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MINUTES OF THE ASHFIELD SENIORS ACTION COMMITTEE OF ASHFIELD COUNCIL, HELD ON LEVEL 6, CIVIC CENTRE, 260 LIVERPOOL ROAD, ASHFIELD ON TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2011, COMMENCING AT 10:00 AM.
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PRESENT Joan O'Keefe CWA
Maria Guerrera Liberi
Luigi Vella Community representative
Nola Makowiak Seniors Social Group
Ken Baden Community Representative
Joy Lu Community Representative
Cliff Musson Ashfield Walking for Pleasure
Marcia Tydeman Community Representative
Stella Gollab Polish Seniors
George Kang Chinese Seniors Social Group
Rowley Coghlan Community Representative
Tony Fiatorone Ashfield Probus
Irene Sykes Cardinal Freeman Village resident
Gerard Howard Ashfield Council
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF LOCAL ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY
"Let us acknowledge that we are meeting on country for which the members and elders of the local Aboriginal community have been custodians for many centuries, and on which Aboriginal people have performed age old ceremonies. We acknowledge their living culture and unique role in the life of this region."
APOLOGIES
Margaret Levit Vision Impaired Persons Group
Jozef Oktalowicz Polish Seniors
Rosemary Musson The Ella Centre
DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST
No disclosures were made.
CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES
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RESOLVED Musson / O’Keefe
That the minutes of the Ashfield Seniors Action Committee Meeting held on Tuesday 9 August 2011 be confirmed.
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BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES
Topic for future meeting
RECOMMENDED Fiatorone/Baden
That the appropriate officer from Centrelink be invited to present at the next meeting with specific information regarding the impact of proposed carbon tax, and entitlements for self-funded retirees.
GUEST SPEAKER: IRENE SYKES – CARDINAL FREEMAN VILLAGE RESIDENT
Irene is President of the Residents Committee at the Village
Frederick Clissold and family originally lived at Glentworth House (now part of the Village).
The Good Shepherd Sisters purchased the site in 1916 & established care for young women. At one stage there numbered 200 women in care. A school was also set up on the site to educate these young girls. A chapel was built in 1942 & founders of the Order were depicted in the windows of the chapel. During the war the undercroft of the chapel was used as an air raid shelter. The stone wall around the perimeter of the site was constructed in the 1950’s. The Good Shepherd Sisters sold the site to the Hibernian Society in 1978 & construction of the Retirement Village began in 1979.
The Village is a place where people have always cared for each other.
In 2004 the Hibernians who owned and developed the village demutualized and became known as Aevum. New buildings were constructed in 2008. Stockland then took over ownership of the Village in 2010. Stockland is a public company listed on the stock exchange. Stockland’s portfolio consisted of Residential and Retail and they wanted to include Retirement, thus took over Aevum in a hostile takeover.
Prompted by Council, the Village now has a Master Plan. There are five stages in the proposed 10 year building program. Stages 1 & 2 of the future development include three 5 story buildings & a four storey care building incorporating the hostel, the nursing home with a dementia wing. Currently in the Village there are 181 self care units, 120 serviced apartments, 60 hostel residents & 59 beds in the nursing home.
Financially, Stockland pay for capital costs associated with the Village and the residents pay all running costs; including water and land rates, common property lighting; all repairs and maintenance, all staff, activities etc. The bond to enter the Government funded hostel and the nursing home required for residents is assessed after means testing. Contracts between independent living (self-care) residents and the owners will vary according to when you enter the Village.
Generally speaking, when considering future accommodation options, it is important for people to know all the details before moving into something like a retirement village. One needs to be careful about the contract entered into. The NSW Department of Fair Trading can provide assistance.
RECOMMENDED Musson/Baden
That Irene Sykes be thanked for her presentation to the Committee.
AUSTRALIA DAY AWARDS
Nominations for Australia Day Awards can be submitted to Council until Friday 25th November, 2011. Categories include Citizen of the Year which recognises outstanding contribution to the community by an Ashfield citizen. Representatives were encouraged to take this information back to their various groups.
GROUP UPDATES
Nola – Social Card Group at Cadigal Room on Tuesdays between 10am and 12.30pm. New members are welcome. Group will break between 13th December and 3rd January.
Joy – Involved with Chinese Community Radio. Raised issue of getting a future speaker on the Medicare care plan
Maria – Italian social group recently had successful bus trip to Port Stephens.
Stella – spoke about Polish Seniors Group 8 day bus trip to Coolangatta
George – Chinese Seniors group meets on Thursday mornings at the Tennis Club in Pratten Park. Talked about the difficulty of Chinese seniors adjusting to western foods in local nursing homes.
Joan – Country Women’s Association meet at Mervyn Fletcher Hall. The group finds it hard to recruit new members.
Luigi – weekly table tennis at the Haberfield Centre continues to be a successful activity.
Cliff – Ashfield Walking for Pleasure group conduct regular walks and the program is available through Ashfield Council.
Tony – Ashfield Probus Club meets on the third Monday of each month at Club Ashfield and go on regular bus outings.
Rowley – raised the issue of the residential units near corner of Norton and Queen Streets and the resulting traffic congestion that he felt would result.
Minutes of Meetings
It was requested that the Minutes from meetings of the Seniors Action Committee be circulated much earlier.
Membership
RECOMMENDED Fiatorone/ Coghlan
That Ms Irene Sykes be nominated for membership of the Ashfield Seniors Action Committee.
PROCEEDINGS TERMINATED AT 12 noon
Chairperson of the meeting of Ashfield Seniors Action Committee
when the Minutes were confirmed
Chairperson
Date