{"id":28919,"date":"2026-07-15T14:41:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T04:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/?p=28919"},"modified":"2026-07-15T14:41:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T04:41:58","slug":"important-update-for-grafton-kyogle-and-casino-residents-families-and-representatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/important-update-for-grafton-kyogle-and-casino-residents-families-and-representatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Update for Grafton, Kyogle and Casino Residents, Families and Representatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Residents, Families & Representatives<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are writing to update you on some sensitive information that has recently been reported in the media.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday, several media outlets reported on the arrest of a former employee who worked\u00a0at\u00a0Whiddon\u2019s\u00a0Maclean Mareeba\u00a0Home.\u00a0The arrest relates to an incident that occurred before Whiddon took ownership of the Home 10 months ago.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We understand this news may be\u00a0concerning for\u00a0you and\u00a0want to share the information we are able to provide at this time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent NSW Police investigation has resulted in the arrest of a former employee in relation to the alleged sexual assault of a resident between November 2023 and February 2024. The matter is now before the courts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the information currently available to us, we believe this to be an isolated incident. Importantly, there is no information to suggest any connection to other Whiddon homes,\u00a0residents\u00a0or employees across our network in NSW and Southeast Queensland.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The alleged actions are completely contrary to Whiddon\u2019s values and the standards of care,\u00a0respect\u00a0and dignity we expect for every resident.\u00a0Nothing is more important to us that the\u00a0safety,\u00a0wellbeing\u00a0and quality of care of our residents.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the alleged incident is reported to have occurred before Whiddon acquired and commenced operating the Maclean Mareeba Home, we have undertaken a review of our safeguards, recruitment practices and care governance processes to ensure they remain robust and continue to support the safety, dignity and wellbeing of every resident<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We want to reassure residents and families that Whiddon maintains rigorous recruitment,\u00a0screening\u00a0and compliance processes, including mandatory police checks, background\u00a0screening\u00a0and ongoing workforce monitoring, to help uphold the highest standards of care and safety.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although this matter does not directly affect residents at other Whiddon homes, we felt it was important to communicate openly given that the home is now owned and\u00a0operated\u00a0by Whiddon. We are deeply concerned by these allegations and remain unwavering in our commitment to providing safe,\u00a0respectful\u00a0and high-quality care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Residential Services Manager, who will be able to\u00a0assist\u00a0you or direct your enquiry as\u00a0appropriate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you for your continued trust in Whiddon and for allowing us to care for your loved ones.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris Mamarelis<\/span>
\n<\/span>CEO, Whiddon<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Residents, Families & Representatives\u00a0 We are writing to update you on some sensitive information that has recently been reported in the media.\u00a0 Yesterday, several media outlets reported on the arrest of a former employee who worked\u00a0at\u00a0Whiddon\u2019s\u00a0Maclean Mareeba\u00a0Home.\u00a0The arrest relates to an incident that occurred before Whiddon took ownership of the Home 10 months ago.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28919"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28920,"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28919\/revisions\/28920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whiddon.com.au\/comms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}