Where It All Began

Hector Neil McLean was born at Ellerston in the Hunter Valley, NSW in 1856. Hector was a man with a vision, of character and a man of means, and one of extraordinary kindness. His legacy is the cornerstone of McLean Care, and it’s essential to reflect on the incredible journey that brought us here today.

When he died in March 1932, a provision of his Will designated, that a convalescent home be established on his family property ‘Killean’, the present site of McLean Care Inverell residential facilities that  we gather on today.

When Hector McLean penned his wishes in his last will and testament, it was a document that would forever shape the future of our organisation.

He was a grazier and landowner and a successful businessman, but he was also a man who believed in the power of giving. Never married and with no children of his own, his generosity extended not only to his family, friends and loved ones but also to the people who had worked alongside him.

He left substantial sums of money to his nieces, nephews, and brothers, among others. After numerous bequests to relatives and friends, he desired the residue of his Estate to be devoted to the establishment of a Convalescent Home. He was very particular on how the Trust would be administered to bring his vision to life.

His Trustees in pursuance of his Will, created three “Home Trustees” and transferred to them, the 200 acres of land and then the two sets of Trustees jointly set to work to build, and equip the home, and to launch it. 

His obituary in the Inverell times described Hector McLean as a man whom “out of raw materials be builded up a house of character, in which he lived and had courage to stand up to the name he made” and “an unbounded faith in the prosperity of Inverell and the district.”

What truly set Hector Neil McLean apart, however, was his determination and his clear, unyielding vision. ‘The signature of Inverell’ was upon him where he lived for most of his 75 years and envisioned a future where the property on which we stand today, Killean, would be utilised to create a convalescent home for those in need. His detailed instructions on the number of acres, the administration of the Trust, and those entrusted with its management , were ironclad.

These precise guidelines laid out in his will would be the compass guiding the development of the very first McLean Care home as well as the management structure including Home Trustees. His bequest  included infrastructure considerations, and smart financial investments,  he even thought about the remuneration of “Medical Men, Nurses and Employees and the expense of providing food, drugs and medical appliances and other things necessary and proper for on the said Home or Hospital.”

• In 1970 McLean Care’s first retirement HN McLean Retirement Village was then established and administered by the Board of Trustees and the Board of Advice
• 2007:  HN McLean Memorial Retirement Village Ltd HN and McLean Village Holdings Ltd with a Board of Directors  was established and later in
• 2010: McLean Care Ltd  was created

Though the management and administration structures may  have changed from those early days, it was Hector’s attention to detail, vision, and his unyielding bequest that empowered the trustees of his estate to eventually bring his dream to life in 1953 – efforts were delayed post war as building materials were difficult to procure at the time.

McLean Care has come along was since 1953 and remains a thriving modern successful organisation continuing to care for older Australians.

A Testament to McLean Care’s History