De La Salle Village

It was recently announced that the retirement village at Southport, St Vincent’s Care Services, now has the name De La Salle Village.  St Vincent’s Care were excited to inform residents of this naming based on the final overwhelming majority vote for it. 

What is the connection between the retirement village and the De La Salle Brothers?

Brother Alban Dwyer, founding Director of Boys Town at Beaudesert in 1961, had been looking for a property suitable for the boys to have holidays on the coast.  One of historical interest, the site of Pacific Cable Station at Southport, became available for sale in 1964.  Brother Alban quickly negotiated with Commonwealth Government and the property, which included three large buildings, was bought by De La Salle Brothers.  

While still at Boys Town, Brother Alban set up La Salle Centre on the site for retreats, camps for young people and holidays for brothers.  Student brothers ran catechetical courses for young people attending State schools during the Christmas holidays.  Then, in 1973, a Community of brothers with Brother Alban as Director was established at the Centre.  It was to be the site for the future retirement village.  

Noteworthy is that Brothers have resided on this site every year for 50 years, from 1973 to 2023.

It was Brother Alban himself who recommended the site as suitable for retirement living.  In 1981 he began planning for it but had to move from Southport because of declining health. The retirement village, named Villa La Salle, began operating as such in January 1983.   

For thirty years, the Brothers administered Villa La Salle.  In 2013, the Brothers sold Villa La Salle to St Vincent’s Health Australia, a company under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity.  The name changed formally from Villa La Salle to St Vincent’s Care Services Southport. The Community of brothers closed in 2015.

Now the story gets interesting. In 2022, almost a decade since Villa La Salle was sold, residents were informed that names were to be given to all the St Vincent’s Care Services, one of these being its Southport Service.  Residents were invited to suggest names.  One resident, Trudy Bretterecker, made out a petition and at the end of the year, over the Christmas period, canvassed door to door seeking support for the original name, Villa La Salle, to be restored.  Remarkably 74 residents from ILUs, (Independent Living Units) of the retirement village, 96% of those approached, signed the petition in the affirmative.  A requirement was that the word ‘Village’ had to be in the name.  Finally, the name, De La Salle Village, was decided upon, with the addition to it ‘by St Vincent’s Care’, for marketing purposes to preserve its reputation as a ‘catholic, not-for-profit, health, aged and retirement provider.’ 

While the Community of brothers was resident at Villa La Salle, the Community and other residents prayed the Divine Office of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer daily in the chapel.  There was a daily Mass celebrated by the resident Chaplain and Rosary recited daily.  

A non-resident volunteer, Maria Filo has been closely associated with the Brothers since 1995.  From the time of the closure of the Brothers community in 2015 to the present, Maria has assumed the role of Sacristan, a generous contribution made in the spirit of the brothers of the Villa La Salle era.

In a lighter vein, Dorothea Chalkley, a resident, says that if she wins the lottery and if it becomes practicable to do so, she will lease a unit for a brother to reside in the Village!

Brothers were not professionally trained to administer retirement villages, though, in time, a number of them did courses in Pastoral Care.  The Brothers were schoolmen.  Yet they took on the running of a large retirement village.  Looking back, it seems to me they did a grand job.  Long-time residents and staff have good memories of the Brothers.  Could it be that the Brothers left a spirit that is a model to follow!

The retirement village with its new name, De La Salle Village, honours the Brothers who undertook this work with enthusiasm and commitment, its main purpose being for the welfare of their retired brothers. 

In the Activity Centre there is a framed photo of Brother Alban, who had the foresight in 1981 to propose erecting the retirement village.  The photo shows Brother Alban wearing his OBE (Order of British Empire) medal awarded in 1975 in recognition of his work for young people.  The citation in part reads: “Brother Alban made an outstanding contribution to the betterment of society by his vision and dedication to the rehabilitation of young Australians.  Since leaving Boys’ Town, he has been engaged in establishing a Hostel centre at Southport for young people who might not otherwise have seaside holidays.”

Some days ago, I was in the chapel for a funeral Mass honouring June Toole, a long-term resident.  In the period after the departure of the Community of brothers, June insisted this portrait of Brother Alban be hung.  It is located in the Activity Centre.

An interesting comparison:  Brother Alban was Director of Boys Town while attending to the development of La Salle Centre prior to the erection of the retirement village buildings.  Moving forward a decade or two: in the years of operation of Villa La Salle, the Brother Director of Boys Town was Chairman of the Villa La Salle Board.

This name reflects St John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Brothers. I think it appropriate to conclude with Prayer of the Church that honours De La Salle, a prayer the Community of brothers and residents vocalised daily at Morning Prayer during Villa La Salle years.

In your providence, Lord God, you chose Saint John Baptist de La Salle to educate the young in Christian faith.  Raise up, Lord, in the church of today teachers who will devote themselves wholehearted to the human and Christian education of young people.  We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.

Acknowledgement: Brother Peter McIntosh