A Modern Home Built by a Region for Its People
Chaffey House opened in 2007 as a purpose-built, community-minded residential aged care home in the Sunraysia region. The project was the culmination of local planning conversations about dignity and place: families and local clinicians wanted a contemporary facility that felt like “home” and could deliver high standards of care.
Fundraising, Community Partnerships and Design Priorities
Although capital for the build came from a mix of funding streams, the community’s contribution was tangible. Service clubs and businesses supplied garden landscaping, volunteer groups provided activity equipment and local tradespeople were employed in construction. The design emphasised outdoor courtyards, panoramic views and domestic-scale living spaces to encourage social connection and independence.
Expansion and the Growth of Services
In the 2010s Chaffey House extended capacity to 100 beds and added a range of facilities: landscaped courtyards, a café, library, reflection room and improved rehab and allied health spaces. Each expansion was backed by committee drives and community fundraising events. The addition of a memory support wing and volunteer-run kiosk illustrated the home’s responsiveness to local needs and creativity in resourcing new services.
In 2018 Chaffey House home trialled a music program, where parents and their pre-schoolers visited and made music with the residents. The Music Together Generations program was so successful that the operators decided to build a childcare centre on the site. In 2021 Generations Early Learning was opened and continues to operate an inclusive program designed to improve the wellbeing of aged care residents, offer new experiences to children and benefit the wider community.
Culture, Volunteers and Intergenerational Links
Chaffey’s social life is sustained by volunteers and local groups, with school visits, projects and community-run craft sessions are regular features. This intergenerational interplay reinforces residents’ connection to local life and underlines the home’s founding principle: aged care created by a community, for a community. The home joined Respect in 2025 in a move designed to ensure the long-term future for regional care.