The Goodwin Farrer grounds hosted residents, staff and distinguished guests to formally celebrate the completion of Goodwin Village Farrer and George Sautelle House.
Though two years have since passed the completion of Goodwin Village Farrer and George Sautelle House, guests and staff were all the more excited to celebrate the launch which was delayed due to COVID-19.
It was a delightful event with great weather, excellent food, drinks, and music from the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.
CEO Stephen Holmes opened the speeches, celebrating the resilience and strength of the Goodwin community for building the renowned facility in the face of unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic.
‘Today marks a special moment for all of us. Redevelopment of the Farrer site has been a long time coming, but I’m sure we can agree that nothing great is achieved easily. Redeveloping an occupied site was no easy feat, but we at Goodwin are proud of what we have delivered’.
Liesel Wett, Goodwin’s Board Chair, echoed this sentiment, expressing her gratitude for the community’s patience and understanding during the redevelopment process.
Ms Wett said, ‘A successful retirement village is more than just bricks and mortar. The redevelopment of the site was in the planning pipeline for almost a decade, and we are very proud of the outcome’.
The Farrer site has also been recently recognised as a finalist in the 2023 National Retirement Living Awards category for “Best Retirement Village Development”.
Ms Wett further stated, ‘we have received deep appreciation and commendation on the quality of the facilities and services created and we thank staff and residents for the wonderful environment they have created’.
Local federal member of parliament, Mr David Smith MP, aptly described the redevelopment as a ‘Farrerdise’, praising the work of the staff and Goodwin community in ‘setting the standard for high quality community and care in the aged care sector’.
Goodwin thanks the staff and residents who worked to make Goodwin Village Farrer and George Sautelle House the thriving communities they are.