The Club has held a sod turning ceremony to mark the launch of construction on the village, which is scheduled to be completed by December 2018.

The village, which will be home to 52 independent living units and 128 aged care rooms next to the Club’s facilities in Penrith, will be called ‘The Royce’ after well-known Penrith player Royce Simmons.

Mr Simmons was called on to lead the ceremony, and says he agreed to be the ambassador for the villages after being shown how the facilities would look by the developers, the Tulich family.

Pictured: Royce Simmons turns the first sod of soil with Dave O’Neill and Stuart Ayres. Credit: Daily Telegraph