MERCY Health and Aged Care has bought the Villa Franca Nursing Home in Werribee from long-term owners Paul and Franca Di Natale.

The purchase price for the imposing art deco building, now a 70-bed aged-care facility, is undisclosed, covered by a confidentiality agreement between the parties.

Mrs Di Natale said it was a big decision to let go of the home that they had run for nearly 30 years.

“It’s very emotional to walk away after so long,” she said.

“But the time had to come for us.

“We’re pleased and relieved to hand over to Mercy Health and Aged Care, who have a very good reputation.

“We’ve been assured nothing will change, our very good staff will remain and the Mercy will build on the legacy we’ve built up.”

Mr and Mrs Di Natale, both in their 60s, bought the house in 1979 “out of a personal need.”

“Paul’s mother had been killed in a road accident and his father, Giovanni, was left,” Mrs Di Natale explained.

“Giovanni’s health deteriorated and we were looking after him, but with three small children, it created a strain.

“We discovered there was no aged-care facility in the area at all.

“We decided something had to be done to help not only ourselves, but other Italian families with ageing parents.

“So we bought the house and set up a nursing home.”

The Villa Franca home fulfilled a need in the community, beginning with 30 residents and growing to more than double that number today.

The home has been renowned for its Italian culture and decor, including Italian statues, as well as traditional Italian meals, using only fresh ingredients.

“It’s been a home-away-from-home for our residents,” Mrs Di Natale said.

“And it’s given Paul and me a lot of happy feelings getting to know families who have shown so much appreciation.

“We’ve received a lot of local support over the years and we’d like to thank all the doctors, nurses, ambulance officers, politicians and care workers we’ve dealt with.”

Mrs Di Natale said her husband would continue to run his real estate business with their son, John, in Footscray, while she was looking forward to spending more time with their 10 grandchildren.

“To us, family is everything,” she said.

A vacant block of land adjoining the home is part of the purchase agreement and will allow the home to be extended to meet Werribee’s growing aged-care needs.

John Ballard, chief executive of Mercy Health and Aged Care, said the Di Natale family had taken a significant and emotional decision to hand over Villa Franca.

“They can take comfort in the knowledge that they are transferring the home to a highly regarded Catholic organisation that is well-known to the local community through Werribee Mercy Hospital,” he said. “We will respect and develop Villa Franca’s strong ties to the local Italian and wider Werribee communities.”