Gimbawali Place Official Opening
Scroll to Explore
Gimbawali Place Official Opening
Gimbawali Place Official Opening Program
| Welcome | Robyn Evans, General Manager Community Services & Housing |
| Board Greetings | Robert Dunn, BaptistCare Board Chair |
| About Gimbawali Place | Robyn Evans, General Manager Community Services & Housing |
| Housing: Our Past & Our Future | Charles Moore, Chief Executive Officer |
| Address & Official Opening | The Hon Rose Jackson MLC, Member for Housing & Homelessness |
| Prayer and Blessing | Rhonda Sabat, Gimbawali Place Chaplain |
| Close | Robyn Evans, General Manager Community Services & Housing |
Event Details
Thursday, 20 July 2023
11:45am - 12:30pm
Followed by a light lunch
Gimbawali Place
1 Martins Lane
Carlingford
To be officially opened by The Hon Rose Jackson MLC, Minister for Housing and Homelessness.
A site steeped in history...
Gimbawali Place:
Then, 'a haven of rest'.
Now, 'a light calling people home'.
Gimbawali Place is the birthplace of BaptistCare. A site steeped in history and heritage, it was the location of the first home for elderly women owned by NSW Baptist Homes Trust which went on to become BaptistCare.
The foundation stone for our first home was laid by Ronald E. Walker, then president of the Trust in September 1951 and two years later the Yallambi Elderly Ladies' Home was opened, the Trust's first home of peace for Baptist women, under the supervision of matron Margery Bartlett.
Margery notes when remembering her early days at Yallambi about the Baptist Trust,
"...they wanted a home and not a hospital, an atmosphere where guests must feel instinctively loved and wanted, truly at home".
Within two years, the home had a waiting list and additional accommodation was added to the site. In 1965, Waldock Nursing Hospital, a new purpose-built aged care home was opened, and in 1978, Hayfield Village, a set of 53 independent living units was officially opened on the site.
As time passed and our properties aged, plans were made to repurpose our site to provide much-needed housing and accommodation for even more people.
Gimbawali Place remains true to BaptistCare's original purpose and intent for this site; to be a place of peace where people are loved and wanted and can truly call home.
As BaptistCare’s biggest community housing development, Gimbawali Place has 162 apartments providing much-needed social and affordable housing for seniors and single-parent families. The new housing community is conveniently located close to public transport, shops and schools, and features one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
The high-quality units are supported by a children’s playground, central courtyard and open green space, basement carpark, community centre, communal lounge area and landscaped gardens. The lanterns at the front of the site are a beacon, calling people home to a place of love, joy, safety and solace.
The story behind the name...
Gimbawali is a Dharug word from the Dharug people, the traditional custodians of the land in Carlingford.
Gimbawali means stars/light/guiding home.
The three buildings at Gimbawali also have Dharug names, they are:
Yudi (to escort/or to see home), Birrung (stars) and Nura (country).
Together they mean:
‘Everyone is welcome, under the stars, on Country’.
This community is one of belonging and welcome, and we’re excited to welcome you today to Gimbawali Place.
Lanterns
The Lanterns artwork is an interpretation of a series of lanterns symbolising the hearth light of home. This work references how home is a refuge from the world, a place of love, joy, safety and solace. The work echoes a light being left on, welcoming you home.
