- When Karen Brownlie, 67, from Bombala, NSW, learnt her tiny towns Aged Cared Centre was set to close their doors, she jumped into action.
- Banding together with members of the community they came up with a brave idea.
- Raising almost $350,000, they saved a really special part of their tiny town!
Here Karen tells her story in her own words.
After making a cuppa, I cuddled up to my hubby, Barry, then 70, on the lounge after work.
‘I’m exhausted,’ I said.
‘Maybe it’s time you join me?’ he suggested.
Retiring a few years earlier, Barry was living his best life working on our 525-acre cattle farm in Bombala, NSW. He’d been hinting at the idea of me taking the plunge and retiring too.
I’d been managing the Currawarna Aged Care Centre in town for 25 years, and couldn’t bear the thought of leaving.
But in 2020, I was running on empty.
I felt ready to step back and join my hubby in retirement.
Breaking the news of my decision to the staff and residents in February 2020 was heartbreaking.
In the meantime, Covid was on the rise and really began to take its toll.
While the virus thankfully never made it into the care home, we, like everyone else, had to keep visitors out.
With residents locked down, the staff and I worked around the clock to make sure everyone was happy and healthy.
When we weren’t playing bingo, trivia, colouring-in or having afternoon tea, we were wheeling residents up to the window to wave hello to their family members.
‘This is why I do what I do.’
For many who were hard of hearing or suffering dementia, communicating through a window just didn’t cut it.
So we decided to bring their loved ones inside, virtually.
As I bounced from room to room with my iPad, residents waved hello to their loved ones over video call.
Watching the smile spread across each face filled my heart with so much joy.
‘This is why I do what I do,’ I smiled.
Stepping away and saying goodbye four months later, in June, was difficult, but I felt ready to retire.
Nearly two years later, in February 2022, Barry and I were sitting down for dinner when my phone buzzed.
‘We have to do something.’
It was one of the residents’ family members from the aged care centre, inviting me to a meeting about the home’s future.
Even retired, my heart still belonged to the aged care centre I’d devoted two decades of my life to.
I was shocked to learn the owner of Currawarna was closing its doors.
This meant two dozen residents were being forced to leave and only had a few months to find a new place to call home.
The closest facilities were located a long drive away in Canberra, or in Pambula, NSW, and some residents had to make the 500km move to Sydney.
Our little community of 2000 people – where everyone knows everyone – was devastated.
‘We have to do something,’ I decided.
As word spread, a small group of locals, including staff and residents’ loved ones, joined forces.
‘Sounds like a great idea!’
Meeting at a cafe every Tuesday, we brainstormed how we were going to reopen the doors.
That’s when Keith, then 67, a local farmer, joined our committee.
‘Why don’t we reopen as an assisted living facility?’ he suggested.
By operating under the NSW Boarding House Act, it meant residents could live at the property, while receiving government support for low to medium level care, avoiding the soaring costs associated with running a high-level care facility.
Estimating we would need $1 million to get the home running again, we came up with ways to fundraise.
Together we decided on a few events, including auctions, music nights, lawn bowls, raffles and market stalls.
Local artists donated paintings, farmers gave a prize ram, and local businesses supplied loads of gravel and wood to be auctioned off.
‘Karen will do anything to get those doors reopened, even posing nude!’
I was also stopped in the street by generous locals, who handed me their hard-earned cash for the cause. ‘Every little bit counts,’ they said.
And it really did!
Before we knew it, we had $340,000 in the bank.
But we didn’t stop there.
Pam, then 80, whose hubby had been a resident at Currawarna before he passed, suggested we make a nude calendar.
‘Sounds like a good idea,’ I giggled.
Even though I was then 66 and didn’t consider myself a model, I was willing to strip off in the name of charity.
A few weeks later, I joined eight other locals on Pam’s property where we posed for the camera using props such as saddles, blankets, and even chooks, to cover our bits.
I was Miss August.
Launching our calendar, we were thrilled when it was a huge success, raising $17,000 for the cause!
Soon it was hard to find a home or business in Bombala without a calendar on the wall.
‘Karen will do anything to get those doors reopened, even posing nude,’ Barry joked to family and friends.
Not only had we grabbed the attention of the town, but the local politicians too.
We’d raised almost $350,000 ourselves, before the NSW government granted a further $840,000, taking our total kitty to just under $1.2 million.
Thankfully the former building was in perfect shape, so we didn’t have to make any structural changes, but we had the carpet and curtains replaced in each room.
It took 11 months of hard work, but in February this year, we opened the doors of Currawarna Assisted Living.
With 29 rooms, the facility is home to seniors and others living with a variety of ailments.
‘It’s so great to be back home,’ one of our former residents beamed.
Walking through the doors, I was greeted by a familiar warmth in every room, and I can’t help but feel so proud of how far we’ve come.
Getting my kit off helped save a really special part of my tiny town, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
