HAMMONDCARE OPENS IN LISMORE

By Samantha Elley

It felt like a cast of thousands had dropped in to the new HammondCare premises on Molesworth Street in Lismore at its opening last week.

And that was just those from the NSW Parliament.

Premier Chris Minns was joined by Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib, Member for Lismore and Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery, Janelle Saffn and Minister for Housing, Rose Jackson to not only open the new facilities for HammondCare but also discuss the latest updates on the NSW Government’s support for the Northern Rivers region since the 2022 Floods. (See report on page XX)

Staff, supported residents and their families gathered to see the NSW Premier and HammondCare CEO and former NSW Premier Mike Baird, cut the ribbon on the new business in town.

Special guest, 86-yearold South Lismore resident Roger Manby was one of the 11 HammondCare At Home clients affected by last year’s foods.

He was woken at 3am by his son on 28 February last year.

“My son warned me this food was going to be worse than I was expecting, and I better get out of bed now,” he said.

“So, we all hightailed it onto the roof and waited six hours before help arrived.”

When asked by HammondCare At Home regional manager, Jodi Peel, when he was expected to get back home, he was excited to announce that October 1 would be the day.

Mr Minns acknowledged the confdence boost that a new business in the CBD, such as HammondCare, creates, which includes the increase in jobs.

“People are prepared to put their own capital into a building like this and that jobs are returning,” he said.

“We know the multiplication effect of putting in 60 jobs, that means 60 coffees in the morning and 60 coffees in the afternoon, as well as local cafes and it just breathes some vibrancy into downtown Lismore.”

Ms Peel said HammondCare At Home’s approach was to offer individually tailored support from care workers so older people can continue to live as they want in their own homes.

“Clients also may beneft from personalised activities with local volunteers and the pastoral care team,” she said.

Mr Baird said HammondCare was an organisation that tries to improve the quality of life of people in need.

“Every day, the team behind me, that’s what they do,” he said.

“A lot of my team went through the trauma of the foods that we’ve seen and heard about.

“How we get through it has come together and there is hope when people come together and there is also hope when we start to talk about the future.

“I see a great future here.”

Janelle Saffn said the opening of HammondCare in Lismore’s CBD expresses confdence in our community.

“That speaks to our recovery in a way some things don’t,” she said.

“With business there’s no separation between business and community, we are one and the same.”