17 December 2021

Dear Residents Family and Friends,

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support, patience and understanding during 2021.  As we near the end of this year it is important for us to stop for a moment and reflect back on the challenging year it has been.

As some of you know there were times when several of our Homes were placed into lockdowns due to COVID outbreaks.  I am proud and humbled to lead an organisation full of people whose commitment and compassion for each other, their colleagues and our residents, shone through especially during some of most impactful and difficult times.

I would like to acknowledge the wonderful staff working within the eight Doutta Galla Aged Services Homes in the western metropolitan Melbourne and Shepparton, and within the Homes of our clients. They provide care for some of the most vulnerable people of the community, and they enact and live the Doutta Galla values.

I also want to acknowledge the residents we have lost over the past 12 months across our aged care homes, our independent living units and in our community services.  They are missed not only by their families but by the bigger Doutta Galla family.

I am grateful to those of you who sent thoughtful messages of encouragement and thanks to Doutta Galla reminding us how much you appreciate, respect and value the work we do.

As we move into the festive season and look towards a new year, there are good reasons for optimism.  Whatever the pandemic may bring in the future, our community will face this with courage and with a positivity.

I wish you all a wonderful festive holiday and look forward to a brand New Year.

Yours sincerely,

Vanda Iaconese

CEO