59 Bentinck Street
Ballina NSW 2478

(02) 6620 5800

Our History.........Our Beginning.......

In the early 1970's Ms Sarah Ellen King made a bequest to the Anglican Church of Ballina, to build a nursing home in Ballina.

The Rector, The Reverend Wilbur Doak and two parishioners merged with a committee formed by the Rector of the Presbyterian Church in Ballina
in negotiations with the Ballina District Hospital to obtain land for this purpose.

On July 14, 1975 an initial meeting resolved that a committee consisting of five members of the Anglican Church in Ballina and five members of the Presbyterian Church in Ballina, named St Andrews Village Ballina, be set up to acquire land and erect a nursing home with the purpose of providing medical and nursing care to aged persons.

In 1979 a further bequest of $100,000 was received from the estate of Jack Easter for the construction of a nursing home and, whilst this assisted financially, delays were
experienced arranging the lease of the land.

At the same time land purchase in Florence Price Place, and construction of self care units commenced. The first self-care unit was purchased in July 1979.

The official opening of the Village took place in December 1979 with Moderator Reverend Blakey, Reverend Doak, Reverend Wilce and the Bishop of Grafton officiating.

After many delays St Andrews Nursing Home opened in 1983.

Since that time St Andrews Village has grown from the original 40 bed nursing home to a major provider of aged care in Ballina, with the addition of a 40 bed dementia-specific wing in 2000 and the conversion of 14 self care apartments to 14 low care beds in 2001. The self-care village has grown to 60 self-care units, with it's own community centre.  In May 2007 the redeveloped and extended High Care wings were opened adding an additional 23 high care beds.

Whilst St Andrews Village Ballina is now a community based non-profit organization, we are indebted to the original committee made up of:-

Burton Bartlett, Audrey Dale, Reverend Doak, Reverend Wilce, Ken Hardwicke, Arthur Williams, Ron Kellner, Graham Patch, Ross Reid and Helen Wynd

for their determination, tenacity and leadership in pursuing and achieving their goals so successfully.