A western suburbs organisation has been selected to provide disability services from Cottesloe’s Lady Lawley Cottage which has been closed for more than two years.
A western suburbs organisation has been selected to provide disability services from Cottesloe’s Lady Lawley Cottage which has been closed for more than two years.
Mosman Park-based disability organisation Rocky Bay has entered into a 20-year peppercorn lease with Australian Red Cross to provide services at Lady Lawley Cottage on Gibney Street.
Lady Lawley Cottage was bestowed to Australian Red Cross to deliver services for children with disabilities in 1944.
However, Australian Red Cross decided to stop running services at the western suburbs site, citing lack of financial stability, in 2020.
Rocky Bay confirmed it would undertake minor refurbishment works early in the new year and would begin offering early intervention and therapy services from April 2023.
Rocky Bay chief executive Michael Tait said the organisation’s vision was to transform Lady Lawley Cottage into a vibrant hub for children and young people.
“We want our services at the site to reflect the needs of today for children living with disability and their families, while honouring both the historic building and the legacy of Lady Lawley,” he said.
“The site will allow us to retain a presence in the western suburbs after we move our main service hub to Belmont and will give us the space to continue to grow our portfolio of child and adolescent services.”
Australian Red Cross ran an expression of interest process earlier this year, with the new provider leasing the site at a nominal fee of $1 per year.
“This is a great outcome for children with disabilities, their parents and carers, and the community,” Australian Red Cross WA director Craig Stewart said.
“As owner and custodian of the site, Australian Red Cross’ role from this point is to ensure the legacy and history of the site is recognised and respected in the next chapter of its story.”
Rocky Bay also plans to undertake a comprehensive consultation process in the new year.
“For example, we know respite services are important and needed for families in our community,” Mr Tait said.
“The consultation will help inform the development of a number of appropriate and sustainable respite options to better support the State’s children and young people from the latter half of 2023.”
