75 units.”41 The village was first listed in 1985.42

South New Zealand

Ilam Lodge: South New Zealand Conference officials purchased Ilam Lodge at 28 Ilam Road, Riccarton, Christchurch, for £8,250 and refitted it for a further £10,000 in order to provide a home for aged church members. It was officially opened in October 1958. The various church Dorcas and Welfare Societies in South New Zealand had been instrumental in raising significant funds for the enterprise. Initially the home housed 16 low-care residents.43 A new wing was added in 1962 to cater for nine more residents.44 Ilam Lodge was sold and funds disbursed in 2000.45

Sources

“AdventCare Bendigo Independent Living Units.” AdventCare Bendigo. Retrieved from https://www.agedcareguide.com.au/adventcare-bendigo-independent-living-units.

“AdventCare Whitehorse.” AdventCare Whitehorse. Retrieved from https://www.agedcareguide.com.au/adventcare-whitehorse.

“Adventist Aged Care.” Adventist Aged Care Wahroonga. Retrieved from http://www.sdaac.com.au/.

“Adventist Senior Living.” Adventist Senior Living. Retrieved from https://www.adventistseniorliving.com.au/aslcorporate/.

“Alstonville Lifestyle Community.” Alstonville Lifestyle Community. Retrieved from https://www.agedcare101.com.au/nsw/alstonville/alstonville-lifestyle-community-5238.

Andrew, Deryk. “Report to the Creditors of ABPM.” Elizabeth Lodge Archives, Wahroonga, NSW. Shelf Records. Folder: Report to the Creditors of ABPM. Document: “Report to the Creditors of ABPM, August 1, 2005.”

“Avondale Senior Living.” Avondale Lifestyle Community. Retrieved from https://www.adventistseniorliving.com.au/selfcare/avondale-lifestyle-community/avondale-lifestyle-community-sitemap/.

Bagnall, J[ohn] B. “Azalea Court Opened.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, March 29, 1982.

Brown, R[eginald] K. “Freeman Nursing Home Opened in Western Australia.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, January 25, 1971.

Brunt, Maritza. “AdventCare Yarra Ranges to Remain Open.” Adventist Record, February 4, 2017.

“Busselton Adventist Retirement Village.” Adventist Care. Retrieved from https://www.adventistcare.org.au/retirement-living/our-villages/busselton.

“Caloundra.” Adventist Retirement Plus. Retrieved from www.arplus.org.au/residential-care/locations/caloundra/.

“Capricorn.” Adventist Retirement Plus. Retrieved from www.arplus.org.au/residential-care/locations/capricorn/.

Capricorn Adventist Retirement Village. Yeppoon, Queensland: Capricorn Adventist Retirement Village, 2014.

Eliot, D[ouglas] R. “South New Zealand Camp-meeting.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, February 12, 1962.

Garrard, E[dward] J. “Providing for Their Elderly Members.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 15, 1955.

Gilmore, Lawrence. “New Retirement Hostel.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 20, 1979.

“Government Approves Funds for Melody Park.” Record, March 4, 1995.

Greater Sydney Conference Executive Committee Minutes. Greater Sydney Conference Archives, Epping, NSW. Shelf Records, Document: “Greater Sydney Conference Executive Committee Minutes, 1955–1975.”

“Greater Sydney Conference Providing Care From the Cradle to the Grave.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, February 7, 1987.

“Jewells Lifestyle Community.” Adventist Senior Living. Retrieved from https://www.villages.com.au/nsw/newcastle-and-lake-macquarie/jewells-lifestyle-community-4227.

Knight, David. “Aged Care Company Expands.” Record, March 30, 2013.

Knight, John F. “Home for Retired Folk Rises in Sydney.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, January 4, 1965.

“Melody Park.” Adventist Retirement Plus. Retrieved from www.arplus.org.au/residential-care/locations/melody-park/.

“Retirement Can Be Happy or Not.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, December 8, 1958.

“Retirement Village, Bethesda, Auckland.” Wix.com, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.bethesda.org.nz/about-us.

“Retirement Village Opens Extensions.” Record, February 15, 1992.

“Rossmoyne Waters.” Adventist Care. Retrieved from https://www.adventistcare.org.au/retirement-living/our-villages/rossmoyne.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbooks. Hagerstown, Maryland: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1984–2014.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbooks. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1962–1983.

“South New Zealand Conference Special Session.” Record, September 30, 2000.

Vallely, William. “AdventCare Will Close Its Aged Care in Golden Square in March.” Bendigo Advertiser, January 30, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5199728/aged-care-facility-in-golden-square-to-close/.

“Victoria Point.” Adventist Retirement Plus. Retrieved from www.arplus.org.au/residential-care/locations/victoria-point/.

“Warburton Adventists-AdventCare Yarra Ranges.” AdventCare Yarra Ranges. Retrieved from https://www.warburtonadventists.com/retirement.

“Wyee Point Lifestyle Community.” Adventist Senior Living. Retrieved from https://www.villages.com.au/nsw/wyee-point-lifestyle-community-4226.

Notes

  1. William Vallely, “AdventCare Will Close its Aged Care Facility in Golden Square in March,” Bendigo Advertiser, January 30, 2018, accessed June 16, 2019, https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5199728/aged-care-facilty-in-golden-square-to-close.↩

  2. David Reece, email message to Milton Hook, July 4, 2019.↩

  3. Commemorative plaque, AdventCare Whitehorse business office, Nunawading, Melbourne.↩

  4. “Old People’s Homes and Orphanages,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1972), 402.↩

  5. “AdventCare Whitehorse,” AdventCare Whitehorse, accessed July 4, 2019, https://www.agedcareguide.com.au/adventcare-whitehorse.↩

  6. David Reece, email message to Milton Hook, July 4, 2019.↩

  7. “Warburton Adventists-AdventCare Yarra Ranges,” AdventCare Yarra Ranges, accessed June 16, 2019, https://www.warburtonadventists.com/retirement.↩

  8. Maritza Brunt, “AdventCare Yarra Ranges to Remain Open,” Adventist Record, February 4, 2017, [4].↩

  9. John F. Knight, “Home for Retired Folk Rises in Sydney,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, January 4, 1965. 6, 7.↩

  10. J[ohn] B. Bagnall, “Azalea Court Opened,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, March 29, 1982, 12.↩

  11. Deryk Andrew, “Report to the Creditors of ABPM,” Elizabeth Lodge Archives, Wahroonga, NSW, Shelf Records. (Folder: Report to the Creditors of ABPM; Document: “Report to the Creditors of ABPM, August 1, 2005”).↩

  12. Milton Hook, personal knowledge as a resident since 2001.↩

  13. Greater Sydney Conference Executive Committee Minutes, Greater Sydney Conference Archives, Epping, NSW, Shelf Records (Document: “Greater Sydney Conference Executive Committee Minutes, April 5, 1955”).↩

  14. Greater Sydney Conference Executive Committee Minutes, Greater Sydney Conference Archives, Epping, NSW, Shelf Records (Document: “Greater Sydney Conference Executive Committee Minutes, July 19, 1956”).↩

  15. Greater Sydney Conference Executive Committee Minutes, Greater Sydney Conference Archives, Epping, NSW, Shelf Records (Document: “Greater Sydney Conference Executive Committee Minutes, December 21, 1971”).↩

  16. Brian Swanepoel, interview by Milton Hook, Wahroonga, NSW, June 24, 2019.↩

  17. Lawrence Gilmore, “New Retirement Hostel,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 20, 1979, 10.↩

  18. “Greater Sydney Conference Providing Care from the Cradle to the Grave,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, February 7, 1987. 10.↩

  19. “Adventist Aged Care,” Adventist Aged Care Wahroonga, accessed June 18, 2019, http://www.sdaac.com.au/.↩

  20. “Alstonville Lifestyle Community,” Alstonville Lifestyle Community, accessed June 18, 2019, https://www.agedcare101.com.au/nsw/alstonville/alstonville-lifestyle-community-5238.↩

  21. E[dward] J. Garrard, “Providing for Their Elderly Members,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 15, 1955, 4.↩

  22. “Adventist Senior Living,” Adventist Senior Living, accessed June 18, 2019, https://www.adventistseniorliving.com.au/aslcorporate/.↩

  23. “Avondale Senior Living,” Avondale Lifestyle Community, accessed June 18, 2019, https://www.adventistseniorliving.com.au/selfcare/avondale-lifestyle-community/avondale-lifestyle-community-sitemap/; Felicity Pittaway, email to Milton Hook, June 19, 2019.↩

  24. David Knight, “Aged Care Company Expands,” Record, March 30, 2013, 7.↩

  25. Jewells Lifestyle Community,” Adventist Senior Living, accessed June 16, 2019, https://www.villages.com.au/nsw/newcastle-and-lake-macquarie/jewells-lifestyle-community-4227.↩

  26. David Knight, “Aged Care Company Expands,” Record, March 30, 2013. 7.↩

  27. “Wyee Point Lifestyle Community,” Adventist Senior Living, accessed June 16, 2019, https://www.villages.com.au/nsw/wyee-point-lifestyle-community-4226.↩

  28. “Caloundra,” Adventist Retirement Plus, accessed June 14, 2019, www.arplus.org.au/residential-care/locations/caloundra/.↩

  29. Capricorn Adventist Retirement Village (Yeppoon, Queensland: Capricorn Adventist Retirement Village, 2014), 2, 3, 14, 15.↩

  30. “Capricorn,” Adventist Retirement Plus, accessed June 14, 2019, www.arplus.org.au/residential-care/locations/capricorn/.↩

  31. “Retirement Village Opens Extensions,” Record, February 15, 1992, 13.↩

  32. “Victoria Point,” Adventist Retirement Plus, accessed June 21, 2019, www.arplus.org.au/residential-care/locations/victoria-point/.↩

  33. “Government Approves Funds for Melody Park,” Record, March 4, 1995, 10.↩

  34. “Melody Park,” Adventist Retirement Plus, accessed June 14, 2019, www.arplus.org.au/residential-care/locations/melody-park/.↩

  35. Shea Adams, email to Milton Hook, June 17, 2019.↩

  36. “Busselton Adventist Retirement Village,” Adventist Care, accessed June 16, 2019, https://www.adventcare.org.au/retirement-living/our-villages/busselton.↩

  37. R[eginald] K. Brown, “Freeman Nursing Home Opened in Western Australia,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, January 25, 1971, 8, 9.↩

  38. “Rossmoyne Waters,” Adventist Care, accessed June 16, 2019, https://www.adventcare.org.au/retirement-living/our-villagesrossmoyne.↩

  39. “Bethesda Home for the Aged,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1973/1974), 401.↩

  40. Ronald Herbert, interview by Milton Hook, Normanhurst, NSW, October 13, 2019.↩

  41. “Retirement Village, Bethesda, Auckland,” Wix.com, 2019, accessed October 3, 2019, https://www.bethesda.org.nz/about-us.↩

  42. “Adventist Retirement Village, Manakau,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Hagerstown, Maryland: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1985), 535.↩

  43. “Retirement Can Be Happy or Not,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, December 8, 1958,: 6, 7.↩

  44. D[ouglas] R. Eliot, “South New Zealand Camp-meeting,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, February 12, 1962, 6, 7.↩

  45. “South New Zealand Conference Special Session,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, September 30, 2000.↩

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Hook, Milton. "Adventist Retirement Villages, South Pacific Division." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. January 29, 2020. Accessed September 07, 2023. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=A7RR.

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Hook, Milton. "Adventist Retirement Villages, South Pacific Division." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. January 29, 2020. Date of access September 07, 2023, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=A7RR.

Copy to clipboard Download Word File

Hook, Milton (2020, January 29). Adventist Retirement Villages, South Pacific Division. Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved September 07, 2023, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=A7RR.

Copy to clipboard Download Word File