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Well-known philanthropist, Lady Janet Clarke, is elected president of the Melbourne District Nursing Society, a role she will hold until 1908. A giant of the organisation’s early history, she will later be made a Life Governor.

Annual visits increase to over 8,000, with nurses navigating Melbourne’s laneways on foot to provide medical aid, food and comfort to the infirmed, the elderly and those unable to care for themselves.

As a result of the larger numbers of patients visited during the influenza epidemic, nurses are provided with cars for the first time. This increases patient numbers nearly fourfold from 1,104 to 3,992.

62,500 customer visits are made, including midwifery duties totalling 14,344 obstetrics visits to 650 patients.

Prominent businessman, Mr George Marchant, donates Kingshome – RSL’s first veteran hostel in Brisbane’s western suburbs, opened on 18 June 1938. It provides stability, security and a sense of community to an initial 64 ex-servicemen.

Upon learning that Kingshome is overcrowded, World War I veteran and mining leader, Mr Malcolm Newman donates Fernhill at Caboolture – one of South East Queensland’s finest private residences.

The Victorian Hospitals and Charities Commission requests RDNS to shift its focus to relieve the acute hospital bed shortage, which separates the district nursing work and Melbourne After-Care Hospital. As a result, the Society’s name changes to Melbourne District Nursing Service and the home nursing service moves to  452 St Kilda Road, Melbourne.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, grants use of the 'Royal' prefix and the 'Royal District Nursing Service' (RDNS) name is adopted.

The original buildings at Fernhill are replaced with a purpose built 40-bed nursing home to further support the needs of ageing residents.

During the 1970s, eight new RDNS sub-centres are opened – Frankston, Caulfield, Heidelberg, Knox, Rosebud, Broadmeadows, Collingwood, and Dandenong.

In September 1980, RSL Care opens a residential community at Pinjarra Hills, located in Brisbane’s west, which will later be renamed Fairview. The original building offers 120 beds, with 30 additional beds added in 1982, including a day therapy centre.

Plans for the first RSL Care retirement community begin when Mackay RSL Bicentennial Community is gifted as a retirement village consisting of 25 independent villas.

RSL Care home care services commence on the Gold Coast. The service quickly expands over five years to support communities from North Queensland to Northern New South Wales.

RDNS is chosen by the Auckland District Health Board, in New Zealand, to assess clients’ personal care needs, deliver personal assistance services and provide care management. This becomes the first international expansion for the organisation. Today the NZ operation visits 2,400 customers each week with a team of over 400 dedicated community support workers, registered nurses and occupational therapists.

RSL Care forges a new path with an independent Board, underpinned by ANZAC principles and adopting a broader service mission for all older Australians.

RSL Care and RDNS come together as a single organisation, creating one of Australia’s largest not-for-profit providers of in-home care, and residential services, clinical nursing, and active retirement living.

Under our new name, Bolton Clarke, we continue to build on the trust and reputation we have earned.

Our long held values of compassion and respect remain at the heart of everything we do.  Every day, in all we do, our promise is to support you in achieving the quality of life and independence that defines who you are.