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Aged Care/Mitchell House/History of Mitchell House

History of Mitchell HouseYear Founded: 1985

Mitchell House Incorporated was originally formed in the early seventies as a Section 241A Committee of Council under the chairmanship of Mr. Eddie Grinpukel, a long time councillor and Shire President of the then Shire of Morwell. Mr. Grinpukel persuaded the then State Minister for Housing, Mr. Jeff Kennett, to locate public housing stock, originally intended for Churchill, on land owned by the Shire of Morwell at 127, Vary Street, Morwell.

  • From this beginning, the Mitchell House Committee constructed 14 self-contained single bedroom donor units, with funding provided by the Federal Government and local contribution.
  • 1985: a 38-bed hostel, funded by a Federal Government subsidy of almost $l million, a Committee fund-raising effort, and a grant of $60,000 from the Shire of Morwell, was constructed on the site.
  • January, 1986: the Hostel was opened and the Committee was incorporated as an independent association and leased the land occupied by the Units and the Hostel for a nominal annual rental of $10.
  • 1989: an additional 12 bedrooms and a multi-purpose activities/chapel/craft room were added to meet increasing demand. Funding for the extension was similar to that for the original building.
  • Early 1990s: 8 additional units were constructed from a $200,000 contribution from Council loan funds, augmented by some $300,000 contributed from Mitchell House Inc. funds.
  • Just over twelve months later, the accumulated surpluses from the hostel operations enabled Council contribution of $200,000 to be refunded in full. Since then, the Mitchell House Committee has acquired from its own funds, a bus for the use of its residents, added a garage and a store-room, extended its office accommodation twice, built a standalone workshop and added a physiotherapy and podiatry department.

The hostel has earned an enviable reputation for its quality of care with its residents, their families, and associates, and within the aged care industry as a whole, and reflects credit on the council in particular, and the region in general. Lot 1 of the land, which is part of the complex, includes 24 public housing units operated by the Victorian State Department of Housing, a Senior Citizens Centre operated by the Latrobe City Council, and public access, parking areas, etc. that have been retained by the Latrobe City Council.

Mitchell House Village has 22 single bedroom dwellings – Independent Living Units – for couples or single persons who are over the age of 55 years. The units have been maintained with a regular refurbishment program and are completely reassessed as vacancies occur.

An enthusiastic Mitchell House Auxiliary has been active from the time the original Association came into being and all fundraising events and activities are overseen by the Fundraising Sub-Committee which operates under delegation from the Committee of Management.

Over the years, the Auxiliary has raised and contributed significant funds to the construction of the RACF and for the purchase of equipment and fittings to supplement existing assets held by the facility.