Message from the Chairman

Jeff McCarthy

Chairman

I am pleased to present Sylvanvale Foundation’s annual report.
Sylvanvale Foundation has been in operation since 1947. The 2021-22 financial year has been a successful period for the Foundation, the highlight being the completion of its new state-of-the-art, high quality properties for people with disability in Bangor, in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire. On the business operations front, our decision last year to better address developments in the disability sector by creating a separate operating entity has proven successful, with Sylvanvale Limited now well established under the NDIS framework.

Sylvanvale Foundation has invested in reimagining disability housing by developing dwellings that anyone would want to live in. The Bangor homes set a new standard for disability accommodation across the country, which we look forward to expanding in the coming year.

The Foundation also made a contribution to the furnishings and fit out of the premises via the Lorna Stone Award in 2021.

The Bangor project shows what can be achieved when people work together. It marks the culmination of many months of collaboration between people both inside and outside of Sylvanvale Foundation. Thank you to everyone who saw value in it and invested time and energy into making it a reality.

I also extend my gratitude to Her Excellency, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AO KC, Governor of New South Wales, as Vice Regal Patron of Sylvanvale, who attended the official opening of the Bangor properties and is a great supporter of our organisation.
As excited as we are about this project, it can only be the beginning. Due to a lack of appropriate accessible accommodation, there are currently around 3,440 people under 65 years of age living in permanent aged care in Australia. Thousands more are living in unsuitable housing.

Our focus next year will be developing strategies for investment and giving – planning projects to deliver more high quality accommodation and service facilities that benefit people with disability.

Jeff McCarthy
Chairman