Thank you to the NSW Minister for Crown Lands Stephen Kamper MP, Tamara Smith MP, Byron Shire Council, Justine Elliot MP and all their staff. We all know how hard everyone has been working to investigate our complaints about Feros Village Byron Bay and since the Expression of Interest (EOI) for a new aged care provider was announced on 29 September 2023 it has given us great relief.
We are furious about Feros’ response in their media release, printed in The Echo (11 October), stating that they were happy about the EOI and comments about seniors’ accommodation. The Crown Lands Minister explicitly stated that any aged care provider for the site will continue the ‘designated purpose of “Homes for the Aged”’ and that under a long term lease the provider will ‘ensure it meets Aged Care Quality Standards and complies with the Commonwealth Aged Care Act 1997’.
In a letter to us on 31 May, via Feros’ lawyer Minter Ellison, they advised us that:
‘While it is closing the government funded residential aged care facility at the site, Feros, as Crown Land Manager will be redeveloping the site for homes for aged people outside of the Commonwealth framework for funded aged care’.
It seems clear that Feros’ intentions do not fit within the EOI framework.
The reserve purpose of this Crown Land is not ‘seniors’ accommodation’ and all attempts by Feros to change the reserve purpose of the land, as well as all concepts they have proposed (there have been no actual plans) have been rejected by Crown Lands. There has never been any approval to redevelop this site. Nor has any aged care authority verified any regulation or compliance issues with the Byron Feros Village.
We understand that Byron Shire Council did not refuse to become Crown Land Manager, they remain open to that, while the state government has decided to offer a direct lease to the eventual ‘winner’ of the EOI.
Meanwhile, Feros have gone to great lengths to try to convince people we are lying about the dreadful quality of food and lack of services at the village over the last months. We were given microwaved food for a month until we complained. The ACQSC government regulators recent visit to the village supports our complaints and Feros are now ‘working with the commission’ to rectify the matter.
On 25 August we wrote a complaint to Feros about the quality of the food and removal of services. We also lodged a 19-point complaint directly with the Seniors Rights Advocacy Service and we know that the National Manager of ACQSC and the CEO of the national Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) are considering these complaints.
We may be older but we will not be gaslit or intimidated by Feros’ tactics. We will continue to stand up for our rights. As the younger generation says – ‘we have receipts’!
We have spoken with various aged care providers over the last seven months and they all say that none of us should have been asked to leave our home. All of them say that if they were to take over running the village we will be able to stay in our home.
This community worked hard to create this aged care accommodation and the need for aged care is only increasing. Our shire has an ageing population above the Australian average and we are already behind on available accommodation for them. To attempt to remove our existing aged care home from our community is a disgrace, especially when it was this community that created the opportunity for Feros to be formed in the first place!
Again, our community is answering the call for help by providing us with fresh and nutritional food each week. We wish to thank Mullumbimby District Neighbourhood Centre, Liberation Larder, Legends Pizza, A Little Peace of Cake and the others who are providing food to us.
Lastly, we have asked numerous times and we ask again: Feros please return our coffee machine. It was donated by the community of Byron Bay for the residents of the Byron Village. It is not yours and we want it back.
Residents of Byron Bay Feros: Bernadette Dean, Rhonda Strand, Kate Smorty, Henning Jensen, Mick Eddings, Sybil Redden, Jo Wooldridge, Charmain Podesta
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