Wallara opens

By Nicole Williams
WALLARA officially opened its new Dandenong headquarters earlier this month.
The innovative co-development facility was officially opened on Sunday 10 April by 2011 Australian of the Year, Dandenong-raised Simon McKeon and Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Community Services Andrea Coote.
Wallara CEO Phil Hayes-Brown said about 300 people attended the grand opening and were treated to a number of performances including the Wallara Band.
“All the performances were great and the Wallara Band got everybody rocking,” Mr Hayes-Brown said.
There is one original home on the grounds, which Mr Hayes-Brown said Mr McKeon remembered visiting as a child in Dandenong.
“He was standing in the house and trying to remember why it was familiar,” he said.
“He had a personal connection to Wallara which was fantastic and reminded us of our 52-year history in this area.”
As a partnership between Wallara and aged-care specialist Wintringham, the new facility combines accommodation for people with disabilities with housing for the aged and homeless.
Mr Hayes-Brown said the facility currently provided accommodation for 60 homeless people and 13 people with disabilities.
“It’s an interesting blend of disadvantaged groups,” Mr Hayes-Brown said.
“With the colours and different materials used, it’s a very inspiring site.”
The integrated facility was inspired by the growing nation-wide problem of ageing parents who are no longer able to provide care for their disabled children.
At the new Wallara facility, funded by the commonwealth and state governments, these parents can live in the Wintringham facility but on the same site as their family member with a disability.
Mr Hayes-Brown said he was proud to see a model like this built.
“It’s such a friendly, colourful friendly type of village and it really does set a new benchmark,” he said.
Mr Hayes-Brown invited the public to visit the headquarters and have a coffee at Potter Coffee, a new coffee service provided by some of the residents.
“It is a service for the community so everyone can pop in and have a coffee.”