A family from Halls Gap, Victoria has made a massive donation to a local aged care facility, offering support to residents living with dementia.
Eventide Homes in Stawell received a $1.7 million gift from the Mangle family – the largest private donation the facility has received.
Eventide CEO Gary Simpson said the generous donation came as a surprise a year ago and was only publicly revealed last month.
“It was just a wonderful surprise when at the end of a lunch [a member of the family] reached into his pocket and pulled out a cheque,” Simpson said.
“I’ve never held a cheque for that amount of money in my life.”
The Mangle family had previously donated $50,000, but Simpson said they had no known personal connection to the aged care home.
The full amount will be used to redevelop Eventide’s dementia care wing, with the family requesting every dollar go toward building improvements.
“The Mangle family has requested we spend the $1.7 million on bricks and mortar type projects for dementia … not a single dollar will go towards overheads or into general revenue,” Simpson confirmed.
With the funds, the facility plans to create a modern, purpose-built dementia care wing that could set a new benchmark in aged care.
“The generosity of the Mangle family will allow us to deliver an absolute state-of-the-art dementia facility that we think a lot of other aged care providers will be envious of.”
A national dementia design expert visited the home in August to provide guidance on how to best shape the new space to meet the specific needs of residents.
Northern Grampians Shire Mayor Karen Hyslop praised the gift, calling it an act that would benefit the community for generations.
“The generosity of the Mangle family will create a lasting positive impact that will be passed onto future generations; it will benefit our community for many years to come,” she said.
Eventide currently cares for 15 residents with dementia, and that number is expected to grow.
According to Dementia Australia, around 293 people are living with dementia in the Northern Grampians Shire alone.
Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia, affecting more than 425,000 people in 2024. That number is projected to rise to over 1 million by 2065.
Representatives from the Mangle family declined to comment on the donation.
Image: Eventide Homes/ ABC
