By Jerrie Valli | Posted: Sunday February 24, 2019
One of Invercargill’s largest and best known aged care homes will celebrate its 65th birthday on February 23 and 24, with two special events set to mark the milestone.
Peacehaven Village was officially opened on 24th February 1954; home to 46 residents. Today, the facility is Presbyterian Support Southland’s (PSS) largest aged care facility; home to nearly 200 residents and employing about 150 staff.
Peacehaven Manager Karl Lamb said two celebrations would mark the 65th anniversary, starting with a garden party for residents, families, staff and general public on the Saturday in a nod to years gone by.
“The garden party will be a mix of modern – we’ll replace the tea and sandwiches with a barbeque – and traditional – our Quality of Life staff are putting together some of the older games that used to be played at the garden parties,” he said.
“We are also looking to highlight the different ethnicities that make our village what it is today through some different performances.”
The celebrations would also include a special Chapel service at 2pm on the Sunday, to officially name the Peacehaven Chapel.
“Ever since the Chapel was opened and dedicated in 1961 it has been known as the Peacehaven Chapel, but after the naming ceremony it will be known as Iona Chapel,” Mr Lamb said.
The service would be taken by PSS Trust Board Member, Rev Tony Dawson, the Minister at Richmond Grove Church and former PSS Trust Board Member Rev Nyalle Paris, the Minister of Invercargill’s First Presbyterian Church, along with Mr Lamb. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
A photo exhibition with images showing the evolution of Peacehaven and aged care over the years will also be on display in Elms Café at Peacehaven. Members of the public are welcome to come and view the exhibition and enjoy Elms Café which is open daily.
PSS Chief Executive John Prendergast said the 65th anniversary was a special one for Peacehaven.
“There seems a nice symmetry in an elderly care facility itself reaching the age where it qualifies for the pension – but we won’t be pensioning off Peacehaven any time soon!” he said.
“Peacehaven is one of Southland’s largest and longest established care homes and retirement villages and we are looking forward to its next 65 years providing care for Southlanders.”
Enliven’s Peacehaven Village is unique in that it is the only facility in Southland that provides a full range of services for older people ranging from rental and purchased independent living units with the 76 cottages and townhouses on site to a full range of rest home and hospital level care for people including Dementia rest home and hospital level care.
The 65th anniversary kickstarts a special year for PSS, which will celebrate its 100th year in Southland this year.
Mr Prendergast said Peacehaven played a big role in the organisation’s history, and while it was PSS’s oldest existing aged care facility, it was not PSS’s first foray into the area of aged care.
“We originated 100 years ago, looking after orphaned children in a children’s home in Gordon Street, South Invercargill, but for 70 years of that 100 year history we have also been providing care to older Southlanders,” he said.
“That original children’s home in Gordon Street was changed in 1948 to a home for elderly ladies, and from there, just six years later; we developed and opened our first and still our largest elderly care facility at Peacehaven.”