About us

Every minute, every hour, every day, Silver Chain provides care to people living in metropolitan, country and remote areas of Western Australia.

From Carnarvon in the north, to Walpole in the south and Eucla in the east, more than 40,000 people each year experience the difference Silver Chain can make to their lives and the lives of their families and carers.

The diversity of our services, including home care, palliative care, emergency care, family health care and other care services is a testament to the accumulated knowledge that comes with working with the Western Australian community for over 100 years.

Our services can assist you to maintain or regain your independence, care for you at home or simply enhance your life.

We use computer mapping software to devise efficient client visit schedules, and care is delivered by trained professional staff. Together with our support and research teams we aim to continually improve our services to best assist you as an individual ensuring we meet your needs.

We remain dedicated to ensuring we provide quality services to all of our clients.

Our mission:  'to assist people in need to live in their community'.

Our vision:  is to be a client focussed provider of caring, innovative, high quality services that support the independence of people in need.

Our values

  • All people are of equal value.
  • The individuality of people will be respected.
  • The client will be given the best possible service.
  • Excellence and superior performance will be pursued.

Our history

Over 100 years ago... Silver Chain's earliest beginnings was as a children's club run through the pages of the popular weekend newspaper, the Western Mail. 

In 1905 the tireless Muriel Chase writing as 'Aunt Mary', invited the readers of the Children's Corner to join her 'little union of nephews and nieces' so that they might help the less fortunate children of their community.  'Aunt Mary' was believed to have been inspired by a suggestion from a boundary rider, Arthur Grundy.

Arthur Grundy described his vision of a community organisation in his letter to the Western Mail newspaper in 1904. His vision was inspired by a silver chain which he had found along a rabbit proof fence.

Silver Chain link members
And so, in 1905 Silver Chain was born. Children were encouraged to donate a silver shilling and become links in a chain of friendship between country and city.  By 1907 there were 1,500 Silver Chain Link members and enough money to employ a full time district nurse, Sister Copley, thereby laying the early foundations of a district nursing service.

New district nurse arrives
In 1908 Frances Cherry arrived as the new district nurse.  In these early years Silver Chain focussed on the treatment of illness, the prevention of further disease and after the arrival of the first Silver Chain maternity nurse in 1910, on specialist midwifery and infant health services. 

Silver Chain today
Silver Chain has over the last 100 years become an integral part of the Western Australian landscape.  Our mission 'to assist people in need to live in their community' remains as relevant today as it was in the days of our first district nurse, Nurse Copley.

Today, we are one of the largest providers of community, residential and health services to the Western Australian community, assisting over 40,000 people each year.

 

 



Muriel Chase



Arthur Grundy



Nurse Cherry, 1910