Big community celebration at Kolora opening

A full house has celebrated yesterday’s official opening of the new Kolora Aged Care facility in Guyra.

Armidale Regional Council Mayor Simon Murray was joined by the Federal Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, the NSW Member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall, Guyra Citizen of the Year Dot Vickery and many other members of the community to officially open the $7.5 million complex.

The project was a decade in the making, initiated by the previous Guyra Shire Council, and was backed by a total of $2 million in Federal Government assistance - $1.5 million grant from the Department of Health and Ageing and $500,000 through Mr Joyce’s office.

The new energy-efficient complex, designed by Havenhand & Mather Architects and constructed by O’Donnell & Hanlon, replaces the existing Kolora Aged Care building and increases the number of beds from 22 to 32. Its location next to the Guyra Multipurpose Service centre will also offer the residents easier access to health services.

Councillor Murray said even with the valuable contribution from the Federal Government, the project was a massive financial commitment for the former Guyra Council and involved considerable deliberation from its elected members.

“However, it’s vital to high quality aged care that meets the needs of our community and it’s wonderful to be here at the opening,” he said.

“It’s important for the wellbeing of our older residents that they can stay close to their families, while having the accommodation and care they need. Retaining these people within the district is also important for the connectedness and health of our community.”

Kolora was established by a community project in the late 1970s and began as an 11-unit, independent living complex, complemented by the addition of the aged care building several years later. Maintenance and administration demands meant the Guyra council assumed responsibility for managing the facility in 1996.

While the independent living units have since been decommissioned, licences for additional beds were secured around a decade ago. Faced with the challenge of accommodating the extra beds and the cost of meeting modern building requirements if it extended the existing complex, the Guyra council resolved to construct a new facility.

Cr Murray praised the contributions of many community members getting Kolora to this point.

"Former Guyra councillor Dot Vickery in particular has been a real driving force in achieving what we see here today," he said.

 "However, Kolora is the product of an extraordinary community effort, in collaboration with government."

Published on 15 May 2018