The custodianship of Tasmania’s largest aged care provider has been transferred from the Tasmanian Knights of the Southern Cross to the Hobart Archdiocese.
A letter about the change to the membership structure sent to residents, staff and stakeholders last month from Southern Cross Care’s chair Sonya Beyers and chief executive Esteban Cox said that it was “business as usual”.
“We want to assure you that the focus remains on the continued delivery of the Southern Cross Care (Tasmania) mission and there will be no impact to operational effectiveness from this change in membership,” the letter stated.
“We pay tribute to the Tasmanian Knights of Southern Cross Care for the last 50 years of hard work and diligence in making the organisation what it is today.”
The move is seen as a symbolic gesture that acknowledges that the Hobart Archdiocese is in the best position to continue as the ultimate custodian of the aged care provider.
The Knights are an organisation of Catholic laymen who set up Southern Cross Care more than 50 years ago to provide aged care services.
However, state chairman of the Knights of the Southern Cross, Steve Coleman, said that with an ageing and declining membership, the time had come to hand over custodianship.
“We needed to find a solution where we could pass on the guardianship of Southern Cross Care into safe hands that would protect its Catholic identity as well as keep it Tasmanian and also contribute to ongoing improvements, success and growth,” Mr Coleman said.
“We were praying for guidance in how to resolve the dilemma,”
Mr Coleman said “The Holy Spirit answered our prayer” when Hobart. Archbishop Julian Porteous suggested the archdiocese become the guardian of Southern Cross Care.
Since then, the Knights have carried out extensive collaboration and consultation with its members, the archdiocese and the board to facilitate the transition.
Archbishop Porteous thanked the Knights of the Southern Cross for their many years of service to the Catholic community in Tasmania.
FULL STORY
Tribute paid to Knights’ legacy of service as aged care provider gets new custodian (By Wendy Shaw, Hobart Archdiocese)
