Anglicare’s Goulburn retirement village Wollondilly Gardens celebrated its 20th anniversary on the 14th of October, with a function that brought together residents, members of the Anglican clergy, Anglicare board members and dignitaries, including Goulburn mayor, Bob Kirk.
While the day marked twenty years of service to the ageing community, the precinct itself dates back to the early 1980’s, when the 100 acre property belonged to the Geale family. The land was then developed twelve years later into its current form, after Stan Geale and business partner Murray Branch established Wollondilly Retirement Pty Ltd in 1992. Project planning commenced that year and construction of stage one (Marsden Village) began in 1993. Stage two followed, resulting in the construction of 65 blocks.
In 1995, an alliance with Anglicare was born that allowed Wollondilly Gardens Retirement Village to increase its management and residential capacity, and a further 10 units were added to the village.
Present-day Wollondilly Gardens consists of 69 villas, occupied by approximately 100 Residents. Redevelopment plans of the village have recently been announced by Anglicare, with the first stage consisting of six additional villas, commencing in 2018. Further proposed redevelopment planning has also begun to improve community facilities at the village and construct serviced apartments to support residents with increased future needs.
John Vilskersts, General Manager of Retirement Villages Anglicare, agreed one of the redeeming points of difference for Wollondilly Gardens residents is the sense of community and belonging felt at the facility.
“It is set on a beautiful rural setting with lots of space and extensive grounds. There is a community centre, heated pool and space and one of our points of difference is that Anglicare is very focused on the residents. We offer as much as we can to support residents in the ageing process.
“As a not-for- profit and charitable organisation, we are purely focused on the residents, their wellbeing and their needs. We want to support and encourage them to stay in their own homes for as long as possible.”
