1 min read

Carer's Week

This week 13-19 October 2024 is Carer’s week focusing mainly on the many people who provide care for a family member or friend usually in their home. This brings to mind the days before nursing homes for the aged and visiting nurses coming to homes to assist family carers were available. In the 1950s and 60s older nurses would acquire a large home and take in elderly people who needed care, and people just discharged from hospital but needed some ongoing nursing care for a few weeks. The care providers lived on the premises, maybe employing local ladies to do cooking and cleaning while they looked after the nursing requirements.

In Mundaring there were at least 3 of these establishments. Craigie House, built in 1916 which was run as a Guest House by Ted and Francis Jacoby and was purchased by nursing Sisters Desda Brown and Ethel Carter. They changed the name to Craigie House, it is now the Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre.

Faversham House in Jacoby Street was used as a short stay hospital operated by sisters Ethel, Norma and Eileen Monger between 1948 and 1968.

Kalmar House, a large granite home in Stoneville Road built by Hugo Ekstam was operated as a C Class Nursing Home by his wife Muriel from c. 1955 to 1968.