About Us
Caring with purpose, not for profit
At Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged (TTHA), being not‑for‑profit means people always come first. Every dollar we receive is reinvested into improving care, facilities, staff training and community programs.
For more than 50 years, we’ve offered a complete circle of care – including residential aged care, retirement living, in‑home support through Accent Home Care, and connection through our Changing Seasons Café and community programs.
Temple Society Australia Chapel, Bayswater, Victoria
Our heritage
Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged (TTHA) was founded by the Temple Society Australia (TSA) – an independent faith community which opened the Templer Home for the Aged (Altersheim) in Bayswater in 1972 - providing care for older people in a culturally familiar environment.
As needs grew, the Tabulam Nursing Home opened in 1981, named for an Aboriginal word meaning “my home”, “our camp”, or “resting place”. Over the decades, the Altersheim and Tabulam merged, expanded, and modernised to form today’s TTHA – a welcoming home for people of all backgrounds.
Click to watch the video to watch the story of the Templer Journey on YouTube
Building a home, together
Over the decades, TTHA has continued to grow and evolve to meet the changing needs of older Australians and their families:
- 2000: Altersheim and Tabulam merged to form TTHA
- 2004–2008: Expansion with the Otto Löbert Heim and Warrina wings, growing capacity to 118 residents.
- 2007: Launch of home care services, now known as Accent Home Care.
- 2018–2023: Construction of the Sarona wing and decommissioning of the original Tabulam building.
- 2025–2026: Development of The Ranges, featuring new villas, apartments, and a community centre.
Meet the people behind the care
Eva Simo
Chief Executive OfficerEva began her career in aged care at 18, working in her mother’s private residential facility where she gained hands-on experience across all aspects of care and support. This early foundation instilled in her a deep respect for the people and purpose at the heart of the sector.
While working, Eva completed a Bachelor of Marketing, a Master of Professional Accounting, and her CPA qualification. She progressed into finance roles across community-based organisations before joining TTHA as CFO, a role she held for three years prior to being appointed CEO in 2015.
Born in Transylvania, Eva speaks Hungarian and brings a strong understanding of European culture to her leadership.
In her spare time, Eva enjoys the outdoors and hiking, and you will often see her walking around the site, connecting with residents and staff.
Sara Rupenovic
General Manager - ResidentialSara is the General Manager of Residential Care at Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged, where she oversees the clinical care, resident support and daily service delivery across the residential community. She works closely with the care team to ensure residents receive safe, compassionate and high-quality support every day.
Sara is a Registered Nurse with over 16 years of experience in aged care. She first joined TTHA nine years ago in the Clinical Care Coordinator role and moved into the Director of Care and Residential Manager position eight years ago. Throughout her career, she has developed extensive experience supporting older people, particularly those living with dementia.
What Sara enjoys most about her work is being part of a supportive and collaborative team and having the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in residents’ lives. She is passionate about dementia care and advocacy and values working closely with residents and families to continually improve care and wellbeing. Sara also appreciates being able to stay involved in clinical care while continuing to expand her knowledge.
Originally from a Persian background, Sara speaks both Farsi and English. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, theatre and ballet, and has a strong love of food and coffee. She is interested in history, travel and culture, and treasures time spent with her family, friends and her two children. Sara also enjoys a good conversation and learning about people’s life stories.
Nick Grakini
General Manager - Community
Lisa Karstens
Client Services ManagerAs Client Services Manager, Lisa oversees client relations, sales and intake across TTHA, including residential and home care, independent living and our volunteer and carer respite program. She works closely with teams across the entire organisation to ensure a seamless client experience from the first contact with us.
Lisa joined TTHA in 2019 as a Client Liaison Officer, bringing customer service and sales experience that she gained as a freelancer, as well as a background in care after working in a hospital for almost a decade. This is where she fell in love with the health care industry. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Communication, as well as a Master’s degree in Health Promotion and Prevention, specialising in Corporate Health Management; a field where Lisa worked in for 2 years before coming to Australia.
Lisa enjoys the diversity of her role, supporting her team and guiding clients through important transitions. Originally from Germany, Lisa values TTHA’s heritage and understands the needs of our European community. Outside of work, you find her rowing on the Yarra River and exploring Melbourne’s artisan markets.
Veronica Ilias
Human Resources ManagerVeronica has been part of the Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged team for five years, supporting the people who make our organisation such a caring and vibrant community. In her role in Human Resources, she recruits new employees, manages staff records and helps support staff wellbeing and a positive workplace culture across TTHA and Accent Home Care.
Before joining TTHA, she spent around 20 years working in the union movement, advocating for workers and supporting fair and supportive workplaces. One of her very first jobs was working in hospital cleaning, which gave her an early understanding of how important every role is in supporting quality care and safe environments.
What she enjoys most about working at TTHA and Accent Home Care is that no two days are the same. The role brings new tasks, challenges and opportunities to support both employees and the organisation. She values being part of a team and contributing to a positive, supportive workplace for everyone.
Outside of work, she loves reading whenever she finds the time and enjoys life with her lively fur family of two cats and three dogs. She also loves travelling and visiting family who live across Australia. 🐾✈️
Craig Fitch
Maintenance Manager
Kitty Fausett
Senior Quality Manager
Gus Shileika
Executive ChefGus is the Chef Manager at Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged, where he oversees residential catering, the onsite Changing Seasons Café and the design of seasonal menus enjoyed by residents, visitors and staff. He works closely with his team to ensure meals are nourishing, enjoyable and thoughtfully prepared each day.
Gus has been part of the TTHA team for five years. Before joining the organisation, he built his culinary career in fine dining restaurants and five-star hotels and resorts across Australia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. This international experience brings a rich diversity of flavours and ideas to the menus he creates.
What Gus enjoys most about his work is the opportunity to prepare meals that bring comfort, joy and connection to residents. For him, food is more than nourishment. It is a way to celebrate life’s moments and make each day a little brighter.
Gus values creativity and attention to detail, both in the kitchen and in supporting his team. He believes that if a meal can make someone’s day a little better, then it has done its job.
Magiann Chow
Financial ManagerMagiann is the Finance Manager at Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged. In this role, she oversees the organisation’s finance function, including financial reporting, payroll and financial compliance. She works closely with teams across the organisation to ensure financial processes run smoothly and support services across TTHA, including residential aged care, home care and independent living.
Magiann joined TTHA in 2023 and is a CPA qualified accountant. She began her career in financial auditing, working with organisations across a range of industries including hospitals, schools, retail and aged care. While auditing aged care providers, she developed an interest in the sector and the important role it plays in supporting older people in the community. This experience led her to pursue a role within the aged care industry.
She enjoys working collaboratively with different teams across TTHA and contributing to an environment focused on supporting residents, participants and their families.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and staying active through badminton and pickleball.
Monica Fincham
Marketing & Communications ManagerMonica is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged and Accent Home Care. She leads marketing strategy, brand development and community engagement, helping connect older people and their families with the services and support available across the organisation.
Monica began her career in hotel management before spending 16 years running her own successful dance and events business while also performing professionally as a ballroom dancer. After many years in the events and performing arts world, she returned to study and completed a postgraduate qualification in marketing. Following the sale of her business, Monica moved into marketing leadership roles, working with agencies as well as organisations in the health and wellness industries.
What Monica enjoys most about her work is telling meaningful stories, building community connections and helping people understand the support available as they navigate ageing.
Outside of work, Monica volunteers with animal charities and is passionate about creating a kinder future for people, animals and the planet. She enjoys bringing creativity, compassion and purpose into everything she does. 🌿
Nicola Johnson-Clarke
ReceptionNicola is the friendly face who welcomes residents, families and visitors to Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged. As Receptionist, she is often the first point of contact and plays an important role in supporting day-to-day enquiries and administration. Nicola also assists across a number of areas within the organisation, helping keep things running smoothly and ensuring people feel supported from the moment they walk through the door.
Nicola brings a background in nursing, including experience in palliative care. She also has a strong interest in grief and bereavement support, which has shaped her compassionate and thoughtful approach to working in aged care. She understands the importance of empathy, dignity and clear communication when supporting residents and their families.
What Nicola enjoys most about her role is building genuine connections with residents and families and being part of a caring, community-focused team.
Outside of work, Nicola loves travelling and meeting people from different backgrounds. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, along with her senior cat, Pocket, who definitely rules the household. Nicola believes empathy and meaningful connection are at the heart of everything she does.
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Our mission
To provide personalised care and services that promote the health, wellbeing, and independence of older adults, fostering a community where everyone belongs and thrives.
Our vision
Leading with care, exceeding expectations, growing with purpose.
At TTHA, community is at the heart of everything we do. We’re more than an aged care provider - we’re a family where residents, clients, staff, and volunteers genuinely care for one another. It’s this sense of belonging and shared purpose that makes TTHA such a special place to live and work
Eva Simo CEO, Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged
Who we are, Management Team
Eva Simo
Chief Executive Officer
Sara Rupenovic
General Manager Residential Care
Nick Grakini
General Manager Community Care
Lisa Karstens
Client Services Manager
Veronica llias
Human Resources
Monica Fincham
Marketing & Communications Manager
ray
Manager
Dalton Kramer
ManagerOur Board of Directors
Paul English
ChairPaul has been a Temple Society Australia (TSA) appointed director of TTHA since 2011 and Chairman since 2012. He is also a director of Temple Society Australia Limited (TSAL), the parent organisation of TTHA. Paul graduated from Monash University Clayton in 1976 where he completed a Bachelor of Economics and Politics Degree (ECOPS) majoring in economics (Macro and Micro), accounting and commercial law.
Paul joined Siemens Ltd. in Melbourne in March 1976 remaining with Siemens for 38 years up until his retirement in 2014. He spent fifteen months on a graduate trainee program in Germany in late 1977 and all of 1978 during which time he acquired a working knowledge of the German language and a detailed knowledge of the culture, structure, and processes of this global organisation.
Paul held many commercial positions with Siemens Australia during his 38 years, 30 of which as part of Executive Management. The roles included: large scale mining and materials handling contract negotiations and project execution; telecommunications equipment sales and service; Executive General Manager of Finance and Administration for 12 years; Executive General Manager Commercial-Industry Division; CFO of Silcar Pty. Ltd. a joint venture manager of complex technical assets such as power stations and steel mills, building this company from $45m pa to $500m pa turnover over 5 years; Executive General Manager Commercial-Industry and Automation Divisions and finally Executive General Manager Commercial-Energy Divisions Oil & Gas and Renewable Energy. Paul’s passion is in structuring, negotiating, executing and controlling complex contracts. This passion has been applied to his role in TTHA being involved with the modernisation of TTHA’s facilities starting with the construction of the Sarona building commissioned in April 2020 replacing the Tabulam (now demolished) and Altersheim (re-purposed as offices for Accent Home Care) buildings, and now the start of our new retirement village project - ‘The Ranges’.
Irene Kemper
Board MemberIrene Kemper has been a Temple Society of Australia representative on the TTHA board since October 2014. Professionally, Irene has been a consultant physician in general and geriatric medicine for more than 30 years and works under her maiden name Dr Irene Wagner. Irene runs a busy private practice and works at Monash Health’s Dandenong Hospital, where she has developed and auspiced a thriving geriatric service.
Irene is a member of Clinical Governance Sub-Committee
Alfred Uhlherr
Board MemberAlfred Uhlherr joined the Board in 2023. His qualifications include BSc(Hons) and PhD from Monash University and postdoctoral fellowship at University of Cambridge. He worked for 24 years at CSIRO, notably as a principal research scientist focusing on computational chemistry and physics of fluids and materials. In his role as executive manager of CSIRO’s Scientific Computing Services, he held numerous governance responsibilities for establishing Australia’s national research computing capabilities, including environmental, industrial and biomedical applications. Alfred is a great-great-grandson of Temple Society founder Christoph Hoffmann and is a TSA Member.
Stephen Kruk
Board MemberStephen joined the TTHA board in June 2022. After completing economics and politics studies at La Trobe University in 1984, he joined the Ford Motor Company graduate program in 1985. During his 35-year career, he completed various marketing and sales, product development sponsorship, and general management roles. Stephen enjoys all aspects of marketing and improving customer satisfaction. Stephen’s key skill sets include marketing, strategy, negotiation and innovation. Stephen concluded his career as General Manager Ford Customer Service Division in Australia and New Zealand. Stephen was on the board of Ford Australia between 2005 – 2019. Stephen is also a member of the TSA.
Till Brauckmann
Board MemberTill joined the TTHA Board in 2023, bringing extensive experience as an Executive Manager and Finance Director in the Healthcare industry to the table. He graduated in Business Economics and Commerce at the Verwaltungsakademie Frankfurt (Germany) before moving to Australia in the early 2000s. Since then, Till has held senior positions with Siemens in Germany, Australia and the United States, most recently as Finance Director of the Australian and New Zealand business of Siemens Healthineers. His strength lies in combining financial acumen with a strategic focus for optimal business outcomes. He also enjoys the coaching and development of young talents. Till is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and graduated from their Company Director Course in 2017.
Till is a member of the Finance Subcommittee
Dieter Edelmaier
Board MemberDieter has been a valued member of the TTHA board since 2009, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and practical experience.
In 1990, Dieter founded Melbourne Cleaning Supplies, a business he expertly grew and led until its sale in 2023. Throughout its successful run, the company consistently achieved $20 million in annual revenue and employed a dedicated team of 30+ professionals. His deep understanding of business operations, coupled with his ability to quickly identify potential challenges and cut through the noise, has been a key asset to both his business and the TTHA board.
A committed member of the Templer Society, Dieter is passionate about ensuring the community has access to a retirement home that delivers care at the highest standard. His dedication to the TTHA board is driven by his strong desire to make a meaningful impact and ensure that the needs of the community are always met with excellence.
Joanne Jukes
Board MemberJoanne joined the TTHA Board in 2024. Joanne has Bachelors Degrees in Commerce and Law, and a Masters Degree in Health and Medical Law from The University of Melbourne. Joanne is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Joanne started her career as a lawyer with Minter Ellison. She move in-house to Siemens and became their first in-house lawyer in Australia. Joanne worked for Siemens in Germany for 3 years as a lawyer in project finance and then returned to Australia with her German husband to start a family and continued working for Siemens as a lawyer in transport, building, and infrastructure sectors. Joanne has been Head of Legal for Siemens healthcare company Siemens Healthineers, Australia and New Zealand for over 10 years. She is a trusted and experienced lawyer ensuring business operations are legally and ethically compliant. Joanne is committed to supporting the good governance of the TTHA in its delivery quality of aged care services in a compassionate, compliant and ethical manner.
Jacinta Wagner
Board MemberJacinta (Jacki) has worked in the healthcare industry for over 40 years, gaining experience in aged care, midwifery, clinical governance, workplace health and safety (WHS), and leadership.
She has held several middle management roles, including Associate Nurse Unit Manager, Unit Manager, and Nursing Coordinator. From 1988 to 1989, she served as the Director of Nursing at Altersheim. In 2011, she completed a Master’s in Nursing Leadership from James Cook University.
In 2012, Jacki transitioned from clinical work to focus on supporting people with chronic diseases through health coaching, which led to further leadership opportunities. She now works as an Operations Manager for a Digital Health service.

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