FEBRUARY 25, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Fix your bits and bobs
Volunteer repairer Andy Paul and Hope Jenkins.
A cafe to mend your bits and bobs is coming to Sunbury. The Sunbury Neighbourhood House Repair Cafe aims to help reduce waste by fixing household items for free. House manager Hope Jenkins said most items would be accepted at the cafe for a quick fix. “It is about preventing landfill, it is also about sharing skills [and] connecting the community,� she said. “We repair things like a wobbly chair, clothing that might need a hem taken up, stuffed toys. “The idea is that people don’t leave the premises. They stay with the repairer, connect, learn a skill or stick around and have a coffee.� The cafe has nine volunteer repairers but Ms Jenkins said she was on the hunt for more “specific� volunteers. “If there is a person who fixes leather belts or buckles, shoes or jewellery and watches – it can be as general or specific,� she said. The Repair Cafe opens on Saturday, February 29 from 10am-12.30pm at 513 Elizabeth Drive, Sunbury. The cafe will be open on the fourth Saturday of each month. Details: 9359 5493 or enquiries@sunburyhouse.com.au
(Damjan Janevski) 204723_02
Jessica Micallef
Sunbury aged care blow By Jessica Micallef Nearly 30 elderly residents will have to find a new home and 40 staff will be left without jobs when a Sunbury aged care facility closes its doors. The Sunbury Lions Community Aged Care Facility in Timins Street is expected to close on March 13 after nearly 30 years in operation. Sunbury Community Health, which owns the facility, announced the decision on Thursday. Sunbury Community Health chief executive Phillip Ripper said the site was “no longer suitable� for running an aged care facility. “It’s 30-years-old [and] it was designed as a
hostel,� he said. “It needs to operate to higher levels of care and we believe we can no longer provide a safe and suitable operation. “The scale of the facility is small. There are 33 beds. It is a small facility by industry standards. “Primarily it’s a concern for safety for residents and staff.� Currently there are 29 residents living at the home. Mr Ripper said all costs of relocation would be covered by Sunbury Community Health and resident accommodation bonds and accommodation deposits woould be refunded. “We’ve engaged with a team and they have met with all families, but one or two, about
their needs and preferences and to help manage the move to a new facility. That includes sorting out all the paperwork,� he said. “We are working with every family and every resident to find a new facility of their choice that will meet their needs.� Mr Ripper said the closure was not a financial decision. Staff entitlements for the 40 employees will be paid in full. “We have carers, cleaners, cooks and nurses, all largely casual and part-time,� he said. “We are assisting them with resume writing, interview skills [and] job seeking. “There are a number of existing not-for-profit and local homes that we are working with and
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[who] have got space to accommodate residents and staff. “The community health centre is strong, vibrant and growing and we have the cash available to immediately repay all the accommodation bonds and pay all staff.� Mr Ripper anticipates the Sunbury Lions Community Aged Care Facility will close on March 13 but he said he would ensure all residents and their families are looked after before the shutdown. “We will not close the doors until every resident has found a suitable home,� he said. The aged care facility opened in 1991 as a hostel with approval to care for 26 residents.
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