The retirement village, which provides residential and home care, as well as independent living, has also opened a new cafe for residents and visitors.

Bundaleer Chief Executive officer Gareth Norman said they have also bought a block of land adjacent to Wauchope Memorial Hospital and have begun the architectural designs for a new nursing home there to replace the old one.

“We are in the early stages of re-developing and expanding the Johnstone Street facility which needs to be replaced, so we can provide more options for residents.

“We are also upgrading the self-care villas in the village which has been incredibly well-received by the community here,” he added.

“We are rebranding, keeping the name Bundaleer, adding the words ‘enriching lives’,” said Gareth Norman.

Bundaleer also has young trainees who learn on the job and at the TAFE in areas like hospitality, maintenance, gardening and administration as well as caring.

At the unveiling of the new bus, Jeff Hallam who’s on the board of directors, thanked all the volunteers for their fantastic fundraising.

“They work very hard on behalf of the residents, and it’s all about giving people choice and enriching their lives,” he said.

Fundraiser Verna Wallace said it was a dream come true and thanked the community for supporting their efforts to make it a reality.

“I hope the residents of Bundaleer have safe and enjoyable trips out.  That’s what we have been aiming for.  We’ve raised $100,000 over the years, which is a massive amount,” she said.

Resident Madge Stoddart said she and her friends really enjoyed their first trip in the new bus.

“We went down by the river and all around the Wauchope area and visited beautiful places I’ve never seen before,” she said.