Right at home … Avondale Place client Harry Janetzki with his “favourite” support worker Daniel Hore-Smith (better known as “Bazz”) from Henty NDIS service provider The Next Step. Photo: Supplied.
Harry Janetzki’s smile is as wide as the horizons he’s broadened at Avondale Place, Henty.
The 22-year-old has embarked on an exciting ‘next step’ to independence thanks to the community-led project that came to life three years ago to support families and carers of people with a disability in the local region.
Harry moved into one of Avondale Place’s two-bedroom units at the end of 2025, realising not only his own dream but that of a group of dedicated families and supporters who wanted better options and outcomes for their vulnerable loved ones.
It’s been a gentle step to independence for the young man who has autism and a mild intellectual disability.
Harry first dipped his toe into being away from home during short stays at Avondale Place, where he enjoyed learning to cook, wash and clean, guided by support staff at the four-bedroom respite care centre.
His parents Di and John Janetzki, who run a large mixed farming operation at Yerong Creek, said that the respite option had been a “godsend”, delivering their first real break in years.
The move into one of the independent living units nearby was a huge next step, according to Di, but one that had “always been in the back of our minds”.
“For the first two months John and I tag teamed staying there with Harry,” she said. “He’d never really been overnight by himself so it was a really big thing.”
One factor that has helped provide peace of mind to Harry’s parents is having Henty-based disability support service The Next Step literally at the back door.
The Next Step, which employs 17 local staff, has teamed with the Henty Respite Trust to take over the full-time lease at Avondale Place, delivering on-site supports and a variety of programs for people with a disability.
It means Harry has one-on-one help from 10 am to 3 pm on Mondays and Fridays where he preps his meals for the week and runs his own mobile car wash business, Hairy’s Washing Adventures, supported by The Next Step staff.
“The support worker is able to drive Harry around in his blue Hilux ute and pretty much everyone in Henty gets him to wash their cars,” Di said.
“Harry really is quite capable when he’s taught and learns what is required.”
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays there’s group sport and social outings (including a regular jaunt to Wodonga) again thanks to The Next Step and on Thursdays Harry returns home for his “farm fix” and an OT session.
During summer at the weekends Harry often accompanies his family to Saturday tennis and is a regular at the pool.
But winter is all about footy!
In fact, footy season is one of Harry’s favourite times, according to Di.
Harry Janetzki, pictured with his proud parents John and Di. Photo: Supplied.
Every time there’s a Henty home game, you’ll find this personable young man doing a lot of socialising and a little bit of spectating, she said.
“He does the rounds vehicle to vehicle chatting,” Di laughed. “We’ll duck in to watch our boys (youngest son Tom and eldest son Jack) play but Harry stays all day!”
And that’s the thing about living in the small, close-knit community of Henty, which has wrapped its arms around one of its own.
“Henty is such a beautiful community and so supportive of young people with a disability,” Di said.
Harry is the first young person who has made a successful transition to living in one of the assisted living units at Avondale Place.
“And we know there are a lot of parents watching how Harry goes,” his mum added.
It’s an important milestone born from another family’s determination to provide desperately needed rural respite options to others which has most recently seen the Henty Respite Trust board embark on a second $2.3 million project in Rosler Parade.
The original donation of $1.5 million by Peter and Alison Campbell set the wheels in motion for the reality that became Avondale Place, amplified by a groundswell of community support and further generosity by local donors.
“We are just so thankful to the Campbells originally for their generosity – we really do live in a wonderful community,” Di said.
Of course it’s not all rainbows and bubbles for Harry finding his own way in the world.
“A couple of times he’s said to us that he’s a bit lonely,” Di said.
“At night he’ll listen to music, he loves anything to do with Kenworth trucks or V8 LandCruisers and he’s on quite a few group chats with people. Communicating with people is his favourite thing to do!”
At the end of the day John and Di feel a lot better knowing the crew from The Next Step is close by and some pretty cool support staff have helped Harry make giant leaps forward from where he was five years ago.
“If something happened to one, or both, of us, we want Harry to be set up and happily settled … before he’s too set in his ways,” Di smiled.
