At a special meeting held last Thursday, 24 July 2025, the board of Quirindi Care Services (QCS) voted in favour of its Eloura aged care home and its two blocks of independent living units joining specialist aged care operator Apollo Care Alliance.
Eloura, located in NSW's North West Slopes region 450km north of Sydney, has been in operation for 50 years, and has 68 beds with 18 residents living in its ILUs. Apollo Care's likely acquisition of Quirindi Care Services was reported last Thursday.
Eloura "has struggled to remain financially viable in the increasingly challenging regulatory and operating environment," a statement from Apollo Care Alliance said. Quirindi Care Services recorded a loss of $878,070 in 2023-24, compared to a $241,961 loss recorded the previous year, prompting the board to begin looking for a new operator.
QCS Chair Mike Lomax said, “We’re thrilled to be joining Apollo Care. Given we’ve been caring for locals since the 1970’s, we needed to find the right partner to enable locals to keep living here as they age and guarantee our employees will keep their jobs.
“Apollo Care is the right choice. They will provide us with the scale, capital and expertise we need so we can continue to be a valued asset for the region for generations to come.”
Apollo Care’s CEO Stephen Becsi OAM added: “We have an excellent track record of strengthening regional aged care communities across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and we understand the unique challenges they face in regional and rural settings like Quirindi.”
When Apollo Care becomes the approved provider in September, the names of the operations will remain unchanged, employee conditions won't change, and residents of both Eloura and the ILUs will remain living in their homes under the same agreement. Community members will also be invited to join the QCS board and take part in decision-making processes.
Apollo Care was founded in 2019 by industry veterans Stephen Becsi OAM, former CEO of Bethanie Aged Care, Barry Ashcroft, former CEO of Domain Aged Care, now Opal, Kylie Radburn, former National Care Governance Manager at Aveo, and John Young, a leading equity capital specialist and has since grown to 13 homes in NSW, QLD, and VIC.
