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My brother, Barry, has just become a resident of an aged-care facility at Rathmines, so I shall be visiting the area on a regular basis throughout this year. It has a fascinating history, so I shall try to relate some of it to you.
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These photographs were taken on my very first visit to the facility when I tried to assess what I liked and what I did not like. Afterwards, I walked around, and all these shots were taken within 250m of the aged-care home. For example, the two images above show remaining RAAF 'huts' from the period. They are sort-of used by the Christadelphian Church, but enthusiasts are trying to raise money to reestablish a semblance of a Catalina base. The other shot shows the concrete apron up which the Catalinas were 'dragged' when they required an overhaul.
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The area is dotted with information boards that explain what used to be there, or why the landscape is what it is. I shall get to these in time. To get to the Rathmines shop from the home, I have to walk through the sporting fields originally established by the RAAF. They had lots, but the base could house thousands of young men and women at any given time.
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The aged-care facility started life as the hospital and dental care wing of the base. It was a simple one wing building. You see the quaint art-deco design of the era in the shot above. After the base was decommissioned, this became a private hosptial, and then the nursing home. The nursing home is high-care and dementia-secure only. The other shot above is a view of the nursing home from the concrete apron.
There is one building, down on the waterfront, which is madly being renovated to remove asbestos. A sign of those times, I guess.
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