Demolition works on the Sunbury Senior Citizens are set to begin this month, which will see the 52-year-old building replaced with a larger, modern facility.
The new building’s features will include multi-use spaces with flexible seating options, an improved kitchen and coffee area, enhanced outdoor spaces, and audiovisual facilities.
Sunbury Seniors Club president Louise Zambello said that she and her husband Frank Zambello were committed in their advocacy for improvements to the centre.
“It’s taken a while … in fact, it took approximately five years of advocating to Hume and the state that the Sunbury Seniors building erected in the early 1970s was shabby, deteriorating, no longer fit for purpose and in need of a dramatic refurbishment,” Ms Zambello said.
“It took a while. We asked, everyone concerned finally listened, they’re now delivering. Sunbury Seniors is excited!,” she said.
Ms Zambello said that the focus of her messaging throughout her advocacy was that she felt that Sunbury needed improved facilities for seniors.
“Our primary focus was that Hume … and the state … in partnership over the last few years have provided some fabulous facilities to the Sunbury community, for example a dog park, innovative playgrounds, school upgrades, sporting facilities … but we couldn’t see much evidence of providing state-of-the-art facilities for seniors – who are an age group that is definitely growing and settling in Sunbury,” she said.
Despite the fact that the Sunbury Seniors Citizens Club, now with 56 members, will be a key user group of the new facilities, Ms Zambello said that the building will be available for a variety of local senior groups.
“The land the current building resides on is Crown Grant land and is specifically dedicated for senior citizens purposes only, so … all groups within Sunbury dedicated to local seniors’ activities [can] use the new facility if there is space available,” she said.
Ms Zambello said that the rebuild of the centre has received joint funding of $4.2 million from the state and Hume Council, with an estimated completion date of October 2025.
