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About Royal Freemasons

Leading Residential Aged Care and In-home Support provider

Who we are

We are a leading not-for-profit organisation with over 155 years of experience providing quality Residential Aged Care and In-home Support to older Victorians. We support older people to live secure, independent and rewarding lives.

We will help you with every step of your journey, from organising an aged care assessment to finding the best Residential Aged Care, Independent Living Units, or In-home Support for you.

Our broad range of services includes respite, dementia and palliative care.

Our Residential Aged Care services include respite, dementia care, and palliative care.

We are committed to supporting our clients to stay as independent as possible for as long as possible. Our independent living units will suit you if you are looking to downsize and join a friendly community.

If you prefer to remain in your own home and need help with everyday tasks, In-home Support will work well for you. Our experienced home care staff will tailor all support to your individual needs

In-home Support is available through a range of funding 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Accredited Services

All our Residential Aged Care Homes and In-home Support services are fully accredited by the Australian Government’s Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

Residential aged care homes receive an overall Government Star Rating, from one to five, measured against for sub-categories: Compliance, the resident’s experience, staffing, and quality measures. Results of each of the four measures are weighted to arrive at an overall star rating. All our residential aged care homes achieved either a five-, four- or three-star rating in the latest 2025 survey.

Our commitment to you

At Royal Freemasons, our vision, mission, and values outline our commitment to you.

history

Our history

For more than 155 years, Royal Freemasons has proudly delivered Residential Aged Care, In-home Support and Independent Living Units for older Victorians.

We began as a tiny charitable initiative of Melbourne’s Freemasons, on five acres of Crown Land grant land on Punt Road, Prahran, in 1867.

Today, we are one of the most respected not-for-profit organisations, supporting older people to live secure, independent and rewarding lives.

We are known for our compassionate, caring approach and a strongly held belief in the importance of community.

Our team

Governance

RF AboutUs Roles executive Hugh

Hugh Cattermole

Chief Executive Officer

RF AboutUs Roles executive Melanie

Melanie McNamara

Executive Officer/Company Secretary

RF AboutUs Roles executive Ann

Ann Butcher

Chief People Officer

RF AboutUs Roles executive Voula

Voula Yankoulas

Chief Financial Officer

RF AboutUs Roles executive Joanne

Joanne Cross

Chief Quality, Safety & Innovation Officer

RF AboutUs Roles executive Jenni

Jennifer Dickson

General Manager – Community Services and Independent Living Units

RF AboutUs Roles executive Meredith

Meredith Rooke

General Manager - Residential Aged Care

Reports and Publications

2023-2024 Year in review

2022-2023 Impact Report

2021-2022 Impact Report

Aged Care Code of Conduct

Code of Practice

Supplier Code of Conduct

Child Safe Policy

Privacy Policy

Modern Slavery Policy

Donations

Your generosity provides a direct impact, allowing us to enhance the lives of our residents.

RWBro Bill Hayes, PDGM

Royal Freemasons Trustee

RF AboutUs Roles Trustee Bill

Trustee, Royal Freemasons’ Homes of Victoria and The Taylor Foundation, and Member of Royal Freemasons Ltd.
Member of the Board of General Purposes of FMV 2010-Present.
Former member of FMV Board of Benevolence 1991–2006.
President 2003–2006. Former member of FMV Audit and Risk Committee 2002–2012. Chairman 2009–2012.
A Justice of the Peace and Accredited Bail Justice in the State of Victoria.
Independent Third Person Accredited by the Office of the Public Advocate.
Appointed Trustee May 2016.

RWBro David Gibbs, PSGW

Royal Freemasons Trustee

RF AboutUs Roles Trustee David

Trustee Designate, Royal Freemasons’ Homes of Victoria and The Taylor Foundation, and Member of Royal Freemasons Ltd.
Former member of the Board of General Purposes of Freemasons Victoria.
Board member of Freemasons Victoria Foundation Limited
Chartered Accountant (life member CAANZ)
Company Director and Advisor to Families in Business
Director Cancer Council Victoria

RWBro Myles King, OAM KSJ AICD

Royal Freemasons Trustee

RF AboutUs Roles Trustee Myles

Deputy Grand Master, Freemasons Victoria

Director, Freemasons Victoria Holding Company Pty Ltd

Former President, Board of General Purposes

Former Chairman, Freemasons Foundation Victoria Ltd

WBro Andrew Davenport

Royal Freemasons Board of Directors

RF AboutUs Roles board Andrew

Director, BE(Hons),BCom, MBA, MCommerclLaw, GAICD, ASA,
Appointed Director December 2020.
Councillor, City of Whitehorse since 2012.

RWBro Craig Head

Royal Freemasons Board of Directors

RF AboutUs Roles board Craig

Board Chair, M Bus (Acc), FCPA, FIPA, MAICD, PJGW
Chief Financial Officer Form 700 Group of Companies, Member of Freemasons Victoria Governing Council
Appointed Director October 2014
Deputy Board Chair October 2018 – November 202
Chair of Finance, Risk & Audit Committee October 2018 – November 2021
Appointed Board Chair November 2021

Bro Larry Jackson

Royal Freemasons Board of Directors

RF AboutUs Roles board Larry

Director, Post Graduate Diploma in Management Studies
Appointed Director October 2021

Ted Turner

Royal Freemasons Board of Directors

RF AboutUs Roles board Ted

Appointed Director May 2024
Bachelor of Business (Accounting), CPA, CPA Public Practising Certificate, Accounting/Taxation, Monash University
Ted is highly experienced CPA/CA Public Practitioner with over 30 years’ experience in business services and taxation.

Rosemary Evans

Royal Freemasons Board of Directors

RF AboutUs Roles board Evans

Director
Lawyer, Special Counsel, DTCH Lawyers.
Appointed Director June 2018.

WBro Ronen Jachimowicz

Royal Freemasons Board of Directors

RF AboutUs Roles board Roben
GAICD, MBT, BComSci, AppDipCom/Physics

Ronen has more than 25 years of extensive technology experience, spanning multiple industries including banking, waste, property and facilities management, where he has demonstrated robust governance and leadership skills. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Masters of Business Technology, Bachelor of Computer Science and an Associate Diploma in Computing and Applied Physics. As a proud member of Freemasons Victoria for over 17 years, he leverages Freemasonry’s positive values in all his professional endeavours.

Jennifer Doubell OAM

Royal Freemasons Board of Directors

RF AboutUs Roles board Jennifer

Jennifer Doubell OAM has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 35 years in development, fundraising, team building, management, and governance. Prior to that, she worked as a social worker and criminologist in corrections in adult prisons in California, Massachusetts and Melbourne and the Melbourne Children’s Court.

She has a proven track record of achieving fundraising growth: she and her teams have raised over $0.8bn in a number of leading for-purpose organisations including University of New South Wales, University of Sydney, Wesley Mission, National Heart Foundation, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation where she was the Executive Director for some 14 years. She has served as a board member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia and on its Code Authority. She consults to a variety of for-purpose organisation including aged care, welfare organisations, the arts and museums.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Social Work and Postgraduate Diploma in Criminology from the University of Melbourne, an MA in research methodologies from Macquarie University and an MSc (Econ) from London Business School, University of London.

Joanne Sabena

Royal Freemasons Board of Directors

RF AboutUs Roles board Joanne

Over a 30-year career, Joanne has held senior executive positions within healthcare and has 12 years’ experience in ASX-listed, not-for-profit and private organisations in the aged care and retirement living sectors. Her extensive experience in commercial and clinical management is supported by her academic studies.

Joanne holds a Master of Applied Management (Health) from the University of Newcastle, a Graduate Certificate in Critical Care from the Australian Catholic University and a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Sydney.

Since 2019, Jo has held the position of Non-executive Director and Chair Clinical Governance for Huon Regional Care and is a Co-Founder of EverYoung AI.

Hugh Cattermole

Chief Executive Officer

RF AboutUs Roles executive Hugh

Hugh is an experienced executive leader across a number of sectors and has a passion for making lives better through the delivery of great services.
Hugh’s experience in aged, disability and community services leadership dates all the way back to his work as a physiotherapist supporting elders in a rural nursing home. Through this direct care and support experience, Hugh has a firsthand understanding of how to best deliver services to those who need support and achieve the best possible outcomes, even in the most challenging of circumstances.
Hugh has been an executive leader and CEO in aged and community services, employment services and a manufacturing organisation, as well as the private and not-for-profit, community-lead sectors.
Hugh is a firm believer in the benefits of continual learning and development, holding, in addition to his physiotherapy degree, a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters of Commercial Law.

Melanie McNamara

Executive Officer/Company Secretary

RF AboutUs Roles executive Melanie

Melanie has worked in the aged care industry for the past 11 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience across corporate governance, executive and board management and compliance, as well as high level secretarial, administrative and project management skills. Melanie is a member of the Australian Governance Institute.

Ann Butcher

Chief People Officer

RF AboutUs Roles executive Ann

Ann has 25+ years experience working with the acute health sector, local government and NGO’s, overseeing the delivery of high level care within a consumer directed framework through the implementation of robust service systems, reporting frameworks and strategic governance.

Voula Yankoulas

Chief Financial Officer

RF AboutUs Roles executive Voula

Voula has over 20 years’ experience within the residential aged care services, retirement living and finance sector, including senior and executive leadership and management roles. Voula holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is a Certified Practising Accountant and currently completing a Master of Business Administration. She has worked in both private and not-for-profit organisations including senior and executive leadership and management roles. She has a strong passion and commitment to improving the outcomes to our residents and the importance of continual training and development of staff to assist in the valuable work they do.

Joanne Cross

Chief Quality, Safety & Innovation Officer

RF AboutUs Roles executive Joanne

With 15 years of clinical and managerial experience across the acute, virtual health, and aged care sectors, Jo is dedicated to excellence and strives for continual improvement in quality of care.
Jo is passionate about delivering holistic care, creating a positive team culture, creating efficiencies through systems development, and finding innovative solutions that best meet the needs of residents and their families.

Jennifer Dickson

General Manager – Community Services and Independent Living Units

RF AboutUs Roles executive Jenni

General Manager – Community Services and Independent Living Units at Royal Freemasons

Meredith Rook

General Manager – Residential Aged Care

RF AboutUs Roles executive Meredith

General Manager – Residential Aged Care

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