THE company CEO was there, but it was residents Dorothy and Hugh Booker who were the undeniable stars of the show as Opal Aged Care officially unveiled its multi-million dollar care home on Thursday.
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The Bookers were unable to be together at Opal's old home at Kelso because there wasn't a companion room available.
At the new $38 million care home in Stanley Street by the Macquarie River, however, the Bookers are in the same room again.
They had the honour, along with Opal CEO Rachel Argaman and Member for Bathurst Paul Toole, of unveiling a plaque on Thursday in front of staff, residents and guests at a "housewarming" for the home.
Residents moved from the Kelso site into the new care home back in late April and early May after a construction period of more than a year and, in the months since, a playground and a lawn bowls area have been added.
"We think that it's very, very important to provide beautiful care homes and the most important part of this, notwithstanding the lovely built form, is the spirit and heart that beats inside the home," Ms Argaman told those at the official opening on Thursday.
Human connection, she said, "is at the heart of human wellbeing".
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Mr Toole said the new care home was "state-of-the-art" and it represented a significant investment in Bathurst from the Opal Aged Care company.
Thursday's opening featured a welcome to country, a smoking ceremony, a high tea and a wandering violinist.
