Ryman Times AU – SPRING 2022

RYMAN TIMES RY M A N H E A LT H CA R E AU ST R A L I A

Bears not bombs – knitting campaign takes off Roslyn storms to success as village manager of the year Introducing… Bert Newton Village!

Raelene Boyle Village is officially off and running

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A NOTE FROM CAM Hello and welcome to your latest edition of the Ryman Times.

The best thing about this one is what’s not in it: stories about how we’re still pushing forward despite the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the many successes we achieved as a company in the face of COVID-19 spoke volumes about our team’s remarkable agility and fortitude, we’re now approaching Summer with the handbrake off and the worst of the pandemic (hopefully!) in rear-view mirror.

And as you’ll see as you flick through the pages of this Ryman Times, we’re entering the warmer months with our foot firmly on the accelerator.

We’ve finalised the purchase of a fantastic new site in Coburg North where we plan to build a new $350m village; our Raelene Boyle village in Aberfeldie is now officially open; and we’ve welcomed the late, great Bert Newton into the family of Ryman villages in Victoria. We’ve also completed construction on two sites – Raelene Boyle and Charles Brownlow As always, our success as a business is being fuelled by some extremely talented people. I was thrilled to join John Flynn Retirement Village residents and staff as their leader, Roslyn Prentice, was named the best village manager in Australia, and incredibly proud to see our People and Safety team win an HR Team of the Year Award.

The launch of our aged care policy discussion paper, featured inside, is a hugely significant moment in Ryman’s Australian growth story, marking our evolution from a small industry disrupter to a widely-respected and influential voice in the sector.

We have achieved so much since coming to Victoria, and I’m incredibly proud that we’re now taking Ryman’s decades of experience and expertise beyond our own village gates.

We have entered an exciting new phase of our growth journey, and I look forward to sharing that story with you as it continues to unfold in the months and years ahead.

Cameron Holland Ryman Australia CEO

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IN THIS ISSUE

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Dame Nellie’s billiards table finds a new village home

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Bears not bombs – knitting campaign takes off

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Roslyn storms to success as village manager of the year People and Safety team take top honour

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Dan Andrews talks life at Nellie Melba

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Introducing…

Bert Newton Village!

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Raelene Boyle Village is officially off and running

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Ryman plans $350m village in Coburg North

1800 288 299 rymanhealthcare.com.au

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Aged care up for discussion

The Ryman Times is a quarterly publication for shareholders.

For editorial enquiries please contact ruthea.vanheerden@rymanhealthcare.com

Front cover: Debra Richardson with some of the knitted bears.

Ryman Healthcare Ltd Level 10, Suite 10.03, 420 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004

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DAME NELLIE’S BILLIARDS TABLE FINDS A NEW VILLAGE HOME For more than a century, Dame Nellie Melba’s billiards table sat frozen in time inside Coombe Cottage, the 19th century homestead in Coldstream the Australian operatic icon called home.

Now, the custom-made table has been lovingly refurbished and given a new lease on life at the Ryman Healthcare retirement village named in the great diva’s honour.

Ryman purchased the table from Coombe Cottage so residents at its Nellie Melba village in Melbourne would have a piece of Melba history to call their own.

Village pool sharks Peter Waterworth and Robert Stubberfield played a central role in bringing the table to its new home, travelling to Coombe Cottage to inspect the table and ensure it met their exacting standards.

“It was really exciting to be involved in attaining the table and I’m glad I was,” said Robert.

“I thought it would be marvellous if we could get her billiards table. They’d be putting some history and heritage in our village.”

Peter said he is “so appreciative” to have a direct connection to Melba in their village.

“Nellie Melba epitomised the values and the character of the people we hope come into our village and to have an actual item of hers is just remarkable,” said Peter.

“We play [billiards] three times a week now.

It’s something to really look forward to, the camaraderie between the guys is just great.”

Alcocks, the company that originally built the table for Dame Nellie around 1920, took on the challenge to completely refurbish it before it was moved to its new home.

Factory Manager Tim Lowe said Nellie’s table is one-of-a-kind.

“Everything in there is Queensland maple, which makes it unique.” Tim said.

“It also has a very special kit of accessories; very high-end pool cues and cue rack all made from Queensland maple to match the table.

“It’s a great facility for the residents there and a real opportunity to play on a piece of history.”

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Ryman Healthcare names all its retirement villages after outstanding people, and Dame Nellie’s great-grandson, the late Lord Vestey, travelled from the UK to officially open the village in 2018.

Ryman’s Communications and External Relations Manager Michael Cummings said the decision to name a village after a great Australian came with a responsibility to honour their life and help keep their legacy alive.

“The village really becomes an homage to the contribution that person made to the world, so we’re always looking for ways we can connect with their history and honour it.”

Michael said when he was approached by Coombe about the possibility of buying the table, “it just felt like the perfect fit”.

“Not only do our residents now have a magnificent billiards table, but they can also say ‘This was Dame Nellie’s, she played on it with her friends, and now we have a small piece of her history to enjoy and share with others’.”

Pictured: Dame Nellie Melba’s billiards table has undergone a full restoration before moving to its new home at Nellie Melba Retirement Village.

BEARS NOT BOMBS – KNITTING CAMPAIGN TAKES OFF A mammoth trans-Tasman bear making mission is underway for the children of Ukraine.

The Ryman Healthcare Yuri Bear project aims to make 20,000 knitted teddy bears for some of the 5 million children displaced since the country was invaded

by Russia.

Every resident at Ryman’s 45 villages and the company’s offices in Melbourne and Christchurch has been challenged to contribute a bear.

Victorian Sales and Community Relations Manager Debra Richardson said the project was a way Ryman residents, team members, and the wider community, could make a small difference to the lives of the youngest members of the war-torn country.

“Being so far away it can be difficult to know how we can help,” Debra said.

“Thousands of Ryman village residents are avid knitters, and this project empowers them to use a skill that they are experts at to send a symbol of love from afar.”

The project is a labour of love for Debra, whose former foster son Yuri remains in Ukraine.

Debra and her family fostered Yuri in Melbourne following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the 1980s.

“He has made the decision to stay and fight for his country and his family have been evacuated to safety,” Debra said.

“The project emerged from my discussions with Yuri about how we could provide support from Australia and New Zealand.

“When I first shared the idea with Yuri he said: ‘Ukraine is stronger with your help, empathy, and love.

A million thanks to the millions of people who care’.”

While Debra’s contact with Yuri has become sporadic as the war rages on and concern grows that his messages could be monitored, the Yuri Bear project is giving Debra a sense of connection to the man she cared for as a child.

“It is easy to feel totally helpless to what is going on, but small gestures like a handmade bear for a child who has lost almost everything can make a meaningful difference,” she said.

From now until September needles will be clicking across both countries, with speedy knitters already sparking a healthy dose of trans-Tasman competition.

The public is also being encouraged to get involved in the project, and public Yuri bear drop off points have been placed at all Ryman villages.

Pictured: Debra Richardson with some of the knitted bears.

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ROSLYN STORMS TO SUCCESS AS VILLAGE MANAGER OF THE YEAR Ryman Healthcare’s John Flynn Retirement Village manager Roslyn Prentice (pictured) has been recognised as Australia’s best.

Roslyn was named ‘Village Manager of the Year’ at the Leading Age Services Australia Excellence in Age Services Awards which were held on Aged Care Employee Day. The award recognises Roslyn’s total commitment to the wellbeing of residents and staff at the village, leadership during COVID-19, and creation of initiatives to improve the lives of older people.

Her award-winning initiatives included the creation of a ‘Resident Directory’ featuring comprehensive information on everything from allied health professionals in the area to fun things to do.

The directory, which is given to all residents upon their move to the village, has received praise from people who moved from outside of Melbourne to John Flynn.

Roslyn was surrounded by residents and team members

at the village when she found out she had won and was greeted by rapturous applause.

Upon completion of the village, she will lead 120 staff supporting more than 500 residents.

“I’m incredibly humbled to be named ‘Village Manager of the Year,” she said.

Ryman Australia CEO Cameron Holland said Roslyn was an extremely deserving recipient.

“This is an acknowledgement of not only myself, but the amazing people at John Flynn and at Ryman Healthcare who support me to lead such a fabulous community.

“Everyday it is an absolute privilege to work with such a dedicated team who provide outstanding care to our residents.”

Roslyn was one of three finalists in the Village Manager of the Year category.

Since she began working for Ryman in 2019 she has worked at three villages.

During this time, she has led the establishment and management of John Flynn, including welcoming more than 140 residents to the village and recruiting a team of 90 staff.

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“Roslyn not only manages the independent living, but residential aged care and serviced apartments and home care as well,” he said.

“The size of the team and the responsibility this requires is immense.

“We are extremely lucky to have a leader like Roslyn as part of the team.”

John Flynn resident Ray Keppie said Roslyn’s leadership of the village made him ‘proud’ to call it home.

“She’s a very strong person, and that’s what I like about her,” Ray said.

“I’m really proud, because it’s not only a reflection of Roslyn, but the village and residents.”

PEOPLE AND SAFETY TEAM TAKE TOP HONOUR Ryman’s Victorian People and Safety team has won an Australian HR Team of the Year award for their compassionate response to COVID-19.

The leading industry award recognises initiatives established by the team, including offering additional payments for staff working at villages impacted

by COVID-19, redeploying office and construction team members to villages, and running resilience webinars.

Victorian People and Safety manager Emma Hogan said she was “incredibly proud” of her team.

“Two and a half years ago I was the standalone HR (Human Resources) person in Australia, being supported by a great team in Christchurch and Auckland,” she said.

“Now there is a team of eight locally, so there has been massive growth that has allowed us to keep on supporting Ryman team members across Australia.”

The pandemic had transformed the way the team operates.

“During the height of the pandemic we shifted from an advisory function based within the Melbourne office to operating within villages that needed support and getting hands on as much as we could.

“When we go to villages now team members know us by name, and we have a greater understanding of various team dynamics, which is very beneficial when it comes to recruiting the right people and supporting growth opportunities.”

The people team’s rapid growth meant each area of the business,

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from construction to operations, had a subject matter expert to provide support to achieve business objectives.

“As the team has grown, so too has our pool of expertise,” Emma said.

The award also recognises the team’s partnership with the Melbourne Business School to develop an Advanced Leadership Program for Ryman’s leadership team, involvement in the delivery of ‘myRyman Life’ dementia care training, and partnerships with Deakin and Monash universities.

Ryman’s People and Safety team is one of nine Australian HR Team of the Year recipients.

Pictured: Emma Hogan (back row first on the left) with her wonderful hard- working team.

DAN ANDREWS TALKS LIFE AT NELLIE MELBA Victorian Premier Dan Andrews enjoyed a reprieve from the world of politics when he swapped boardroom meetings for a special morning tea with Nellie Melba Retirement Village residents.

Over tea and cakes the state leader had what village resident Bob Barclay described as “indepth conversations” with many residents, with topics spanning Ryman’s award-winning response to COVID-19, to the impressive working lives of residents.

For Nellie Melba resident Lily Yeo, Mr Andrews’ visit was particularly emotional.

Like Mr Andrews, who suffered a spinal injury last year, through tears Lily told the Premier a loved one was also recovering from a spinal injury.

“I felt very privileged,” Lily said.

“He seemed a very sympathetic and gentle person and he asked me to pass on his best wishes.

“He told me about his own accident and said, ‘it’s a hard journey, but they are in the best place’.”

Lily said Mr Andrews’ message of support had buoyed her loved one.

As well as opening up about his own health struggle, the Premier was equally interested to hear about the triumphs of residents.

Now in his eighties, Bob Barclay told the Premier he retired in 2002, however in 2003 he returned to his workplace after accepting a permanent part-time role, which he still holds today.

“He was surprised,” Bob laughed.

“He did ask me how old I was when I told him I was still working.”

Bob also told the Premier about Ryman Healthcare’s COVID-19 initiatives, including weekly deliveries of milk and bread to all residents as well as Happy Hour in a Bag. Ryman Times • 11

“I told him we went through a tough time here, like everyone else did - we had security on the gates – but Ryman really looked after their residents,” Bob said.

The discussion had shown the Premier’s interest in residents was equal to theirs in him.

“I’ve spoken to many dignitaries over my lifetime, and a few have shown interest in my life, such as he did, but quite often dignitaries will say ‘g’day, how are you?’ and nothing meaningful.

“I walked away knowing he’d asked the questions and had in-depth conversations.”

Prior to the morning tea, Mr Andrews attended a presentation where he heard about Ryman’s history and expansion in Victoria.

Pictured: Nellie Melba resident Bob Barclay chats with Victorian Premier Dan Andrews.

INTRODUCING… BERT NEWTON VILLAGE! The name of one of Australia’s most enduring and loved entertainers will take centre stage at Highett’s newest retirement community.

Ryman Healthcare announced its retirement village in the bayside suburb will be named in honour of Bert Newton (AM, MBE).

The Australian showbiz icon joins Weary Dunlop, Nellie Melba, John Flynn, Charles Brownlow, Deborah Cheetham and Raelene Boyle in having a Ryman village named in his honour.

A quadruple Gold Logie winner and Logie Hall of Fame inductee, Bert Newton was a true pioneer of television and radio.

He first captured the imaginations of Australians while working in radio broadcasting, primarily as an announcer, before becoming a star of television during its inception in 1956.

Later, he would host Australia’s night of nights, the Logies, 19 times.

More than 200 people attended the unveiling of the village’s name at the Sandringham Yacht Club in August.

Bert’s wife Patti was among them and said she was honoured her husband had been recognised in this way.

“We’re really thrilled to have this honour of naming the village after Bert, especially in Graham Road,” Patti said.

“Bert was a people person; he loved to make people happy and the quality of this beautiful village will do that.

“I’m on the search for memorabilia to have within the village so you can always see his smiling moon face.

“He never wanted to be forgotten, so now with the Logie named in his honour and this village, he’s doing well.”

Ryman Healthcare’s Victorian Sales and Community Relations Manager Debra Richardson said the company had been naming its villages after exceptional people for more than 30 years.

“First and foremost, this tradition is about honouring the contribution of that person and doing what we can to help preserve their legacy,” Debra said.

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“But it’s also about creating a unique identity for that village.

The village community becomes coloured by their character and imbued with the values that set that person apart.

“The individual that we have chosen to honour at our Highett village, is an Australian we all felt we knew, and we all couldn’t help but love.”

The Bert Newton Retirement Village at 32-40 Graham Road, Highett, will include independent apartments, assisted living in serviced apartments and an aged care centre.

It will have a gym, a bowling green, a hair and beauty salon, a chapel, a cinema, a bar, a café and an indoor swimming pool, among other amenities.

The village will be home to around 230 people when complete. The first residents are due to move in next year.

Pictured: Bert Newton.

Credit: David Caird

RAELENE BOYLE VILLAGE IS OFFICIALLY OFF AND RUNNING Ryman Healthcare’s Raelene Boyle village in Melbourne has opened with a bang.

as they watched Australian opera star Deborah Cheetham, who already has a Ryman village named after her, perform.

Almost 200 people attended a ribbon cutting at the village in September to officially open the Aberfeldie facility, named in honour of the Olympic running legend and cancer research advocate.

Greg paid tribute to everyone who had worked so hard to make the village a reality but reserved the biggest vote of thanks for its new residents.

Ryman Board Chair Greg Campbell, Moonee Valley Mayor Samantha Byrne, and local state MP Ben Carroll each addressed the crowd before the trio cut a ribbon to mark the village’s opening.

Greg’s fellow Ryman directors and the company’s Senior Executive Team also joined the celebration

“For all the work Ryman has put into creating this village, it is you who have made it a community.

You are its guardians – the people who will shape its culture and define it as a place of kindness and care and inclusion.”

While Raelene, who lives in Queensland, couldn’t make the event in person, she sent her well wishes in a pre-recorded video message.

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“Here’s to the opening of the Raelene Boyle Retirement Village, I hope you love your life here,” she said.

“For those of you who are going to live here, I’m jealous!”

The village has 64 independent apartments, 27 serviced apartments, and a 74-bed care centre.

The first residents moved in December last year, and it will be home to around 200 people once full.

Pictured: Debra Richardson, MP Ben Carroll, Ryman Board Chair Greg Campbell, and Moonee Valley Mayor Samantha Byrne.

RYMAN PLANS $350M VILLAGE IN COBURG NORTH Ryman Healthcare is planning to build a $350 million retirement village in Coburg North in Melbourne.

Ryman plans to transform the 2.56-hectare site at 14-22 Gaffney Street into an integrated retirement village.

The village will combine modern independent living apartments and a full aged care centre, including specialist dementia care, on a single site.

The village will also include a café, bar, gym, cinema, indoor pool, and hair and beauty salons.

It will create more than 130 long-term jobs for the area as well as work for hundreds of tradies and contractors during its construction phase.

Less than 10km from Melbourne’s CBD, the Coburg North site is next to Batman train station, is just 50m from a tram stop, and only a short walk to Pentridge Shopping Centre.

The Ryman development will include the provision of new commercial space along Gaffney Street, adding the potential for retail, hospitality and health service operators within the retirement village precinct.

“With more free time on their hands, older Australians want to get busy living life to the full. This village will provide a unique opportunity to do just that.”

With aged care available on site, residents will also have the peace of mind that comes from knowing they’ll be looked after if their health needs change.

Ryman Australia CEO Cameron Holland said the village proposed for Coburg North would offer residents a bustling city lifestyle surrounded by restaurants, cafes, and public transport options right on their doorstep.

“Coburg North is an area that’s really taking off, with the recent arrival of marque developments like the Pentridge Shopping Centre adding to its appeal.

We build village communities where people want live, and this is an area where people very much want to live.”

“What we know at Ryman is that retiring doesn’t mean slowing down,” Mr Holland said.

Pictured: Ryman’s Coburg North village will offer residents a bustling city lifestyle!

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AGED CARE UP FOR DISCUSSION Ryman Healthcare is taking a leading role in the public conversation about how to address Australia’s aged care crisis, with the launch of a policy discussion paper.

The paper, launched last month in Melbourne by New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Australia Dame Annette King (pictured), lays out a blueprint for reforming Australia’s underfunded, underperforming and unprofitable aged care sector.

It concludes that widespread adoption of a Continuum of Care model would provide a better quality of care for older Australians, reduce the cost of the aged care system on the taxpayer, alleviate pressure on the public health system, and increase housing supply.

The Continuum of Care model, whereby retirement living and aged care services are integrated within one village community, is widely adopted in New Zealand,

where Ryman was founded almost 40 years ago. All of Ryman’s 38 retirement villages in New Zealand, as well as its seven in Victoria, have aged care centres, compared with just 30 percent of Australia’s retirement villages.

The discussion document’s key recommendations include establishing a national regulatory regime to govern the retirement living and aged care sectors as one. Creating greater incentives in planning systems for integrated retirement living and aged care facilities, and introducing a specific home care package for retirement villages to help residents live independently for longer.

Cameron Holland said aged care in Australia needed to change to meet future demand.

“Aged care in Australia is fundamentally broken and, with almost 65 percent of operators currently running at a loss, and ageing aged care stock not

meeting customers’ changing needs, the need to rethink our entire approach couldn’t be more urgent,” Mr Holland said.

Dame Annette officially launched the document at an event in Melbourne, and also wrote the document’s foreword.

“The Continuum of Care model – widely used in New Zealand but only in its infancy in Australia – offers a strong basis on which to address two key issues facing the aged care sector: financial viability and, most importantly, improving the quality of care delivered to residents,” Dame Annette said.

“As Ryman is demonstrating in its villages in Victoria, as well as back home in New Zealand, the Continuum of Care model facilitates investment in the high-quality aged care that older people need and deserve.”