Feature Stories
Last
updated
August 1, 2010
After the death of her husband, she started to fight for the thousands of War Widows who were living in near poverty on a pension which had remained unaltered, save for a rise of three shillings, from 1916 to 1945. She formed the War Widow’s Guild in 1945 in Victoria and by 1947 the Guild became an Australian wide organization and a recognized force in the fight for better conditions for War Widows and their families. In the years following the war it was difficult for War Widows to obtain War Service Homes because of the large number of servicemen returning to civilian life. Flats and houses were at a premium. By 1950 the Guild was constantly receiving calls from some of its older members who were living alone and found it almost impossible to find accommodation within their means. Mrs Vasey felt that the solution would be to start building homes for War Widows. The Guild had practically no means, so those early years were marked by a constant struggle. On many occasions it was hard to see how the organization could stay afloat financially, but every time this happened Mrs Vasey would somehow scrape up the funds to carry on. Gradually a few old houses were acquired and converted into bed-sitting room accommodation, then a Monster Raffle was held, with the proceeds used by the Guild to start its building programme, which in turn led to the establishment of Vasey Housing in Victoria in 1959.
In 1962 Vasey Housing was incorporated in New South Wales as the Vasey Housing Auxilliary – NSW (War Widows Guild). In 1975 we changed our name to The Vasey Housing Association, N.S.W. When the scheme first started, accommodation was made available to War Widows only. Later, as accommodation became available and in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association, eligibility was extended to include beneficiaries other than War Widows. Beneficiaries included any person over the age of 60 who:
In 2010 a contribution decided by the Board from time to time provides life residency in a Vasey Unit. An additional quarterly recurrent charges for general services covers the village outgoings, including such items as council rates, insurance, lighting and gardening to name a few. Vasey also offers a limited number of rental units at some of our villages, which are in high demand. These units are rented out for amounts less than 70% of current rental prices, representing great value for money.
Over the years the association has constructed Retirement Villages at Epping, Hunters Hill, Lane Cove, Maroubra and Waitara, comprising a total of 247 self-contained one bedroom home units. Today, with almost 50 years experience in the Retirement Village Industry, Vasey Housing still maintains it’s “not for profit” status, and continues to offer great value, as well as comfort and security to its residents. Vasey is nationally recognized as one of the founders of the retirement village movement. With the passing of time, Vasey has now opened its doors to both single men and women over the age of 55, who wish to enjoy an independent and dignified life style. However, it is a policy of the Board to always give preference to War Widows, Widows of Ex-Servicemen and Ex-Service Women. Vasey has its head office premises located on Level 6 of 283 George Street Sydney, with a permanent staff who carry out the day-to-day management of our villages. A Board of Directors possessing skills in law, accounting, engineering, management, property and marketing governs the Association. Some of the current directors have a military service background. Over the years distinguished Servicemen have continued to ensure Vasey’s strong Defence Force Connection. Some of Vasey’s Past Chairmen include: -
The Association’s five Retirement Villages, are located in some of Sydney’s most picturesque suburbs, and still serve the purpose for which they were originally built. Vasey Housing continues to move forward whilst maintaining its very proud history. If you would like to know more about Vasey, you can phone Chris Williamson on (02) 9299 3951 or why not visit our web site at www.vaseyhousing.com.au
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Disclaimer - Views expressed in the Features above are not necessarily those of RVA Ltd but consist of professional views of those members. |
General Vasey was one of Australia’s finest and best loved soldiers, his concern for his men and their dependants caused him to ask his wife to do all that she could to help the wives and widows who had been left behind. Mrs Vasey had helped to establish the A.I.F. Women’s’ Association, therefore was already heavily involved in work of this kind.
