Community
14 October, 2024
Hub is back to help
TEA, cake and entertainment will mark the grand re-opening of a popular aged care social and wellbeing hub at Holloways Beach later this month.
The Centacare hub was severely flooded last December but has undergone many months of repairs and refurbishment to the building, garden and outdoor areas.
“The floods were catastrophic to many buildings and services throughout Holloways Beach, and our Oak Street respite hub was no exception,” Centacare FNQ Mental Health and Wellbeing Manager Nathan Lee said.
“It suffered a total loss of all internal furnishings and equipment along with valuable resources, including our extraordinary robotic therapy cats. Fortunately, we decided to close our services on the weekend of the floods, ensuring everyone was safe.
“To return to Oak Street after almost a year and find our sparkling new premises fully fitted out and ready to go is cause for celebration.”
The Hub has been operating in Smithfield while the work was carried out. Mr Lee said that before the December floods, “Oak Street” provided respite and social support for around 15 to 20 people a day.
“As we prepare to reopen our Oak Street premises’ new and improved version, we will introduce specialised dementia respite,” he said.
“With the addition of these services and more room to move, we are keen to spread the word that we are re-opening and look forward to returning to our home.”
Mr Lee is particularly excited by the new garden and outdoor area, which offered peace, enjoyment and stimulation. Watergardens Nursery had generously contributed to the architectural landscaping design and the provision of a new, computerised watering system. At the same time, the community rallied to Centacare FNQ’s Backyard Blitz campaign, calling for donations to populate the space with plant life.
The Oak Street social and wellbeing hub, funded by the Federal Government, will be open to the community on Saturday, October 26, from 9 am until noon.
