Vision realised … Henty Respite Trust chair Ben Hooper officially marks the start of a new $2.3m project flanked by supporters (left to right) Peter and Alison Campbell, Mick Broughan, Leigh Eulenstein, Steph Bedggood, Rachelle Roulston, Justin Clancy and John Ellis. Photo: Supplied.
The first sod has turned on a $2.3 million project at Henty that will expand on a community-led vision of care for the region.
On Friday 12 June, Henty Respite Trust officially unveiled new plans to build four two-bedroom units in Rosler Parade, aimed at providing further accommodation options for people with a disability, as well as essential health workers in the district.
The announcement follows on from the success of a vision brought to life three years ago with the opening of the nearby $2.2 million Avondale Place respite facility offering short-term respite and independent living options to support local families and carers of people with a disability.
Born from one family’s determination to provide desperately needed rural respite options and overseen by the dedicated members of the Henty Respite Trust board, these projects are an incredible testament to the “power of the people in the country”, says board chair Ben Hooper.
“The massive milestone we’ve just reached is phenomenal,” Mr Hooper said ahead of Friday’s event.
“To think we have less than 1000 in our town and yet we’ve poured $4.5m in investment into the community.”
The move to expand accommodation and respite options in the town has been amplified by a groundswell of community support (including contributions from Bendigo Community Bank) and the generosity of local donors on the back of an original donation of $1.5 million by Peter and Alison Campbell.
The local couple, who were left to grapple with their daughter’s ongoing illness largely on their own as carers, were determined to change that situation for others facing the often relentless challenges of caring for someone with a disability, long-term illness or mental health condition.
Their resolve would set the wheels in motion for that first major philanthropic project – Avondale Place, which opened in 2023.
At the time Mr Hooper said, “This is not the end – it’s just the beginning.”
And so it’s proven to be with the trust’s recent purchase of a vacant block of land in Rosler Parade, opposite the golf course, which will bring to life the next chapter of this story.
Generous community support has continued to flow for this next stage, with Henty historian and beloved local resident Yvonne Booth recently making a sizeable donation to support further expansion efforts.
“When I die, I was going to leave the money to Avondale Place but then I thought, why not give it to them now,” she said.
Member for Albury Justin Clancy, who attended the 12 June event, said, “Something special has been created here at Henty.
“It started with the generosity of Peter and Alison [Campbell] but has become so much more than that thanks to the support of other families, Bendigo Community Bank coming on board and a dedicated committee working together,” Mr Clancy said.
“The fact this continues to grow and evolve speaks deeply of community at its best.”
Mr Clancy said Henty’s efforts could well be a model replicated by other rural and regional communities.
“They have shown remarkable resolve to get this far,” he said. “Government should be about empowering and enabling our communities; and they should take heed of what is being done in Henty.”
Mr Hooper said the success of what had already been achieved at Avondale Place rested not only with ongoing community support but the ability to adapt the model to what the community needed.
“Our vision has really come about because of our flexibility,” he said.
That flexibility saw the trust team up with Henty-based disability support provider The Next Step, which has taken over the full-time lease at Avondale Place.
The Next Step, which employs 17 local staff, is also responsible for delivering the Road to Independence program that helps prepare clients for independent living, according to Mr Hooper.
“Our joint vision is to equip young adults with the skills they need, with the idea that there will be greater opportunity for uptake in our independent units,” he said.
“It’s given everyone involved a real sense of ownership and the trust has subsidised the Road to Independence program with $118,124 in funding so far.”
Given the ongoing challenges and changing landscape of the NDIS, Mr Hooper said the need was even greater now to have community invested in projects of this nature.
“These stories are so real to us because we know the people,” Mr Hooper said.
“We envisage this will just continue to grow.”
