The Disability Trust’s Plant Room café opens at HammondCare’s aged care home

Pictured (left to right): The Disability Trust Acting CEO Tarryn Bracken, cafe worker Tim McGovern and HammondCare CEO Andrew Thorburn

A new café at HammondCare's Hammondville aged care home, just 31km southwest of Sydney, is providing employment opportunities for supported employees with disabilities, offering delicious food and drinks to residents, visitors, staff, and the wider community.

The Plant Room Café, operated by The Disability Trust, serves barista-made coffee and fresh, high-quality food, under the expert direction of renowned chef Lorenzo Pagnan. With its welcoming atmosphere, it is a place for residents, their loved ones, and the wider community to enjoy a bite to eat or grab a coffee.

Hammondville, historically established as a housing project for destitute families by Reverend Bob Hammond in 1932, is now home to Australia's largest number of dementia-specific residential care beds, alongside frail-aged residents and independent living units. The new café is an exciting addition to the site, which is known for providing exceptional care.

The café builds on the success of The Plant Room Café, which opened in October 2023 at HammondCare’s Horsley dementia care village. This café was the first of its kind in Australia to combine supported employment in a dementia care setting.

On 27 February 2025, the Plant Room Café at Hammondville was officially launched by HammondCare CEO Andrew Thorburn and The Disability Trust’s Acting CEO Tarryn Bracken. The launch event was attended by residents and employees of both organisations, marking the café’s official opening.

At the heart of the café is its team of supported employees, including Oliver, a 27-year-old worker who’s thrilled to be part of the team at Hammondville. Oliver takes pride in a range of tasks, including taking orders, serving food, washing dishes, and cleaning up.

"I love the variety of my work and the chance to make a difference in people’s day," Oliver said. “I also have big dreams, like traveling the world. Last year, I visited Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and I’m planning a South Pacific cruise next month."

The Plant Room Café at Hammondville is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 3pm. Whether you're visiting a loved one, grabbing a bite, or simply enjoying a coffee break, everyone is welcome to come by and experience the warm atmosphere of this community-driven social enterprise.

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A special thanks to our contributors

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Caroline Egan

DCM Media, agedcare101

Caroline has a wealth of experience writing within the retirement and aged care sector and is a contributing journalist for the Villages.com.au and agedcare101 blog and accompanying newsletters.

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Ian Horswill

Journalist

Ian is a journalist, writer and sub-editor for the aged care sector, working at The DCM Group. He writes for The Weekly Source, agedcare101, villages.com.au and the DCM Institute fortnightly newsletter Friday. Ian is in daily contact with CEOs of retirement living, land lease and the aged care operations and makes a new contact every week. He investigates media releases, LinkedIn and Facebook for a good source for ideas for stories.

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Lauren Broomham

Retirement and Aged Care Journalist

Lauren is a journalist for villages.com.au, agedcare101 and The Donaldson Sisters. Growing up in a big family in small town communities, she has always had a love for the written word, joining her local library at the age of six months. With over eight years' experience in writing and editing, she is a keen follower of news and current affairs with a nose for a good story.

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Jill Donaldson

Physiotherapist

Jill has been practicing as a clinical physiotherapist for 30 years. For the last 13 years she has worked solely in the Aged Care sector in more than 50 metropolitan and regional facilities. Jill has also toured care facilities in the US and Africa and is a passionate advocate for both the residents in aged care and the staff who care for them. She researches and writes for DCM Media.

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Chris Baynes

DCM Media, agedcare101

Chris has been a journalist and publisher in the retirement village and aged care sectors for 11 years. He has visited over 250 retirement villages and 50 aged care facilities both within Australia and internationally. Chris is a regular speaker at industry conferences plus is a frequent radio commentator.

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Annie Donaldson

Nurse and Carer

Annie has a long career in both nursing and the media. She has planned and co-ordinated the medical support from both international TV productions and major stadium events. In recent years she has been a primary family carer plus involved in structured carer support.