Rev Ian Trevor remembers Resthaven Leabrook
The house that grandpa built
When Rev Ian Trevor decided he needed a short respite stay at a residential aged care home, there was really only one choice – Resthaven Leabrook.
Why? It was built by his grandfather, FC Catt, in 1910!
Ian says, ‘I don’t really remember grandpa, although mum said she used to take me to see him and he was quite fond of me, apparently.’
‘But this is where mum’s family lived back in those early days.’
The family sold the property in the mid-1920s to the Cooper family, before Resthaven purchased it in 1944. It remains Resthaven’s oldest residential aged care home – although it looks a little different now!
Sitting in his comfortable armchair overlooking the Kensington Road/Glynburn Road intersection, Ian points and says, ‘I used to sit at that corner with a mate of mine when I was in high school.’
‘It was as different as chalk and cheese than in my day.’
‘Back then, [the property which became Resthaven Leabrook] was just the main building.’
‘But I’ve always known “Kensi” [Kensington] Road being bituminised, and I remember the tram lines.’
Ian’s mother was one of six children in the Catt family. She married Norman Trevor, and they moved to Kensington, then Kensington Gardens when Ian was four.
‘My mum would do anything for everybody – she made a beaut home for us,’ says Ian. ‘The back door was never locked.’
‘Every Saturday, my uncle Norman would bring by grandmother, who then lived on Fullarton Road, so granny could spend the day with mum.’
‘We’d have a lovely time. We’d all sit round the kitchen table and have scones with jam and cream.’
When Ian was 17, the family moved to Port Lincoln, where his parents stayed for the rest of their lives. Ian, however, only stayed for 2½ years, before going to Theological College in New South Wales, which is where he met his wife, Marge.
Ian’s Ministry work would take the couple all over Australia, and the world, before they finally settled in Tea Tree Gully in 1979.
The couple had ‘two lovely girls’, and now have three grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and another great-grandchild on the way.
They continue to live independently in their home in the community, but Ian explains that ‘The reason I came here to Resthaven Leabrook was Marge had to have a knee done.’
‘I’ve had lots of falls in the last few years, my legs just go, it happens anytime. So Marge said, “you have to go to respite while I’m away,” and I thought, I’ll come here, to grandpa’s old home. It was amazing the way it all worked out.’
Ian is very happy with his stay at Resthaven Leabrook, saying, ‘The food is good, the entertainment is great.’
‘I just had a lovely time singing my heart out at a concert downstairs!’
But his favourite thing to do is sit in his favourite armchair overlooking Kensington Road, admiring the same view – albeit from a different perspective – as he did as young boy, in the home his grandfather built.
Thank you for sharing your story, Ian!
Learn more about Resthaven Leabrook
Short-term respite stays of a minimum of two weeks are available at all Resthaven residential aged care homes – phone 8373 9113 to find out more.
Resthaven Community Respite Services also provide accommodation for older people at a number of respite ‘cottages’ across metropolitan Adelaide, to give carers a break from their caring role. Phone 8198 2060 to enquire.
Find out more about respite at Resthaven
Celebrating 85 years in 2020, Resthaven Incorporated is a not for profit, South Australian aged care community service associated with the Uniting Church. Every day, Resthaven shares the lives and wisdom of around 10,000 older people and their carers, working together to provide outstanding care and support.