Aura Holdings’ and residents support disability café opening in their Maroochydore village

Tim Russell and Mark Taylor, Managing Directors of Aura Holdings, are at pains to point out how active their residents are. Sandra Brodie, Head of Business and Growth at Compass Institute, one of the Sunshine Coast’s disability services, was in her office late last year.

“Out of the blue, I got a phone call from a lovely lady asking about whether Compass would be interested in opening a new social enterprise cafe in Maroochydore,” Sandra told Sunshine Coast News. “Some of the residents at The Avenue had been to our other social enterprise cafes on the Coast and loved what we were about and the experience they’d had with our trainees, so were advocating for Compass to be the cafe of choice to operate from their premises. “To us, this was a huge compliment, as The Avenue is not their place of business, it’s their home.”

Aura Holdings CEO Sean Graham said the addition of the cafe in the heart of The Avenue Retirement Village was a crucial step in connecting residents with community.

“A well-run cafe brings a vibrance to a village – it creates a place to meet, a delicious alternative to cooking, as well as a great opportunity to connect with the local community and support local business,” Sean said.

The café, known as Connections Cafe Maroochydore, is open from Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 2.30pm, and is open to residents of The Avenue Retirement Village and the wider community.