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Abervale celebrates 40 year anniversary

Friday, 28 July 2023

From a sit down lunch, to musical entertainment, a new time capsule and the planting of a tree, the Abervale retirement village went all out for their special 40 year anniversary.

A sea of red

It was a sea of red in the dining room at Abervale in southern Geelong. As the 40th anniversary is known as the ruby jubilee, residents and staff all went through their closets to find something red to wear in honour of the village’s 40 year anniversary. And they were successful! Along with red balloons and table decorations, the Abervale restaurant never looked as ruby red before. 

The anniversary was planned well in advance by village manager Andrew Scholten, who took it upon himself to organise a realm of festivities for his community, that included:

  • Planting of a commemorative tree 

  • Lunch and dessert service

  • Musical entertainment from Chrissy Burrell

  • Speeches 

  • Burying of a time capsule

The Abervale retirement village dining room decorated in red for the 40 year anniversary The dining room was a sea of red for the ruby jubilee


Going back in time

Back in 1983, a committee from the Aberdeen Street Baptist church began construction on the Abervale Retirement village. Grovedale back then was a very different place to what it is today: Church street was a dirt road that finished pretty much at the entrance of the village, and the surrounding land was farmland.  

‘I don’t think we should overlook the vision and the tenacity of this non-profit group who took an idea, born in late 1981, raised the funding, found and purchased suitable land in August 1982, turned the first sod in February of 1983 and then opened this beautiful village we are all lucky enough enjoy today just 5 months later in July 1983,’ said village manager Andrew Scholten in his speech. 

The name Abervale was chosen as it partly reflected the name of the church and also the name of the suburb. 

And with that, the history of the Abervale retirement village began.

Abervale village manager Andrew Scholten giving a speech Village manager Andrew Scholten gave a heartfelt speech


Community spirit like no other

A big part of the festivities was acknowledging the many residents and staff members who make Abervale the welcoming and fun loving community it is.

This included mention of the village’s dedicated receptionist, Karen, who celebrated her 24 year employment anniversary on the same day, as well as members of the resident committee who work with staff to make life at Abervale even more convenient for its residents.

Some of the projects the resident committee helped come to life include

  • the village’s rejuvenation

  • renovation of the pool area

  • replacement of the air handling system providing heating and cooling to the community centre

  • painting and re-carpeting of the community centre

The group is also currently working on giving the furniture in the community centre a little upgrade, and the village's own café complete with a state of the art coffee machine will be opening its doors very soon.

Andrew Scholten completed the fantastic day with a special thank you to the people who founded Abervale, and the people who make it what it is today.

‘I would like to dedicate today to those people 40 years ago who had the vision of a retirement village in Geelong, and to those who made that vision a reality.’

Watch the video below to see the festivities first hand:

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Find out more about Abervale, VIC.

For more information about the lifestyle and support offered at our retirement villages, call our customer service team on 1800 550 550.

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