Our speaker on Monday 20 July 2026 was John Ross.
The facility now known as Silverstream Retreat is located on Reynolds Bach Drive, off the Eastern Hutt Road, Silverstream. It was first established in 1942 by America as a Military Hospital. Subsequently it came under the Wellington Hospital Board and was utilised as a rehab unit for long term patients for many years. John purchased the property from the Hospital Board in 1990 and he then donated it to a Charitable Trust now known as Silverstream Retreat. Over its many years prior to John's purchase, the facility had accommodated Service personnel, up to 20,000 patients were treated over the years, and it catered for 182 long term rehab patients at any point in time.
John noted how the facility, which at the time of purchase, included some 130,000 square feet of buildings on approximately 40 acres of land, was rundown and overgrown. It also included a billiard room, cinema, boiler houses, tunnels, reservoirs, operating theatre, physio pool and huge kitchens. One building that became important in the early period following purchase was the Nurses Home which was in very good condition and was able to be used for short term accommodation, "the jewel in the crown" as John said.
It was this history of care that had taken place over its history that led to the establishment of the mission statement for the new Trust which is "To provide care and accommodation in a Bible based, God honouring environment".
In the first 10 years or so the focus was very much on care and accommodation. The facility was used for short term stay, training programmes, and overnight accommodation for sports clubs, youth activities and school groups.
John spoke about the impact on the facility when in 2020 Petone Bible Church relocated to the Retreat and re-branded itself to LifeSwitch. Initially this led to a requirement for weddings and funerals, which in turn led to the Retreat undertaking a strategic approach to its building and property improvements. The most recent significant project has arisen through a programme known as Camp Survivor run by the Church, in collaboration with the Retreat. It focusses on primary/intermediate pupils and has run for many years. It has resulted in up to 15% of our young Hutt Valley kids being able to enjoy the facility during school holidays twice yearly.
John outlined the significance of the programme on the individual kids and their families, and this feedback has led to the latest project: the construction of a Youth Centre with an associated playground.
This is the building currently under construction that one sees when heading up the road on the way to the Silverstream Tip. It is due for completion in December this year. This facility will complement other work undertaken at the Retreat over the past years where facilities have been rebuilt/upgraded to meet the needs of the local community.
In concluding, John noted that after 36 years the best thing Silverstream Retreat did was to partner with LifeSwitch Church. He sees it as Silverstream Retreat knowing about buildings and accommodation, while LifeSwitch knows about the provision of faith based Christian values and guidance. With each working to their strengths this 100 acre (currently) site in the middle of the Hutt Valley continues to support the healing of people that started back in 1942.
Thanks, John, for your most uplifting presentation.