FOLLOWING extensive community consultation and a public vote, Respect has announced that Royal Freemasons Sale will be changing its name to Wattleglen.
The anticipated announcement aligns with the home’s official transfer to the national not-for-profit organisation, which formally took place on Tuesday following months of collaboration between Respect and Royal Freemasons.
The resulting merger will ensure Wattleglen’s support for Sale families can continue for generations to come.
As part of the merger, last month Respect reached out to the home’s staff, residents, as well as the Sale community, seeking their nominations and input about updating the home’s name.
Following a widespread and popular public response, Jason Binder, managing director and chief executive of Respect, said the new name not only signals an exciting new chapter for the home, but also acknowledges its ongoing connection with the people of Sale.
“We reached out to everyone across the community because we really wanted to ensure they were front and centre of the decision-making process and in control of leading any change,” Mr Binder said.
“With this in mind, we encouraged name suggestions from staff, residents and the community that spoke to the home’s unique character and culture, and connection to Sale, and we then called on everyone again to have their say through an online survey.”
As Australia’s floral emblem, wattles lend beauty to many areas across regional Victoria, making ‘Wattleglen’ a fitting choice.
When the new name was presented to the public in a survey featuring several other nominations, it proved a popular choice.
Not only did it garner the most votes, but more than 40 per cent of the home’s current residents collectively gave their nod of approval for Wattleglen to be installed as the new name.
As part of the re-naming process, Respect was also offering a special prize to the first individual to suggest the name eventually chosen by the public as the winning nomination.
This was in the form of a $2500 cash prize as well as a $2500 donation to a local charity of their choice. The 100-year-old aged care provider is looking forward to getting in touch with the winner and celebrating their creativity.
Following the renaming process, Mr Binder welcomed Wattleglen’s staff members, residents and their families to Respect, and called the merger a major step forward for local aged care services in Sale and across the surrounding region.
