The site of what used to be the Wynnum Hospital has been formally handed over to the Winnam Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Corporation, beginning the process of its conversion into a dedicated Indigenous health and aged care facility.
In a project funded by the federal government, the corporation plans to demolish the old hospital site and build a new residential aged care facility tailored to First Nations residents with more than 30 beds.
Plans are yet to be finalised, but the corporation hopes the redevelopment will become a wellbeing precinct hub, with multiple community services all in the one place.
In an emotional speech at the hospital site on Sunday, Winnam chair Aunty Becky Thomson said there were plans for a childcare centre, kindergarten and medical centre to also be established on the site in future stages of the development.
"The grounds — and I've always said this from the inception — are inclusive of everybody, not just Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," she said.
"We are inclusive, not exclusive, and we would like everyone to come and enjoy the grounds here and the services that will be provided here.
"The services will cover from early stages of life to end stages of life and all the stages in between."
Aunty Becky said the land was previously earmarked for a high-rise residential development before the corporation applied to have it converted into a health facility.
"This is a result of a journey that started in 2017 and involved the local Aboriginal communities in instigating a wellbeing precinct in this area," she said.
"It's been a very exciting journey, a long journey."
Judy Watego currently lives at the Georgina Hostel and Aged Care Facility in Morningside, where several residents are hoping to move to the Wynnum facility when it is completed.
Ms Watego has lived at the Morningside centre for about six months, but is from Brisbane's bayside originally.
"I'm looking forward to it, because that's my homeland," she said.
"I was born two streets away from there.
"I can't wait, to be honest, to smell the salt air. To me, it will be like going home."
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the Queensland government had committed to improving health care access for Bayside residents.
"We're now proud to hand over the site to Winnam, so it can become a new, integrated Indigenous health and aged care hub to benefit the community for decades to come," she said.
Ms D'Ath said the federal government had committed around $26 million in funding for the project's construction.
"Once it's an aged care facility, there will be ongoing funding like any other aged care facility," she said.
"We know we need more aged care. We've got an ageing population, but what is really missing in our community is culturally appropriate and safe aged care facilities for our First Nations people. They just don't exist in metropolitan Brisbane.
"The design of [the Wynnum facility] is very different to aged care facilities as we know them, and it's much more aware of what our First Nations people need. It's been co-designed by them.
"There will be yarning circles, there will be areas for sorry business, and that is really important, and things that are completely lacking in a normal aged care facility."
The state government said a timeline for construction and more details on the new facility would be finalised later this year.
