19 October 2009

'Graythwaite' Sale Provides Significant Boost

Deputy Premier and Minister for Health, Carmel Tebbutt, today announced the successful tenderer for the historic Graythwaite property in North Sydney.

Church of England Grammar School, known as Shore, has agreed to pay the Graythwaite Trust $35.2 million (plus GST) for the property.  Shore occupies land next to Graythwaite which was gifted to the Crown in 1915 as a convalescent home.

The Property has been held in trust by the Crown for the specific charitable purpose envisaged by original owner, Thomas Dibbs.  It has been sold on behalf of the Trust in accordance with a ruling by the Supreme Court.

The Minister said that all proceeds from the sale would go to the Graythwaite Trust and would be reinvested in providing rehabilitation services at Ryde Hospital.

"This sale opens a new chapter in the life of Graythwaite Estate and the intent of  Thomas Dibbs lives on," the Minister said.

"NSW Health will construct a new inpatient rehabilitation centre at Ryde Hospital which will provide sub-acute rehabilitation services for public patients in up to 60 beds.

"This state-of-the-art facility will be built on land gifted to the Trust by the NSW Government and be operated as part of the Ryde Hospital campus.  I am very pleased to announce that it will carry the Graythwaite name," the Minister said.

The Graythwaite Centre will provide general and aged care rehabilitation, as part of a comprehensive range of services provided by the North Shore Ryde Health Service.  Court approval was required to sell Graythwaite and Justice Windeyer found that the plan to use proceeds to provide rehabilitation care was "as close as possible to the original trust purpose of a convalescent home".

Design work for the new centre will get underway, as soon as possible.  Construction is planned to commence in the second half of 2010 with completion in 2012.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au