Doone Village celebrates 40 years
Doone Village has proved to be one of the most successful retirement villages in the country.
ROTARY Club of Pinetown hosted a 40th celebratory luncheon for Doone Village residents, board members, founders, nursing staff, service providers and sponsors last Wednesday (5 November.
The celebrations were held in the Rotary Square, which was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers under a white tarpaulin.
Richard Tolken was the MC, and he described the Doone family as a wonderful unique village that is 40 years old born out of two generous benefactors and is an organisation that is about ‘service above self’.
Peter Porter delivered an informative speech paying tribute to the founders and all who have been assisting in the day-to-day running of the village.
He explained that late Rotarian Stanley Raaff convinced Aaron Beare to convert his 20 acre estate into a retirement home for the aged, 40 years ago, marking the beginning of a joint venture between the Beare Foundation and the Rotary Club of Pinetown.
The master plan proposed for the village was to build about 120 units over a period of 10 years, however today there are 105 cottages, 19 flats and 13 bedsitters, and a waiting list of aspirant residents of more than 1200. In addition to the cottages, there are 40 beds available for the frail in the David Beare Care Centre and 29 flats in the ‘halfway’ home called Palmer Strachan House, which is attached to the frail care centre. The village also boasts a fine restaurant, a shop, hairdressing salon, laundry, a swimming pool and a terrace room incorporating the village bar, The Beare Arms. It also has a croquet lawn and bowling green with its own club house, two cottages for residents’ guests, workshops, a hobbies room and a village centre with lounges, a library and a billiard room.
“Doone Village has proved to be one of the most successful retirement villages in the country and is renowned both nationally and internationally. The Rotary Club of Pinetown received, for the development of this village, the highest honour that Rotary International can bestow on any Rotary project – that being the Rotary Award of International Distinction,” said Porter.
Guests enjoyed a sumptuous three-course meal and each received a DVD, which was produced by one of the villagers, Marcia Wilde, as a gift.
