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Meet the committee
History
It was originally a Red Cross facility providing subsidised and economic housing, care and security for retired people. In 1988 the Red Cross decided to concentrate on its core business and disposed of its facilities in Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth to organisations like Somerset Place Society here and the Echo Foundation in Port Elizabeth. We have continued to operate independently in essentially the same way, governed by the relevant Act (65 of 1988). This Act was promulgated as a consequence of serious losses incurred by investors in some early speculative developments, and is aimed at protecting the rights of retired people, which it does very adequately.
Legally, Somerset Place Society is a Voluntary Association, like a club or a farmers’ co-operative. It has a constitution and legal status and is entitled to enter into contracts, own property, keep bank accounts and all the things a person could (legally) do. It belongs entirely to its members, who are the only source of funding that it has. All expenses, whether capital or running expenses, must ultimately be provided by the members, including the repayment of loans taken out on their behalf. The only exceptions to this are donations and funds raised for a specific purpose.
All residents in the complex are automatically members of the society and others can join, if approved by the Committee, on payment of an annual fee.
Responsibility
In terms of the Act, the overall administrative and financial responsibility for the Society resides with its Management Committee. The members of the Committee are drawn from the surrounding community. The members represent an array of skills appropriate to its function and include lawyers, accountants, medical practitioners, farmers and business people. The Society is fortunate that they provide their services on a voluntary basis, free of charge. Their function is to provide the policy guidelines under which the Society operates and to ensure that the Society’s staff perform their duties and adhere to these policies. The manager attends Management Committee meetings ex officio but is not a member of the Committee.
The overall responsibility for the day to day administration of the complex resides with the General Manager. This includes all administration, budget control, liaison with residents and new applicants, maintenance of all the gardens and infrastructure and the assured supply of services such as electricity, water and rubbish removal. The Helen Berrington Frail Care Centre is managed by the Matron, who reports to the general manager and is supported by professional nursing staff and carers.
The interests of the residents are represented by the Residents Association (RA), which is not part of the formal administrative structure. It collates residents’ needs and problems and channels them to the general manager and to the Management Committee, via the minutes of its monthly meeting. All members of the Society are automatically members of the Residents Association, but choose whether to participate in its activities or not.