March 23, 2023 | DCM Institute

Retirement by Lendlease’s Karri Ashford and Glenys Watters named best in State

Workers at the For Profit business, which has 10 retirement villages in WA, won the Village Manager of the Year and Salesperson of the Year awards at a Property Council WA event in Perth.

Property Council of WA Executive Director Sandra Brewer congratulated Karri Ashford, Village Manager at Woodstock West in Bunbury, and Glenys Watters, Parkland Villas Mandurah in Halls Creek and Woodstock West, Bunbury, for their ongoing commitment and dedication to providing excellent service to the retirement living community and industry.

“Retirement villages provide safe, affordable, and comfortable housing for seniors and those that work in the sector have an important role to play in managing all aspects of village life with compassion and professionalism,” Sandra said.
“These awards also recognise the hard work that goes into promoting the many benefits that come from being a part of this community and the support provided to residents as they make the move into retirement communities.”

Daniel Gannon, Retirement Living Council’s Executive Director, told the event Australia was a global leader in the design of age-friendly communities and it was extraordinary people who could build strong and productive relationships with residents that made retirement living even more enjoyable.

No alternative text description for this image — *Daniel Gannon with (from left) Sandra Brewer, Glenys Watters, Retirement by Lendlease’s WA Head of Communities and Development, Anthony Rowbottam, and WA Parliamentary Secretary Jags Krishnan.*

A 10-year longitudinal study of retirement village residents by DCM Group, owner of the DCM Institute, found 83 per cent of residents felt safer in the age-friendly community than in their previous home, with 94 per cent of residents confirming they were “glad to be living in a retirement community during these uncertain COVID-19 times”.

Karri joins NSW/ACT winner Jo-Anne Quinn, QLD winner Justine Regan, SA/NT winner Lee Ann Alejo and VIC/TAS winner Sherman Brown in the final, with the Village Manager of the Year national winner declared at the Retirement Living Council summit on 22 June.

Liberal and Labor make pitch to NSW RVRA before State Election – more regulations and an Ombudsman

The NSW Retirement Villages Residents Assn asked Liberal and Labor what to expect if they win this Saturday. Both talked up more regulations.

The Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello (Liberal Party), and the Shadow Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, Courtney Houssos (Labor Party) responded to the request.

Victor, who retires from politics after 15 years when NSW voters go to the polls, told the NSW RVRA:

“The NSW Government supported the findings (of the Greiner Report) and committed to making reforms to give effect to them.
The final phase of implementing the Greiner report’s recommendations is developing and consulting on a public register. The purpose of the register is to address the problematic prevalence of information asymmetry between operators and residents (prospective and current) and the financial burden on residents if something goes wrong. Targeted consultation on the register, including on the fields and usability aspects, is due to commence in the coming months.
The reforms are scheduled to be evaluated this year and this evaluation will inform the remake of the Retirement Villages Regulation 2017. The Regulation remake will be deferred until 2024 so that there is sufficient scope and time for any amendments to incorporate the findings of the evaluation.”

Courtney, who is jointing leading the Labor Party’s Upper House ticket, told the NSW RVRA:

“NSW Labor supports the grant awarded to the Retirement Village Residents Association in November 2022, which has been used to improve advice and education capabilities. If NSW Labor forms Government in March, we will extend the $125,000 grant awarded to the RVRA. We want to see the RVRA continue to prosper and grow.
NSW Labor acknowledges that the Greiner inquiry into the retirement village sector called for a dedicated ombudsman service, which would assist residents with dispute resolution, including mediation. If we are elected, we will investigate how this can be brought into effect.
If elected, a NSW Labor Government has committed to establishing a Strata Commissioner who will be charged with overseeing strata governance and policy across government, including legislative and regulatory reform in the Retirement Village sector. This will include implementing any recommendations made to improve the sector.”