Issues & Events

The Dudley Aged Care Facility, at the end of Ocean Street, was originally a donation to the Red Cross from a Dudley family. It was opened in 1941 as the Newcastle and District Red Cross Convalescent Home.

This site, which had long been owned by Hunter New England Health and its predecessors, commands extensive coastal views and has a high land value for residential development. But it also had great value to the community because of its location adjacent to a significant wetland, scenic beauty, and provision of aged care beds.

It was because of its special history and location, that Hunter New England Health, after urging from the community via the former local Member Richard Face, originally agreed that the land should not be treated as just another acquisition to be disposed of for maximum return. They agreed to a plan to give the top portion of the site know as “the knoll”, to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, while the remaining portion was to be sold to a private aged care supplier. Hunter New England Health quickly changed their minds though and abandoned the above terms and sold the entire site for maximum profit.

The buildings were demolished in 2005 and the site remained fenced for approximately one year. In March 2006 the fencing (shown in the above photo) was removed and construction of medium density housing is expected to begin sometime in 2006.

This was a tragic loss for the community of not only this scenic site, but also of the much need aged care facility. This fate has been shared by the Royal Newcastle Hospital, and many other community health facilities on valuable land across the state. It is feared that the James Fletcher Hospital will sooner or later meet the same demise.

Photograph by Teresa Nowak. Copyright ©2006. All rights reserved.