Clarence Estate set to open new community centre named in honour of Jennifer Grieve

A new community centre at Clarence Estate that has been named in honour of a nurse instrumental to the facility’s founding will be officially opened by the Premier Mark McGowan on Friday. The Jennifer Mary Grieve Home and Community Centre is the new neighbour of the Clarence Estate Residential Aged Care Facility which has served Albany since 2002. Hall and Prior Health and Aged Care Group chief executive Graeme Prior said naming the new home and community centre after Ms Grieve was a fitting tribute to her dedication to both the company and the aged care industry. “It is with great pleasure that we are opening the Jennifer Mary Grieve Home & Community Centre here at Clarence Estate,” he said. “Clarence Estate is recognised as the best in the region for our nursing services and by expanding our offering and services further into the community, we will continue to assist those who require a flexible approach to aged care in Albany and beyond.” Last month, Ms Grieve’s dedication to the industry also resulted in her receiving a lifetime achievement honour at the WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards. She was the executive manager of Clarence Estate for six years from its opening through to 2008 before accepting a promotion to group general manager that saw her and her husband Owen relocate to Perth. Hall and Prior regional leader Dr Kristi Holloway said Ms Grieve had been an important mentor to many at Clarence Estate. She said the new centre had been in the making for 15 years, but the project became a reality when State Government funding was secured to support Hall and Prior’s own investment in the centre. “The past three years have been spent researching best practice design, as well as lots of community consultation to ensure that the (centre) is a vital aspect of the Great Southern’s health infrastructure for the next 50 years,” she said. Dr Holloway said it would benefit the residents of the adjacent Clarence Estate Residential Aged Care facility as a new centre for their activities and allow them to stay connected to lifelong friends still living in the community. “For clients who still live in the community, the new centre provides a meeting point, where people can enjoy each other’s company, as well as having access to activity programs, sharing a meal or high tea, and connecting with others in their community,” she said. “A Community Shed shed enables community members to have access to tools and equipment to finish off that project or build something fun for the grandchildren. “The centre also provides the opportunity for Albany-based staff to support our team located throughout the Great Southern, providing better training and support which in turn enables our team to better support regional and remote clients.” Mr McGowan will visit the estate on Friday for an official tree-planting ceremony. The estate is also throwing open the centre’s doors to the community from 11am so they can attend the official opening ceremony and take part in fair-style activities. “The vision of the community centre is to bring the Albany and broader Great Southern Community together to collectively ‘age well’,” Dr Holloway said. “The fact that the worst of the pandemic appears behind us and we can invite the community into the centre to celebrate the opening is fantastic. “This is a community centre and we are thrilled that the community will be an important part of the opening.”