A legacy of care: Wendy Rocks ‘sails into the sunset’
After 15 years of leadership at Lutheran Aged Care Albury (LACA), Wendy Rocks, Managing Director, is retiring at the end of the year, leaving behind a legacy of transformation, resilience and genuine care for her community.
Wendy has worked at CEO, MD and GM level for over 20 years in the aged care sector and has held governance roles on a number of boards throughout her career. Her leadership at LACA has been defined not just by strategic vision but also by a hands-on, people-first approach that residents, families and staff have come to know well.
One of the standout achievements of her tenure was steering LACA through a major capital works project. Construction of the visionary project began in late 2021 and was scheduled for completion around May 2025, delivering a state-of-the-art, marketable 122-bed facility with a medical clinic, a large hall and chapel, allied health areas, a café and a much larger kitchen. Wendy was known for keeping residents at the heart of the process throughout, even as the site doubled as an active construction zone. Residents loved watching the progress and offering their advice, with one earning his own hard hat for how often he turned up to consult with the builders!
That same $29 million renovation extended to Dellacourt, where, under Wendy’s direction, the upgrade included improvements to resident bedrooms, as well as the addition of courtyards, gardens and new green spaces, alongside new community-facing additions like a café and salon.
Wendy also led LACA through one of the toughest periods the sector has faced. Reflecting on the staffing crisis of recent years, she wrote candidly that 2022 was the worst year she had seen for staff shortages in the region, with rosters becoming almost impossible to fill and committed staff burning out. Rather than accept the unsustainable cost of agency staff, Wendy led LACA’s decision to partner with a migration recruitment group to sponsor aged care workers from the Philippines and Nepal, a move that ultimately eliminated agency expenditure and stabilised rosters, with several sponsored workers going on to pursue their nursing registration in Australia.
As she prepares to retire, in her own words, Wendy is ‘sailing into the sunset’. She leaves behind a stronger, more resilient organisation, a beautifully upgraded facility and a community that has felt her care and leadership for 15 years. She will be succeeded by Prince Koshy George, who commences as CEO on 12 October, working alongside Wendy in the lead-up to her retirement.
Wendy’s legacy at Lutheran Aged Care Albury will be felt for years to come, in the buildings she built, the teams she strengthened, and in the residents and families whose lives she touched.
