The Lorne Village – The Committee for Lorne
Accommodation issues have long been front and centre of Lorne’s collective community mind. Housing has been an ever-vexing and pressing issue, whether as low-cost housing for the [mainly young] workers in hospitality and other seasonal jobs or for our older pension-dependent and commonly single retirees who need a helping hand to find affordable accommodation in the community they have served so well.
Whether as a victim of its success as a tourist destination, its wealth, or its limited topography, Lorne’s available low-cost housing—both for purchase or medium to long-term rental—has been priced far beyond the means of the very people who need it most … young families and tradies, seasonal hospitality workers, and the township’s elderly. While worker accommodation is a critical problem, and though countless meetings, plans, and proposals have been advanced to solve it, all have faltered at financial, practical, or locational hurdles and have as yet failed to reach maturity. As the battles over where, how, and how much rage on, young workers camp out or manage as best they can in Lorne’s financially hostile environment. However, although worker housing remains to be solved, it is a topic for another time.
Meanwhile, and to the heart of this article,
To understand the reasons for this, it is crucial to document the history of this incredible community asset. The idea for The Lorne Village [sometimes referred to as The Lions Village due to its origins in the Lorne Lions Club] arose in 1973 when the Lorne Lions Club formed the Elderly People Homes Society, contracted to buy land, and appealed to the community for assistance. Six Lions members and six generous holiday home-owners [including John Dooley, Garth Harry, and Alf Nicholson] raised sufficient funds to encourage the Winchelsea Shire Council to grant additional land. In March 1975, the Department of Social Security approved the project in principle but advised that no funds would be available for the project for some years. To keep faith with the community, the local committee of volunteers decided to go it alone and built the first eight units from its own resources, including a bank loan from the CBA for $60,000, secured by three local benefactors [Michael Hickey, Lloyd Hinton, and Roy Jones].While some government funding was forthcoming in late 1978, Units 1—8 were already operating. When opening The Village in May of that year, the Federal Member for Corangamite, the Hon, AA [Tony] Street, stated that “… he had never experienced a project with so much community involvement”. He paid tribute to the community for “…having had enough faith in themselves to go ahead”.Graeme Wheal, a prime mover in the project, acknowledged the substantial donations from several trusts, the CWA, RSL, Lorne’s church auxiliaries, the Lions Club, and the wider Lorne community. The sign outside reads, “Lorne Village: A combined Lions Club and Community Project”.By August 1980, the CBA loan had been discharged and six more [Units 9—14] had been built and opened. By 1991, Units 15—16 had been added.
Six Lions members and six generous holiday home-owners raised sufficient funds to encourage the Winchelsea Shire Council to grant additional land. Turning to the crux of this article … throughout the last 50 years, The Lorne Village has been run and managed by a group of dedicated volunteers, with some serving for over 15 years. However, as with most volunteer organisations, time and energy prove finite and by 2019, it was clear that a professional Retirement Village management team was needed.When the current committee realised they could no longer sustain long-term management, an extensive search determined that the Sirovilla operational model would best honour the underlying principle of Lorne Village “… that the land and buildings must always remain with the Lorne community as The Lorne Village Inc. and that the land must also be used only as a Retirement Village. To this end, a covenant was placed on the title that could only be lifted by the relevant Minister.The Sirovilla Elderly People’s Home Inc. was established [also in the early 1970s] by the Social Club of the CSIRO in Belmont and became an autonomous body in 1972. Importantly, its charter … “to provide, develop, manage, operate, and maintain affordable housing units for independent low-income seniors”… aligned well with the principles of The Lorne Village. And, as a registered charity and non-for-profit organisation [ see: https://www.sirovilla.org.au/], Sirovilla was already providing retirement village housing in Highton [64 units], Anglesea [18 units] and Point Lonsdale (16 units), and operating under the Retirement Villages Act [RVA].A Memorandum of Understanding covering due diligence, the commercial terms of formal Village management, and the future steps required to reach a Binding Agreement was signed with Sirovilla Inc. on 22nd January 2025. During the transition to Village management by Sirovilla, the current Lorne Village Committee will continue to support all residents. The partnership and the new arrangements will not impact existing residents whose current tenancy will remain protected under the Retirement Villages Act.The units will operate according to all policies and procedures governing the operation of Sirovilla’s existing villages at Highton and Anglesea. The rental charge is 25% of eligible income and 100% of the Commonwealth Rental Assistance. An ingoing contribution may be required based on a resident’s ability to pay, the amount being calculated on the resident’s defined assets to a maximum of $60,000 being payable. The ability to pay an ingoing contribution is not an admission criterion.Prospective residents must be 67 years old and be receiving an aged pension through Centrelink. Priority will be given to applicants from postcode 3232. Sirovilla will work with the current Lorne Village Committee to identify locals in need and create a register of interest for future vacancies. Application may be made by submitting the form found at the Sirovilla website.While it is possible [indeed probable] that other communities have been equally well-served by their citizen groups, Lorne is a shining example of a working, caring, cohesive town with a [near-tireless] ethos of volunteerism. But while there can be no better example of this than The Lorne Village Inc., its current Committee … Martin Heathcote, Clive Goldsworthy, Ross Dimsey, Ken Hosking, Maureen Dandy, and Peter Wheal … could tell that the time had come to place the Village in professional management hands. They are confident they have chosen well and that Sirovilla’s track record of care and compassion will fulfil all expectations.It remains to say that these selfless few deserve our deepest gratitude. Their quiet, fuss-free, and voluntary commitment has ensured that The Lorne Village will remain sustainable and will serve the needs of our older citizens long into the future.
John Agar
Feature Writer, Surf Coast Time 21 February 2025