A ruby anniversary for the St Thomas Community Retirement Village

The St Thomas Community Retirement Village in Melbourne held a special lunch event for its 40th birthday, bringing the community together in celebration.

The St Thomas Community Retirement Village began as a plan by St Thomas the Apostle Catholic church to provide affordable accommodation for older people.

The first 12 homes and the community centre were completed in October 1985, followed by 24 villas in stage 2 and 3 opened in October 1987, and stage 4 villas in March 1995, blessed by Archbishop Frank Little.

The 50-villa community transferred ownership from the Catholic church to Southern Cross Homes (Vic) Inc in the early 2000s until ACH Group purchased the village in 2010. 

In 2021, during the tough times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Cross Care acquired the village from ACH. 

The recent 40th milestone celebration included a speech by Southern Cross Care CEO David Moran and a display of history from the village.

The cake was cut by the longest-residing residents, Toni and Burt Bruggeman, then neighbours shared conversations and laughter over a delicious meal.