The long awaited Kurrajong Facility in East Street Narrandera officially opened its doors at a ceremony led by Kurrajong Executive Officer Ray Carroll from Wagga last Thursday.

As speeches and presentations concluded, Narrandera Mayor Neville Kschenka and the Kurrajong CEO revealed the building’s new plaque.

This new building provides a modern environment to support Kurrajong’s lifestyle choices services and includes a spacious kitchen designed for group cooking programs and specific spaces for living skill training and activities.

It also includes a large woodwork workshop, music room and outdoor area for physical activities and an office base to co-ordinate the supported living accommodation supports currently provided in the community and various evening social and leisure groups.

Community members, Kurrajong staff and clients alike were among the audience.

They enjoyed a light lunch following the ceremony in the facility’s huge living area with views of the kitchen and other spaces that clients can now enjoy.

Kurrajong’s Marketing and Communications Manager Jennifer Burton said she was very happy with the response the facility had been garnering since services resumed within the new facility.

“The centre has been in use for a little while now and we have already received such positive feedback from the clients who use the facility regularly,” she said.

“Everyone agrees the new building is a wonderful environment to develop skills, try new tasks, achieve goals and meet new friends.”

There are currently a wide range of services available to Kurrajong clients such as support co-ordination and therapy services, supported living arrangements, respite accommodation, lifestyle supports and plan management.

The facility also boasts a spacious kitchen for group cooking sessions, a music room, a large woodwork workshop, areas for social and leisure groups and an outdoor area for physical activities.

It has become a much welcomed addition to the community as the need for the services Kurrajong provide are on the rise.

Manager of Kurrajong Outreach Services Deanne Bolesta noted that the facility would mean that many local families who needed to travel out of town to access services would no longer have to do so as the building could now accommodate those services.

“These services which will be utilised by many local families and will ensure local people do not have to go out of town to access them,” Ms Bolesta said.

“It is so great to see so many local families visiting the new building and utilising one or more of these great local services.”

The new building was made possible by Kurrajong with the support of the community through fundraisers and community connections.

It is regarded as a great milestone not only for Kurrajong but the wider community as well and demonstrates how important the services it provides are to the community.

Kurrajong’s community connections go back to the eighties’ from the Narrandera Cypress Centre now known as Kurrajong Laundry to the current year, with Kurrajong services now including employment , lifestyle and day services, Supported Living, multi-discipline therapy services, plan management and support coordination now all provided locally to the Narrandera community.

Timeline:

The first lifestyle service commenced in 2012 in the previous East Street office in Narrandera.

In 2015 there was a significant change in the way the Government allocated funding for services for people with a disability with the Introduction of the NDIS or National Disability Insurance Scheme and Kurrajong managed this change and grew its services to meet the needs of the local community.

In 2017 the new supported living units were built offering a shared living model of accommodation.

Services such as plan management, support coordination and therapy services were provided to the Narrandera community from Wagga Wagga and these services increased to a demanding need for a local office.

In 2021 Kurrajong increased its Narrandera supported living services to include a group home and short term accommodation or respite accommodation, which is utilised regularly by local families who previously had to access these services out of town. 

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 2 March 2023.