New era: Two remarkable local organisations merge
Two organisations, each with a proud history of 120 years of community care, took hands to take a facility for the elderly forward.
Two remarkable organisations, each celebrating its 120 years of existence, celebrated their merger on November 18 at the Home in Middel Street in the east of Pretoria.
Herbert Raubenheimer, CEO of SAVF, said the amalgamation of Princess Christian Home (founded on September 24, 1904) and the SAVF (October 19, 1904) brings together two organisations which both have a rich history of over 120 years of providing care.
The name of the facility as agreed to by the board will change to SAVF Princess Home.
Raubenheimer said it is with great pleasure that the SAVF welcomes the home into the organisation’s family.
The SAVF has 158 facilities countrywide and supports communities via 165 NGOs.
“The support and expertise of our organisation is available to take the home to even higher levels whilst ensuring that the services this facility has become known for over the years continue.”
He emphasised that all changes implemented by the board will be about effectiveness and efficiency to ensure that the home survives as a sustainable organisation for years to come.
The amalgamation is part of the Journey of Change that the SAVF is going through, a strategic approach to gear the organisation for challenges.
Raubenheimer believes the addition of the home is a significant contribution to his organisation’s goal of helping the elderly with dementia-related challenges.
“We want to make the home a dementia care facility of note,” explained Raubenheimer.
Board chairperson Quinton Seago reflected on the home’s history.
He said on September 23, 1904 HRH Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein had planted a sprig from Queen Victoria’s myrtle tree on her son Prince Christian Victor’s grave in Pretoria.
Prince Christian, had, while in Pretoria in October 1900, come down with malaria then died of enteric fever on October 29, aged 33.
On September 24 1904, Princess Christian founded the Princess Christian Home for the Poor Aged in Pretoria in Church Street in Pretoria West. The park close to the home was also named Princess Park.
The home moved to new premises in Middel Street in the 1940s.
“It is God’s grace that this wonderful institution can now also become part of a bigger organisation to take it forward after 120 years,” said Seago.
The SAVF Gauteng leader, Irna Hartzenberg, gave an overview of the 120 years of the SAVF starting with the inaugural meeting on October 19 1904 on the initiative of Georgina Solomon at the house of Annie Botha.
She said the first SAVF Old Age Home opened in Mark Street in Krugersdorp in 1910. Today 60% of the care given to communities by the SAVF goes towards elderly care.
She referred to the election of the first male president, Graeme Peplar, in 2017 as well as the new direction under Raubenheimer of which this amalgamation is an outcome.
“We have a shared vision and this will keep on making the home and the SAVF a beacon of hope,” said Hartzenberg.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
