By Gabriella Payne
The team at Millhaven Lodge were thrilled to unveil a new wing of their aged care facility on Thursday 17 June, which will provide state-of-the-art facilities to even more residents while shining a light on parts of Pakenham’s rich history.
The recent refurbishments have seen Millhaven Lodge expand to include parts of the old Pakenham Hospital on the Princes Highway and the build has been a long time in the making.
It was a special occasion for Millhaven’s CEO, Linda Austen, as the unveiling and tour of the new facilities coincided with her final day at work, as she embarks on retirement after 18 years of service at the home.
“I’m feeling mixed emotions of course, because I’ve been here for 18 years, but it’s lovely to see the space and I think it will be a nice addition,” Ms Austen said.
Over the years, Ms Austen said she had seen many building projects at Millhaven, but it was nice to see this one finally completed after a number of setbacks due to Covid – and particularly as it paid homage to the history of the site.
“This was firstly the Pakenham Bush Hospital and then the Pakenham & District Hospital and then Monash Health took it over and spent money fixing it up for their community program before they moved out to the old council buildings,” Ms Austen explained.
“So we had an empty building and we decided to extend our existing area and now we’re finally ready to bring people into this lovely new section, which will make it a 24 bed wing all together.”
Longtime board member and treasurer, Bill Morris said that it was “fantastic” to see the new wing become a reality, particularly as the project had been achieved without any government funding.
“It’s fantastic, I think it’s a step forward for Pakenham,” Mr Morris said.
“We’ve done it on our own bat, with no government funding and I think we’ve expanded very well. It will be a big asset for Pakenham, as the area explodes and grows.”
Back in 1926, the Pakenham Bush Nursing Hospital was opened in a house on Rogers Street with a capacity for just six patients, before it was moved to the site in question in 1928.
Extensions made in both 1953 and 1985 saw the old Pakenham Hospital grow steadily with the area, but in 1998 the hospital closed its doors for good after funding changes made it unviable.
Somebody who knows just how much the site has changed over the years was the recent project’s builder, Brad Lamble, whose family have been intertwined with both the hospital and Millhaven over the years.
“My mum was a nurse in the hospital, my grandfather Jack Lamble built Abrehart I think, my dad did the renovation in here and the renovation over there [pointing at different wings], and my brother was born here at the hospital too,” Mr Lamble said.
“So there’s a fair connection here, and it’s been a really good project overall.”
Millhaven Lodge are hoping to hold a grand opening of the new wing once Covid restrictions have eased and are excited to keep progressing into the future.
