Domain Principal reopens Quakers Hill 28 months after fire that killed 11

It would have been easy to simply close the Quakers Hill aged care facility that was deliberately set alight by nurse Roger Dean. 11 of the 88 residents perished and a further eight seriously injured by smoke inhalation. But Domain Principal Managing Director Gary Barnier states he was determined to not give in and pushed for a showcase care facility for the remaining residents.
28 months and twenty of the original residents are returning along with many of the staff. The Allen Jack+Cottier designed facility has three times more communal space than the destroyed home and capacity for an extra 27 residents. A memorial garden to those killed and injured has also been created in the heart of the new home.
Roger Dean pleaded guilty to 11 counts of murder and eight of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and was sentenced last year. He used a cigarette lighter to start fires in two beds then watched them take hold. He claimed he had been "corrupted with evil thoughts", saying Satan was talking to him. Police say Dean set the fire to cover up his theft of a large amount of painkillers.