Steve Whan
Member for Monaro

Media Release
Currawarna opening - More than just great news for aged care in Bombala

Wednesday, 28 February 2024

Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, has credited the Bombala community with a huge win as the Currawarna facility reopens for new assisted living residents.

Steve Whan said, "Like many in the community, I was disappointed when the operators of the old Currawarna nursing home decided they could not continue to operate the facility.

"It was a decision which meant families had to send elderly loved ones hundreds of kilometres from their hometowns and their friends. A devastating blow.

"But the Bombala community wouldn't accept the blow. They rallied around with a practical plan to reopen Currawarna as an assisted living facility. They didn't just say to Government - 'fix it' - they said we will fix it, with the Government's help.

"I'm delighted that prior to being elected as part of a Minns Labor Government I was able to secure a commitment of $840,000 to back the community's amazing fundraising efforts.

"At that stage the community had already raised a phenomenal $160,000 so our commitment was to make up the rest - since then, the community has gone above and beyond and raised and additional $180,000 bringing the total community fundraising efforts to $340,000 between 2000 residents.

"It is true to say there was a grey area about which level of Government and which program should have been part of this project. But the 'commitment' from the previous Nationals Government wasn't good enough, making a smaller contribution conditional on non-existent federal funding looked too much like political game playing to me. 

"The outcome now is a facility where elderly people who are no longer able to live at home will be able to live in a facility with day-to-day assistance. Currawarna fits in between aged care packages in the home, or independent living facilities and higher-level nursing home facilities. 

"Bombala will eventually have the full range of options available, new independent living facilities are being constructed courtesy of the Kennedy family's bequest and NSW Labor has committed $15 million to expand higher aged care beds in the Bombala hospital. 

"Huge credit to the committee behind this effort: Keith Campbell, Karen Brownlie, Rosie Gillespie-Jones, John Murdoch, and Zoe Joseph. Also, to all the members of the community who organised or participated in fundraisers from open gardens to bowls to nude calendars, what an effort!"