* 21 November 2023 *
The Annual General Meeting took place on Thursday 16 November at our Frankston South aged care home. Once again, we had a hybrid AGM with some attending in person and some online, as has become the standard for the last three years.
Board Chair, Mike O’Meara OAM noted that in his previous reports, the organisation had been bearing up well under various pressures. He noted this juggling act “demands real commitment and solidarity from everybody concerned”. While the challenges continued in the 2022-23 financial year, he sensed a positive shift in mood, with a less tense atmosphere during COVID-19 outbreaks in residential care. Other improvements included a return to pre-covid occupancy levels in residential aged care, investment returns beginning to rebound, achieving the necessary changes for regulatory compliance and the Board’s increased governance responses.
Bearing in mind the current rental housing crisis, Mike mentioned three activities: the addition of six units at our third regional base, Warrnambool; the completion of the 27 new apartments in Ivanhoe right at the end of the year; and the future development of 20 units at Bundoora which is in the planning stage. All these add to the organisation’s ex-service accommodation rental housing program capability.
Mike commented that The V Centre Veteran Empowerment Program was something of a ‘back to the future’ project: it reminded him of the work that Jessie Mary Vasey undertook after World War II and the RSL after World War I to support veterans fresh from the impact of their service. The V Centre is due to open in 2024 and we were very pleased to receive The Governor General, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley and Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, for a tour of the site – a very special event for us. Mike noted that this project has helped strengthen relationships with many relevant external organisations and we have built stronger awareness at government level as we seek external funding for this program.
In closing, Mike noted the work of the staff and his appreciation for their support of the organisation’s mission to ‘Serve Those Who Served’. He thanked his colleague directors for their work throughout the year, the Executive Management Team for their commitment, and finally, CEO Janna for her leadership, noting that she “carries out her responsibilities in an exemplary way”.
CEO, Janna Voloshin expressed her pride in and gratitude for the 2022-23 financial year, noting the support of staff, “the backbone of our organisation” and the leadership team for guiding the organisation through the challenges and changes required.
During the year, the organisation supported 680 ex-service men and women, with 325 aged care residents being welcomed, 76 new home care clients adding to the growing base and 40 new ex-service accommodation residents.
Janna noted the substantial ongoing legislative aged care changes originating from the Royal Commission and continuing to impact residential aged care, as well as ongoing accreditation requirements. The organisation achieved successful re-accreditation for our Bundoora, Frankston South and Brighton aged care homes during the financial year. Consumer engagement continues to be a “cornerstone of our organisation” with forums empowering residents to shape their own lives.
Changes to the Executive Management Team are never easy, but Janna commented that it is important to have fresh perspectives to help reach our aspirations. She noted in particular the changes our new Chief Financial Officer is making to strengthen the analytical framework for the future.
The completion of the Ivanhoe ESA units and the approaching completion of The V Centre are both led by the Veteran Services Team, established just three years ago, and with three of the four team members being veterans.
Expressing gratitude to the General Manager HR, Tamara Paton, Janna noted her work in driving transformative change, her leadership of the HR team and her support beyond HR, especially in the Acting CEO role during Janna’s leave.
Concluding her presentation, Janna thanked all the Board Members for their invaluable support, noting her appreciation for the wisdom and guidance of Board Chair Mike, throughout the year.
Board Treasurer, Tracey Bannan, (online) presented the Auditor’s Report, Director’s Report and the Annual Financial Statements for the year ending 30 June 2023, noting a substantial turnaround in the overall results from the previous year. A new Auditor was appointed for the coming three years.
Board Membership
One of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality & Safety was that all Boards running aged care should have board level clinical expertise. A recruitment process was undertaken to find someone with extensive clinical and management experience in aged care: Michele Lewis, whose father was a Vietnam Veteran, was welcomed to the Board of Directors.
Board Members Tracey Bannan and Laureen Grimes were reappointed for a further term.
Other business included agreement of director remuneration. The meeting was closed and afternoon tea followed.
Open 2023-23 Impact Report (PDF)
Open 2022-23 Impact Report (FlipBook)
Open 2022-23 Financial Report (PDF)