Our Story

The new millennium: planning for the future

2010 – celebration of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of SwanCare Group, formerly Swan Cottage Homes.  The inaugural Board of Management convened for the first board meeting on October 31st, 1961 to commence planning the first seven “aged persons” units to be constructed on the Bentley Park site in Plantation Drive.

In 2010, the redevelopment of Bentley Park progresses to Stage 4 with the commencement of construction of the ‘New Villas’.  The clean modern designs of these new homes articulate the changing requirements and expectations in retirement living.  Each home is adaptive to changing needs and uses technology to enhance safety and lifestyle.

In addition to the massive infrastructure redevelopment of Bentley Park and the establishment of two new communities at Carlisle and Australind the future growth plans for SwanCare Group include expansion into other metropolitan and regional areas to meet the forecast growth and demand for service provision to future generations of older Western Australians living in rapidly developing regions.

2009 – In September 2009, SwanCare Group commences construction of Australind Rise, a new retirement community in the south west coastal locality of Australind, a project 2 years in the planning and at the centre of the organisation’s expansion plans.  On completion in 2013, Australind Rise will be a community of 107 retirement living homes and a fully equipped community centre and bring to the area with a growing retirement demographic and an increasing demand for aged care services and accommodation.

Demolition of the decommissioned buildings on the Carlisle property took place in July 2009 and planning commenced on a new model for retirement living promoting close to the city convenience for developing the site.  The Space@Carlisle was conceptualised as a community for active retired and semi-retired demographic.

New service initiatives were introduced in 2009 in the a number of areas of the business, including Hospitality and Information Technology.   Venue hire of the function areas in Kingia, providing first class facilities with full catering services for corporate and social events, commenced as an additional income stream for SwanCare Group, a not-for-profit charitable organisation. New information management systems improved the efficiency of residents records management and improved the resident/carer contact ratio.

2007 - 2009 - Construction of the 82 bed Kingia Care Facility commenced as the third stage of the Bentley Park masterplan redevelopment, opening in March 2009.  Kingia Care Facility representing a significant change in emphasis in the way care services are delivered by SwanCare Group and challenges the aged care sector to embrace a more innovative approach to residential care service delivery. Residents in care have the choice of Tandara Care Centre as a trusted and quieter care experience, or Kingia, a care facility that provides a bright and contemporary environment for residents and their families.

2006 - 2007 – At the end of 2005, residents from the Carlisle campus gradually began relocating to homes at Bentley Park in readiness for the sale of the Carlisle campus. All Carlisle residents were settled in their new homes by April 2007 and quickly became active members of the Bentley Park community.

New residents commenced moving in to the newly-constructed villas in stage 2 of the redevelopment. The 27 new luxury apartments, now Plantation Apartments, were completed in August 2007.

As subsequent stages of the masterplan redevelopment are implemented, more of the original cottages at Bentley Park will be making way for the next generation of homes.

In late 2005, stage 2 of the masterplan redevelopment saw the commencement of 54 new villas on the south eastern corner of Bentley Park. By the end of 2005, a total of more than 100 new ‘Intelligent’ homes had been constructed at Bentley Park as part of the overall masterplan redevelopment.

Intelligent housing employs a user-friendly technology system to programme and to provide a state of the art IP telephone system with integrated emergency response capability in residents’ homes and alert staff if there is an irregularity which could indicate a resident may require urgent assistance. Importantly, this intelligent system also enables couples, who may otherwise be separated due to increasing care needs, to stay together in their home for much longer.

2004/05 – In line with the overall redevelopment strategy and in anticipation of the exciting period of growth ahead, SwanCare Group commenced a process to rationalise its smaller property holdings in the metropolitan area. The Midland site was sold in 2004 and residents from the Stan Nowak Villas in St James were relocated to Bentley Park after the sale of the St James property that same year.

2003/04 – At the commencement of the new millennium, the organisation was re-branded under the SwanCare Group name. This has since facilitated the development of a strong corporate and community identity and defined a dynamic presence for SwanCare Group as a recognised leader in the retirement living and aged care sector.

The Bentley campus was re-named ‘Bentley Park’ in recognition of the organisation’s link with the history of the site. The name Bentley Park is associated with the growth of the Swan River Colony and was in fact the original name for the suburb we now simply refer to as Bentley. In the 21st Century, over 1,000 residents now call the Bentley Park campus ‘home’.

Stage 1 of the 6-stage masterplan redevelopment commenced on a small parcel of vacant land within Bentley Park in 2003. This stage saw construction of 58 new villa and apartment homes which were completed in early 2005. New residents were settling in to these new homes within weeks of their completion.

The nineties: additional growth

1997 – Construction of the Stan Nowak Villas, comprising four quality units of two and three bedrooms, was completed in nearby St James – and a further satellite development was created.

During the nineties, the organisation embarked on a process of preparation and planning in order to define and meet the challenges that lay ahead in relation to the predicted growth of the ageing population in the new millennium.

The eighties: years of celebration

1989 - The completion of a new multi-purpose building on the Bentley campus provided a large auditorium on the ground floor which has been used since for concerts, fetes, meetings and lectures.

Administration was re-located to the first floor of the new building and the Social Club was provided with facilities on the second floor for a range of activities including an Art Studio, Snooker Room, Computer Room and Coffee Lounge. 

1985 - The Silver Anniversary of the founding of Swan Cottage Homes was celebrated with the commissioning of new infrastructure projects including extensions to the Waminda Hostel and the official opening of the JP Stratton Activities Centre, the Cultural Centre, the Museum, the Ranyard Activities Centre and the Guy Murray Memorial Bowling Green.

1980’s - During the early eighties, several projects came to fruition. Warner’s Corner adjacent to the Waminda Hostel became the property maintenance depot to meet the increasing demand for on-site servicing and repairs to buildings, grounds and the increasing number of residents.

Additional land was acquired to expand the capacity of the Nursing Home accommodation on the Bentley campus and construction of the Tandara Nursing Home, adjacent to Ningana, increased the number of available high care rooms to more than 140. Incorporated in the design and layout of this purpose-built facility were dedicated social and recreational areas that encouraged a holistic approach to caring for the frail aged.

The increasing trend towards resident-funded dwellings gave rise to the opportunity to make available a greater diversity in accommodation choices. As the townhouse lifestyle proved to be a popular option for incoming retirees, Mavis Cleaver Court was constructed offering a further 76 modern and spacious apartments.

The seventies: expansion

 1976 - The organisation’s main administration office moved from its original premises in Graham Crescent to a new building in Pine Avenue on the main Bentley campus.

In the same year, the Waminda Hostel opened offering residents the option of assisted daily living accommodation in comfortable self-contained apartments. This initiative achieved the objective of providing a continuum of care on the one site - a unique concept for this time and one that was soon to be emulated around the country by other aged care providers.

1975 – A parcel of land became available in the nearby suburb of Carlisle from which an additional satellite community emerged. The sharply sloping rooflines of the resulting 48 independent living units, clustered around attractive garden courtyards, characterised the development of the Carlisle community as a new direction for the organisation and accurately represented the architectural style of the era. The Social Centre, the hub of resident activities and numerous special events, encouraged the development of a close-knit community.

Close proximity to the main Bentley campus also gave access to a wide range of social and recreational opportunities and linked residents from both communities.

1972 – Richard Cleaver Lodge officially opened on the Bentley campus. The 55 newly-built units offered multi-storey apartment style living as an additional housing choice for new residents.

The sixties: the dream becomes reality
 
1969 - To fulfil the dream of providing a care facility for the frail aged, the 44-room Ningana Nursing Home was founded on the main Bentley campus to provide on-site residential aged care for benefit of the community.

1960 - A bushfire in a pine plantation in Bentley had an unlikely benefit to older folk seeking to secure homes for their retirement years. The fire was the catalyst to realising a long-held dream of then MHR for Swan, Dr Richard Cleaver. By bringing together a group of interested people, Dr Cleaver was able to formulate a plan which resulted in the formation of Swan Cottage Homes.

1961 – In July, the first residents moved into their new homes and by 1966, after a period of five years steady development, the original village was declared complete.

1967 - As the demand for aged persons housing continued to increase, so did the expansion of Swan Cottage Homes. In 1967, a generous benefactor offered a large block of land in Midland to the organisation in return for care – as a result of this generosity a new, smaller satellite community was created a short distance away from the main Bentley campus.