Rose Park Retirement Living
ACH Group will create 72 new retirement living apartments within a connected community at Rose Park, as part of a proposed, thoughtfully designed development that will allow us to deliver more, diverse and much‑needed housing and care choices for older people.
Located on the corner of Hewitt Avenue and Fullarton Road, the development will include a range of health and wellness facilities, a 7.5-star energy rating and smart technology.
Previously the site has served members of South Australia’s war widow community and residents well for many decades but is no longer able to meet the needs of older people into the future.
ACH Group has a long-standing relationship with former Australian War Widows SA (AWW (SA)), now known as Families of Veterans Guild, and we deeply respect their heritage and personal connection to Rose Park.
For almost two years we have worked closely with war widows and residents to listen and understand what matters most to them. Our dedicated transition coordinator has, and continues to, provide individual support to help people relocate, with two of the three war widows now having chosen their new homes.
We are also supporting the war widows to continue to meet and connect at Rose Park, including construction of a new purpose-built meeting hall and office, which has recently received planning approval. The development will include the full restoration of heritage-listed Vasey House honouring Jessie Vasey OBE, CBE founder of the War Widows Guild.
As a trusted, not-for-profit aged care provider, our values are at the heart of every decision we make. Through this thoughtfully designed development we will honour the legacy of the war widows and veteran community while creating modern homes designed to support older people to stay well and independent, easing pressure on hospitals and residential aged care.
We are now engaging in the planning process, with the proposal currently before the State Commission Assessment Panel, ensuring the development complies with all regulations and design standards, with respect for community feedback and the assessment framework.
We look forward to working closely with the local neighbourhood and community as we bring our plans to life.
Update: Families of Veterans Guild response to East Residents Association campaign
The Families of Veterans Guild is proud to support South Australia’s war widows and veteran families. Our utmost priority is ensuring their wellbeing by providing the advocacy, connection and social work support programs they deserve and rely on.
Reflecting this, we are very disappointed that South Australian war widows are being used, without their consent, as part of the East Residents Association campaign in Rose Park. We have been working diligently to ensure impacted war widows have access to support, but remain concerned about the welfare, wellbeing and safety impact this activity is having on them.
We value our relationship with ACH Group which provides vital accommodation services to South Australia’s war widows. We recognise this new development is necessary because existing facilities are no longer suitable for the evolving needs of older residents, including the war widows who reside there.
We are pleased that alongside these developments ACH Group is committed to maintaining the deep connection local war widows have with Rose Park by providing a new purpose-built meeting hall and office at no cost. We are also pleased that the historic Vasey House will be restored as part of the development, honouring the legacy of our founder Ms Jessie Vasey CBE OBE.
Our focus remains on protecting war widows’ wellbeing and ensuring they receive the modern, respectful housing they have earned through their lives and their veterans’ service.
Renae Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Families of Veterans Guild
Read the full statement on the Families of Veterans Guild website.
