MULLERATERONG Centre Inc. will celebrate its 70th anniversary next week, an incredible milestone for one of Hamilton’s greatest community services.

For seven decades, the Centre has provided services to empower people with a disability living in the south-west to make informed choices about how they live their day-to-day lives.

The Centre has not only acted as a trailblazer for civic engagement over the years but contributes to an enlightened community which recognises the importance of inclusion.

Newly appointed chief executive, Geetha Yoga, said the Centre, its staff and participants, as well as their families and carers, were all incredibly proud of its long and rich history.

“It is a remarkable achievement, one which the entire community should feel a sense of satisfaction by,” she said.

“We will spend the next 12 months honouring the organisation’s history and, in line with a revamped Stategic Plan in 2024, use the impetus of this milestone to look forward to the next 70 years.”

How it all started

IN 1953 a committee was formed and two years later Mulleraterong Centre was established in the town’s Methodist Church - the result of a dedicated, small group of parents.

In a 1957 Spectator article, the new £18,000 facility ($197,084 in purchasing power today) was the result of “careful forethought (and) close attention to the nature of the children who will use it”.

“The building will recognise this and other features of their lives, and will make it easy for them to develop latent abilities and certainly to experience in spacious, clean and attractive surroundings many of the pleasures life has for them.”

The name ‘Mulleraterong’ refers to an Indigenous term for the township of Hamilton.

A September 11, 1836 diary entry from Major Mitchell described a ‘fine valley with a lively little stream flowing westward through it’ which he named the Grange.

The Centre’s first classes took place on the current site on Alexandra Parade in 1959.

One of the children who attended, Phonse McGrath, remains a participant at the Centre to this day.

Phonse, a participant from day dot

MR MCGRATH’S older sibling, Trish Soawyer, recalled fond memories of the Centre’s early years, attending Sunday afternoon fetes with her brother and mother, and the “happy, comfortable environment” it was for its participants.

“Pat Herrmann was Phonse’s teacher, that’s the one he always talked about,” Ms Soawyer said.

“Then of course she got married and he said, ‘we have to call her Mrs Cullinane now’.”

Phonse is well known for his artworks, displayed in homes and businesses throughout Hamilton and indeed beyond.

“He was always drawing at home when he was younger,” Ms Soawyer recalled.

“He would use our school pencils, and then when he got right into his art he had to have his own collection … and then as you know, he just went on to get better and the paintings have gotten bigger.

“I think he thinks the Centre’s Art Room is his,” she laughed.

Phonse’s other love, known to all who know him, is trucks, and Centre staff never miss an opportunity to get him in one when out and about in the community, just to see his big grin.

“As kids we lived down near the railway on the corner of Mt Napier Road and Holden Street, and the gate opposite our place was where the trucks would come in and out and load the goods off the train to take to the shops, and Phonse would always be standing outside watching,” she said.

Ms Soawyer said Mulleraterong’s place in the Greater Hamilton community was integral.

“It’s just amazing that Hamilton has a centre like Mulleraterong for people with a disability,” she said.

“It’s such a nice place, with great staff who are always happy and it’s so important for people like Phonse to mix with others and with the wider community.

“I don’t know what he’d do if he couldn’t go there, I just don’t know how we’d ever explain that to him.”

Community effort

A GREAT reliance on donations and fundraising has been a key component of Centre funds throughout its history.

In 1970 the State Government agreed to pay staff wages, leaving the Centre in a more secure financial position.

Substantial support from organisations like Hamilton Apex Club, Hamilton Rotary Club and Hamilton Lions Club over the years have helped the Centre contribute to an enlightened community.

A successful community campaign to install the Centre’s heated swimming pool raised $44,434 in 1978 – financed mainly by a Hamilton Rotary Club appeal raising $34,834 – a most valuable addition to the Centre.

Two decades later, the Centre’s French Street Workshop was officially opened by then Youth and Community Services minister, Dr Denis Napthine AO, and houses the Centre’s woodworking and gardening programs.

At the time, Dr Napthine told The Spectator that strong demand for the products made by participants was the reason for the expansion.

The Victorian Government provided $85,000 to buy and redevelop the building, and community donations played a major role in developing the site as a suitable environment for participants.

One of the Centre’s greatest milestones since the turn of the century was undoubtedly the redeveloped facility, opened by the late Dr Geoff Handbury AO on March 1, 2011.

The upgrade was worth just under $2 million and reinforced the organisation’s value within the Greater Hamilton community.

In return, connection within the community has always been an integral part of the Centre’s mission, woven throughout its 40+ programs which vary widely and allow for person-centred support for participants.

Programs include recreation, adventure activities, physical activities, art, healthy and independent living.

Looking to the future

MS Yoga said what is ahead for Mulleraterong is just as exciting as what has already been.

“I’m eager to explore what the organisation’s next phase looks like, and within that, improve the lives of our participants and their carers, focusing on what the individual can do,” she said.

“For me, it’s important to continue strengthening partnerships in the local community, and working collaboratively within the region.”

With a background in the private and public sectors, Ms Yoga brings both diversity and experience to the chief executive role.

“It’s a privilege to be appointed to the role and to lead an organisation focused on raising the voices of people with a disability, with choice and control.”