A year of peaks and plans

The past year has been one of two halves for Old Colonists’ Association of Victoria: celebrating our 150 year celebrations before turning to deal with the abrupt arrival of COVID-19 this year.

The 2020 Annual Report, which was made public on 7 December at the Annual General Meeting, showcases the highlights, initiatives and the way the Association approached its COVID-19 planning.

“How we tackled the celebrations and the coronavirus demonstrated how we put into practice the values of the Old Colonists’ Association of Victoria. These include safety, dignity, openness, responsibility, continual improvement, diversity and inclusion,” Kevin Neville, President of OCAV, said.

He told the Annual General Meeting that the anniversary provided OCAV with the opportunity to thank its many supporters in Government, philanthropy, research, our volunteers and of course our staff.

“There is little doubt that the extraordinary support we receive from the community sets us up as a leader in the retirement and aged care sector,” he said.

“Over the past year, and despite COVID-19, we have been able to upgrade our units at Currie Park, establish research into the effect of virtual reality on older people’s social connections, develop an extensive Health and Wellbeing program at Liscombe House, and initiate a nutrition and gardening program at Leith Park,” Mr Neville said.

Among the many highlights and new initiatives throughout the year were:

• Opening the two multi-million dollar developments at Leith Park and Rushall Park to provide 81 new independent living apartments, house 100 elderly Victorians and provide housing for more than 500 people over their lifespan. We are well underway with Stage 2 at Leith Park.

• Ongoing advocacy on housing, ending homelessness, dementia best practice and improving aged care through submissions and industry leadership.
• Developing a diversity and inclusion policy for OCAV, an initiative which provides a framework for how we are to achieve an inclusive and representative workforce, visible leadership and commitment to foster a culture free from discrimination, sexual harassment and workplace bullying.
• Attracting significant philanthropic support for several initiatives including the expansion of our health and wellbeing program through creative arts at Liscombe House through the Perpetual Impact Program, improving our palliative care service through the Marion and E H Flack Trust, and renovating several Currie Park units through the Annie Danks Trust and Ian Rollo Currie Perpetual.

The report also highlighted the importance of partnerships. Of note was the sponsorship by superfund HESTA for a one-year professional development program focusing on wellbeing and mental health for staff. The training support package will be provided by the Black Dog Institute.