| Page Directory: | Montecillo Home and Hospital | |
| 85 Years On |
MONTECILLO WAR VETERAN'S HOME & HOSPITAL
The original buildings of the Montecillo War Veteran's Home date back to around 1850 when it was built as a family home by Mr Robert Williams who situated it on ten acres of land in Mornington, Dunedin. The property was later sold in 1862 to Mr W H Reynolds who retained it for forty years making extensive changes to the house and its surrounds while in residence there. The family modernised and expanded the villa into the stylish building that stands testament to their effort today.
In 1918 after several changes in family ownership, the house and land was sold again to a committee of Patriotic City Fathers. A need was recognised for a place of recuperation and retirement for returned servicemen of the First World War, so the Otago public helped raise funds to establish the Red Cross Military Convalescent Home at the property which opened on June 27, 1918. The Home was expanded to include a recreation hall and other facilities for twenty six men.
The conclusion of World War Two saw the establishment of the New Zealand Patriotic Funds Board, a subsidiary of which was the Otago Patriotic Provincial Council (est. 1947). These councils took over the role of the Red Cross in administering to the needs of New Zealand returned servicemen as the Red Cross expanded its efforts to aid the post-war cause on a global scale.
In 1952, the New Zealand Patriotic and Canteen Funds Board took control of the hospital and grounds and Montecillo joined New Zealand’s three other War Veteran's Homes located in Auckland, Christchurch and Levin being run by this organisation.
Throughout its history, the Home has been honoured in hosting many distinguished guests such as Edward, Prince of Wales (1920), Admiral Byrd (1929), the Duke of Gloucester (1935), Lord Mountbatten (1920), Lady Mountbatten (1946), Lord Fryberg (1946), Field Marshall Montgomery (1947), and the Duke of Kent (1980), VC recipients Charlie Upham and Jack Hinton as well as many former Governor Generals to name but a few.
In 1998 Montecillo was converted to a 54 bed Hospital and Rest Home attached to three and a half acres of woodland and bush property. Montecillo is managed by Major Fred Daniel MBE, JP who took the role on after serving more than thirty years in the New Zealand Army.
The home is nestled amongst much native flora and fauna with beautifully cultivated flower gardens. The residents (male and female) include ex-navy, army and airforce, home servicemen, merchant navy as well as dependants of all these personnel, who all enjoy the quiet surroundings with spectacular views of both the Dunedin City and Harbour.
Historically Montecillo Veterans Home and Hospital has been governed from Wellington by the Patriotic and Canteens Fund Board, but the Board, as part of a major review of it's role now and in the future decided to transfer the assets of the home to a local Trust, The Montecillo Charitable Trust
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"
We are going to do something better for our soldiers than give them a rifle when this is over".The Right Honourable Peter Fraser.
Wartime Prime Minister of New Zealand.
During the past century, thousands of New Zealanders have served their country on the world's battlefields. Many never returned. Many more have carried the scars of battle throughout their lives.
Successive generations of New Zealanders have recognised their debt and obligation to these veterans. We have erected memorials to the dead and have commemorated their memory. We have not been as readily concerned for the living.
Montecillo Veterans' Home & Hospital exists to correct this omission.
Montecillo was opened on its present site in 1918 and is home to 54 Veterans. The quality of care and the unique service culture of Montecillo has ensured an almost 100% occupancy rate and a significant waiting list.
Montecillo in approaching 86 years, and like many of the veterans, is starting to show signs of wear and tear. Some areas need to be refurbished to keep pace with modern aged care requirements, and there is a need to update our present accommodation to cater for a growing number of sick and frail elderly veterans and their dependants.
Historically, Montecillo has been governed from Wellington by the Patriotic and Canteen Funds Board, but a strategic Planning Committee of the Board, as part of a major review of its role now and in the future transferred in October 2002 the governance and assets of Montecillo to a local Charitable Trust.
This decision provides a window of opportunity whereby funding and governance generated in this region south of the Waitaki, can be deployed in the region for the benefit of the veterans.
"In each of the Homes, it was not just the high standard of accomodation and the nursing and domestic services that impressed me, but also, and even more, the warm and loving care so obviously given by everyone on the staff. There is an extra dimension too that is not to be found in any other rest home or hospital, and that is the sense of comradeship, the common bond between the residents, forged by shared even if not always spoken about, experiences in war and peace. All this means that these are homes in the full sense of the word, where each individual is accorded the respect, as well as the care, that is their due".
The Right Honourable Sir Michael Hardie Boys
GNZM, GCMG, Govemor-General of New Zealand.