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This is home

A place to be yourself without judgement
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From a small B&B in Blackheath

As managers of the Norwood Lodge B&B and Basecamp Café in Blackheath, Theo Vergos and Dolma Sherpa wanted to find a way to dedicate their lives to something bigger, something with purpose.

In their time in hospitality, they met with several families who had booked their loved ones into Supported Independent Living facilities in Sydney because there weren’t sufficient placements in the local area. They were unable to visit as often as they would like, travelling hundreds of kilometres several times a week for visits.

To a unique Supported Independent Living offering

From the beginnings as a B&B, the philosophy has always been about giving participants a home, not just a place to stay.

We believe that home is a sanctuary from the rest of the world. A place to be yourself, live the life you choose with comfort, safety and security. Home is a place where you connect as little or as much as you like without judgement or control.

Which is why we want all our participant to feel that Waratah is their home. We are simply there in the background to help as little or as much as needed, to support daily living, to provide safety and security, to gently encourage independence, to provide opportunities – so that our participants can enjoy all that life has to offer.

Our philosophy is all about home

Theo and Dolma saw an opportunity to use the Norwood Lodge B&B as a Supported Independent Living Facility. When they shared their vision with their team, they too were so inspired they agreed to come on board. For those with a care-based background it was an easy transition, others agreed to retrain.

Norwood Lodge became the first home in the Waratah Group, many of the original team are still support carers today and their loving kindness philosophy remains at the core of all Waratah locations.

We exist to help our participants flourish

What

Support for daily living including home style accommodation, care, meals, support, activities.

How

Offering participants complete choice and control, with the same level of care, they’d expect from a loved one.

Why

So participants flourish – experiencing all that life has to offer.

Our values guide our service delivery

Dignity and Respect

We respect individual differences and treat participants with respect.

Ability and Growth

We focus on what participants can do and gently encourage growth.

Choice and Control

We exist to help participants to live the life they choose.

Health and Happiness

We encourage activities that promote physical and mental health.

Loving Kindness

We act with loving kindness towards each other and our surroundings.

We will continue to evolve

We are always seeking ways we can further support participants and their families, all with the view to help them experience everything life has to offer. As a result of this innovative thinking, we have been able to use organic cleaning products throughout all homes, offer unique meal options, devise creative solutions for financial management, provide access to different types of activities and even support families in their NDIS understanding.

“Theo is a strong advocate for Don's needs and has on many occasions acted on behalf of Don in circumstances not many others would have done so. I am more than pleased to be endorsing Theo.”

Maxine Griffiths AM, Director, D.G Lewis Pty Ltd

To learn more about Waratah or to make an appointment, simply complete the form below.

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At Waratah we’re always ready to hear from you.

If you’ve got a question about NDIS Supported Independent Living or just want to know more about our service, contact us any time.

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