Mt Duneed resident Katrina Hamilton received the surprise of her life when her favourite AFL player, Tom Stewart gave her a call on Tuesday.

The Geelong Cats have teamed up with Villawood to acknowledge the outstanding work being done by care workers – such as teachers, healthcare professional and emergency services personnel – within Victorian communities.

Katrina and her husband Dave have been living at Villawood’s Armstrong Mt Duneed community for the past two years after benefitting from Villawood’s Caring for the Carers program.

The initiative was piloted in Geelong early in 2018, when it became apparent that people who provide an invaluable service to the community were increasingly unable to afford to live in the communities they served.  

The Japanese primary school teacher said it was a great community to be a part of.

“It is a really good estate,” Katrina said.

“It has grown since we moved in two years ago, but they are building a massive shopping centre across the highway from us, so that is going to be really good when that opens – I won’t need to go into town at all.”

Katrina is a passionate Geelong member and is committed to supporting the club through this challenging period.

To date, Villawood has helped more than 60 care workers in the Geelong region to buy land through this campaign, with many voicing that without this they simply would not have been able to afford to buy. 

To learn more about the Caring for the Carers program, click here.

Care Worker Support Program

Overview

Villawood Properties designs communities designed for living and strongly believe there’s much more to creating a vibrant community than rows of houses. The sense of community is determined by the individuals who live within it and, ultimately, by how they care for each other.

The Care Worker Support Program Initiative was piloted in Geelong, early in 2018, when it became apparent that people who provide an invaluable service to the community were increasingly unable to afford to live in the communities they served.  

Following the success of the Care Worker Support Program, Villawood extended the initiative to metropolitan Melbourne, doubling both the number of lots reserved for these vocations and the rebate they may be eligible for. 

Care workers, such as teachers, healthcare professional and emergency services personnel, provide essential services. We want them to be able to live and work in our communities, contributing to the rich social fabric that essentially delivers long term value to our residents.

What is it

Eligible Care Workers receive a $20k rebate on land.

Villawood puts aside 20% of all new land releases for Care Workers exclusively for this offer.