02 March 2026
When Barb started in aged care in 1998, she took on the role that keeps a home running, managing admin, payroll and rosters. Twenty-eight years later, the length of her career is its own testament.
This month, Barb retires as Client Services Officer at Estia Health Grovedale, a home she has given close to 25 years of her working life to. Her farewell said everything about the mark she has made. Colleagues past and present filled the room, among them two CSOs Barb had mentored - one who hadn't worked alongside Barb in over seven years and a current CSO at one of our sister homes, both there to say thank you.
Barb’s journey saw her move through several Geelong aged care providers before joining what was then a newly built aged care home on Perrett Street in the early 2000s. When Estia Health acquired the home in 2015, Barb was already part of its story. And she continued to be.
Nearly two decades in administration and operations gave Barb something that can't be taught - a deep understanding of what residents and families are going through when they walk through the door. Helping them navigate the process of entering aged care is, as she’ll tell you, not a small thing. “The journey of aged care can be quite confronting, not only for the resident, but for their families too. It has been a pleasure to assist them in navigating the process. Knowing I make a difference is what has kept me working.”
It is a belief that has carried her through nearly three decades of change. Twenty-eight years looks like a sector transformed. Barb remembers aged care homes that bear little resemblance to today. She has worked through reform after reform, including the Royal Commission and the ongoing work of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. She has seen the industry grow, and she has grown with it.
It also looks like community. Over the years, Barb built relationships with health professionals, local community groups, home care and financial service networks, extending the reach and reputation of our home well beyond its walls.
And it looks like people. Employees, who Barb considers friends, who have been at Grovedale for ten years or more. Residents whose life stories she has listened to and families she has helped feel less alone.
"From listening to our residents' life stories, hearing them sing aloud, seeing the concentration at bingo, the laughter and enjoyment that comes from the little things in life. Estia Health certainly embraces the family ethos. Going that extra step, working as a team to provide a safe and holistic environment where residents are respected and cared for."
It is that genuine love for the work that has defined Barb's time at Grovedale. Steve, Grovedale’s Residential Aged Care Manager, has seen it firsthand. "Barb embraced all of our values and is just shy of 25 years of service at our home. An absolute professional who exemplified everything we stand for. She was worthy of all the fuss."
We will miss her experience and warmth and are incredibly grateful for the legacy she leaves behind.
As for Barb, more time with family and friends, golf lessons and travel await. Thank you, Barb. Enjoy every moment of what comes next.
