For more than five decades, IRT has supported older Australians to live well, at home and in the community. As we move toward a new chapter, our story remains grounded in care, connection and independence.
IRT is founded by Dr Max Diment with a simple vision: to provide better housing and care for older Australians. As a local GP and Honorary Medical Superintendent at Bulli Hospital, he saw firsthand how older people lacked the support, dignity and independence they deserved, and set out to create a better way.
Marking IRT’s first major housing development, our first community opens in Wollongong, offering independent living and care under one roof. Driven by a shared purpose, Dr Max Diment and local businessman Sid Wearne brought together others who were equally passionate about improving care for older Australians.
Towradgi Park Village opens, expanding residential care with a mix of independent living, and a nursing home. Designed as a place to live, not just receive care, it quickly becomes a central hub for services and a model for future communities.
Daisy Street Lodge opens in Narooma, marking IRT’s first South Coast community and commitment to regional growth.
Throughout the 70s, IRT continued to commit to projects. Daisy Street Lodge, Narooma, Thelma Lodge, Woonona and Birch Villa were all completed. By the end of the decade IRT had established nine communities across the Illawarra and South Coast.
Our first Sydney-based community, IRT Peakhurst, opened in 1992. Built by the NSW Government, IRT has managed IRT Peakhurst for 27 years. In the same year, we started providing home care services in the Illawarra and were instrumental in shaping the at-home services delivered to older Australians through a range of pilot programs.
We opened a Registered Training Organisation, now known as ITeC Academy, in 1997. Based in Wollongong, the Academy has trained and educated thousands of our employees over two decades, as well as students from other organisations.
IRT Kangara Waters, our first community in the ACT, opened in June 2009. The co-located retirement village and aged care centre on the shores of Lake Ginninderra supported IRT’s ‘ageing in place’ philosophy.
In the same year we also launched IRT Research Foundation. Since then we’ve invested over $2 million in research to improve the lives of older people. Now known as Age Matters, its mission has evolved and its primary focus is to combat disadvantage for older Australians, tackling homelessness, loneliness and joblessness for this vulnerable cohort.
We expanded into South East Queensland in 2012 when we acquired three retirement villages – IRT The Ridge, IRT The Palms, and IRT Parklands. We’ve since built IRT Woodlands, a colocated retirement village and aged care centre at Meridan Plains, and also provide home care services on the Sunshine Coast.
Kemira at IRT William Beach Gardens opened in 2016, supporting residents with intellectual disability and their ageing carers. Kemira has won four awards, including two international accolades, for its innovative approach to bridging the gap between disability and aged care services.
In November 2018, we entered our 50th year of providing high quality care and services to older Australians. From humble beginnings in Wollongong in 1969, we grew to be an organisation of 2792 employees serving 9124 residents and customers each year across NSW, South East Queensland and the ACT.
We’re proudly stepping into our next chapter with the launch of a refreshed IRT brand – one that better reflects who we are today, and the future we’re building together.
It’s an intentional step forward – one that connects the strength of our history with the ambition of our future. It reflects a trusted, community-owned organisation with decades of experience, pride in its people, and a clear purpose: to improve the lives of older Australians.
As we continue to evolve, we have projects on the horizon including refurbishment of our very first community now known as Diment, as well as projects across the Illawarra, South Coast and Sydney. We are building on more than five decades of experience to create communities that reflect the future of aged care.
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