More than 150 people braved the heat on Saturday, 18 November, to help Cooinda Coonabarabran celebrate the official opening of its new purpose-built Grevillea Wing.

Eight years in the making, the project commenced when Cooinda successfully applied for grant funding in 2015.

The final result is 25 individual bedrooms - each boasting its own ensuite, along with a new lounge room, extension of the dining area, and upgrades to the administration area, courtyard and activities room.

Further funding in recent years has also allowed the delivery of a renovated laundry and kitchen, as well as the purchase of transportable, two-bedroom staff housing, upgrades to the fire-safety system and a new maintenance shed.

Overall, Cooinda has completed over $10 million of projects, with $4 million contributed from its own funds.

Maria Deep, current chair of the Cooinda Board, said since she joined the Board in 2016 there had always been a building project in the works at Cooinda.

“Along the way there have been all sorts of challenges which we have had to overcome in order to achieve the wonderful results,” Mrs Deep said.

“Things like shortages of tradesmen and building materials, not to mention the devastating impact of COVID-19.

“I would like to congratulate the management and staff of Cooinda and the builders for persevering during the difficult times while the renovations were being done.”

Mrs Deep said to complete these complex building projects to such a high standard without any major disasters in this environment, was remarkable.

“And while this has been a team effort, our CEO, Leanne Redfern, deserves a special mention - Leanne has been heavily involved in these projects from beginning to end,” she said.

“From applying for grants to selecting the furnishings, she has dealt with every hurdle that came her way and grown and matured the organisation in the process to the point where we are now held up by some authorities in aged care as a model organisation.

“What I’m really delighted about is the difference it has made to staff morale - everyone is delighted with their new surroundings and this is reflected in their happy, smiling faces.”

For Cooinda CEO, Leanne Redfern, the whole project had been an amazing achievement, considering that Cooinda remained a community-owned organisation and a not-for-profit registered charity.

“From all our residents, staff and board I would like to say thank you to you our community, for your ongoing support to Cooinda,” Mrs Redfern said.

“But we won’t be stopping here and will be applying for the next round of Government funding to refurbish the hostel building, now known as the Waratah Wing.

“We are excited about what the future holds for Cooinda as we strive to ensure that our buildings and services are attractive for our existing and future consumers.”