MELBOURNE, 23 May 2025: About 35 km from the CBD, situated in Werribee Park, the Lancemore Mansion Hotel, saw a unique launch of Mercy Health Foundation’s (MHF) Community Health Hub, fundraiser amid the grandeur of the Lancemore Mansion, the 60-room estate built by Scottish pastoralist in 1875 as a testimony to his colonial wealth, from his wool empire and taken over by the Victoria government in 1977.
The mansion believed to be haunted by the spirits of its former residents and servants, hosted the grand launch with guests arriving in style in a tented enclosure with a three-course lunch laced with a classical Indian dance and a fundraising raffle. Jacqueline Van Dom, Director of Maternity Services, Werribee Mercy Hospital, Christina George, translator, Werribee Mercy Hospital, and Rebecca MacFarling, CEO, Mercy Health Foundation, explained community maternity needs with rising population, antenatal and postnatal facilities proposed for healthy pregnancy and a thriving family. The pilot program will integrate maternity services into a familiar culturally appropriate manner, it was informed.
This was followed by an address by Mia Shaw, Mayor of Wyndham, who disclosed Wyndham had now 17. 4 % Indian origin people (50, 880) and the overall diverse community of 324,000 residents will grow to around 500,000 in a few years. The Community Maternity Hum will be a great service to residents, she said. The facility is expected to come up in August this year.
An highlight of the afternoon event was the unveiling a new portrait of Dr.TJ Rao OAM, a prominent and well-respected figure in the Australian-Indian community. Dr. Rao, who died last year, was India’s honorary Consul General for 25 years, before the current Indian Consulate was established at St. Kilda Road, Melbourne. Harish Rao, son of Dr. Rao and Dr. Rao’s wife Vimla Rao were present. Harish Rao later addressed the gathering detailing Dr. Rao’s work and their family’s contribution to the community.
Other’s present at the function included Mark Trayling, Partnership Manager, Mercy Foundation, Virginia Bourke, Chair Mercy Health Foundation, Joe McCarthy, Manager of Mission and Formation, Mercy Health Australia, Kat Theophanous MP – Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Health, Iwan Walters MP, Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs, George Crozier MP, Victorian Shadow Minister for Health, Vasan Srinivasan, President Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria and Reena Rana, Founder of Indian Women in Australia.
This upcoming exciting community project will help many mothers who don’t feel confident about coming into hospitals, not getting appropriate multicultural advice.
So, the maternity community hub is likely to address this pressing need. This hub will make maternity care more accessible, culturally safe, and closer to home for local families. No doubt, a noble cause. And, it is public funded and Medicare covered.
South Asia Times (SAT) is on YouTube. Follow SAT YouTube Channel — @satimesSAT — for news, entertainment, sports videos from across Australia, South Asia, and the world.
