A group of residents and nurses in the sunroom at Anzac Hostel. Four of the residents lie in ...

A group of residents and nurses in the sunroom at Anzac Hostel. Four of the residents lie in coach wheel beds while two in the foreground are seated. Identified sixth from left, back row is Matron Christine Munro (later Gorrie), who was employed from the hostel's opening in 1919 until 1929. The Repatriation Department opened Anzac Hostel on 5 July 1919 and provided a comfortable and less institutional style of care for permanently disabled veterans of the First World War. The purchase of the 12.5 acre property in Brighton, Vic, formerly known as ‘Kamesburgh’, was made possible through the charitable donation of the six Baillieu brothers (prominent Melbourne businessmen of the company, Baillieu Allard Pty Ltd) who also saw to it that the two storey building was properly outfitted for the care of invalided ex-servicemen. Six nursing staff were employed to care for between 20 and 25 residents at a time and four gardeners kept the grounds. After 1945, Anzac Hostel became the home of the first of many disabled veterans of the Second World War until the hostel’s closure on 30 June 1995. The property was transferred to the City of Bayside under the condition that a new hostel for veterans would be built on the grounds for the War Veterans’ Homes Trust. The new Anzac Hostel was opened on 27 July 1998.