John, Russell and Graham Knowles met Ian Ball in the 1960s while sub-contracting together on church-funded retirement villages. In 1969 they built their first retirement village together, The Frankston Baptist Centre, on the outskirts of Frankston in Victoria. In 2007, their company, Australian Retirement Communities (ARC), was the largest private retirement village operator in Australia with 22 villages and 3000 + units across Victoria and Queensland.

ARCare was established as the aged care arm of ARC in 1997, building their first aged care residence in Reservoir, Victoria.

Co-located with ARC’s LaTrobe Retirement Village, ARCare LaTrobe is a 58 bed low care residence. In 2007 ARC sold their retirement village portfolio to Stockland. From then on, ARCare became known as Arcare, and thus began a new era in aged care.