A ray of sunshine shone on CASS in 1986. The Board was focused on the development of child care services. With funding support from the Federal government, Campsie Child Care Centre had a total facelift and regulatory requirements were met.
On the evening of 29 March 1987, Campsie Child Care Centre was filled with drumrolls and laughter. An official opening ceremony was held to mark the significant milestone.
The occasion was attended by members of the Board, Society members, parents and staff of the Child Care Centre, neighbours, federal and state politicians as well as councilors. Over 200 people participated in the celebrations.
The Opening Ceremony was conducted by the Hon. Tom Uren, Federal Minister for Territories and Local Government at the time, representing the Minister for Children and Families.
Lion dance was performed by 2 big and 2 small lions from the Chinese Youth League. They leapt and danced to the joyous rhythm of the drums. This was a scene never witnessed before by the local community, especially the neighbours.
This was the first grand celebration event organized by the Society. The solemn yet joyous spectacle created huge excitement in the community.
On the financial side, the interest rate for the mortgage of $40,000 for the purchase of No. 48 property was 21%! The Treasurer at the time, Dr. Leng Tan, was very concerned about the cash flow of the Society. However, she found that there was often unused cash in the bank account, so she used it to pay more off the loan. After only 2 years, in late 1987, the mortgage had been paid off totally. It was later discovered that parents using the child care service had to provide a 4-week holding deposit in advance as bond, enabling the Society to have a healthy cashflow.
With the purchase of the Campsie Child Care Centre, the Family Day Care office was moved to the Centre’s upstairs. The Service was well acknowledged by the federal department. The original three-year funding for 1983 to 1985 was extended.
The efforts of the Board of Directors and volunteers, their exceptional work performance, together with their genuine connections with the grassroots, had earned them approval from the government and the community. As their reputation grew, many community groups sought help from the Society with settlement and other daily issues.
There was a large influx of immigrants from Hong Kong and students from China at the time. They were not familiar with the local way of life – finding schools, seeking medical treatments, understanding the health system and seeking employment, etc. They needed assistance from the community for addressing their settlement needs.
With the founding aim of the Society at heart, Henry and the directors wanted to help all those in need. They provided assistance voluntarily in their spare time to all those who came to seek help.
The Society explored if the government would provide funding for settlement services. Unfortunately, funding for such services had already been allocated to other Chinese organizations. The Society’s funding applications in the subsequent years had not been successful.
During a chat with friends from the community, Henry realized there was another increasing need of the Chinese community – welfare service for the elderly.
🤔How would the Society expand the scope of services apart from child care services? Stay tuned for the next article!
