When the doors of a long-running disability day centre in Maddingley closed for the final time in August it signalled the end of an era that started when a group of forward-thinking parents and supporters came together to create a safe group social and educational environment for their children. Narelle Coulter looks back at the history of Merrimu Services Incorporated and its predecessors.
How many bake sales, fun runs and bottles of port does it take to establish and then fund a much-loved community disability support service over many decades?
A lot, agree Digby Looker and Kevin Brimer.
Digby and Kevin were among many dedicated locals who gave their time and expertise to enriching the lives of children and adults living with disabilities in Melton and Moorabool over many decades.
“The fundraising was endless,“ remembered Kevin, who was the Maddingley centre’s first director when it opened as Merrimu in 1984 at 2 Bacchus Street.
“We were always having little fetes, stalls and we did wine bottling each year at St Anne’s vineyard. We spent a Saturday each year bottling port and sold it to the community with our own label. We were always trying to get more money.“
Digby Looker, who was honorary treasurer, remembers a local farmer anonymously boosting the fledgling organisation’s coffers in the early days with a generous donation and a fun run during which time literally stopped.
“As a fundraiser once we advertised a fun run and mapped out a course around Melton. On Saturday morning we had a time clock ready to go but when the runners took off we forgot to turn the clock on. Fortunately someone remembered before the runners got too far,“ he said.
“The committee would also hold stalls to sell cakes and baked goods. The money raised from those activities was petty cash but we had to start somewhere.“
Fundraising complemented by government grants supported the organisation over many decades from its earliest days in the 1970s, when a group of volunteers started the Melton and Bacchus Marsh Intellectually Handicapped Welfare Association.
Digby’s mother Phyllis was among the early volunteers, and when the association needed a treasurer to handle the finances, Digby, a qualified accountant, was an obvious choice.
He remained involved for 40 years.
“The idea was to get children and young adults out of their homes so they could meet other people and give parents some respite,“ recalled Digby.
“They participated in arts and craft and cooking and went out in the community. There were no day services around at the time like there are now.“
The first centre was housed at the Melton football ground pavilion on Reserve Road. The footy players used the pavilion on the weekends and for training at night, and during the day it became a disability day centre for local children.
“That’s all we had when we first started. We were able to employ two or three staff with their wages paid by government grants,“ Digby said.
The organisation’s first permanent site was on Coburns Road, which is now the site of the Melton Specialist School.
The name of the school when it opened was the Djerriwarrh Special Developmental School.
“When Djerriwarrh was up and running, we decided to move onto starting a centre for adults with a disability. With the support of the then Health Commission, we were able to secure the lease on a property in Maddingley and get government funding to build that centre,“ recalled Digby.
“It gave clients who were previously at home with their parents somewhere to meet others their own age. They got to meet and become lifelong friends with people in the Marsh and Melton.“
The Mail Express reported in January 1984 that the centre was built with a $137,200 grant from the Health Commission and ’substantial funds raised locally by the Bacchus Marsh/Melton Merrimu Committee on land donated by the shire’.
At around this time the organisation changed its name to Merrimu Services Incorporated.
Kevin Brimer fondly remembers his role as inaugural Merrimu director, one which he took on in 1983 as the buildings at 2 Bacchus Street were still being constructed.
The centre opened with 12 clients. The honour was performed by the Victorian Governor Rear Admiral Sir Brian Stewart Murray, on a hot windy day in January 1984.
The other founding staff members were Elizabeth Morgan, Robyn Dowling and Mary-Ann Cullinan.
“Right from the start we concentrated on doing as much as we could in the Melton and Bacchus Marsh communities,“ Kevin explained.
“The building itself was quite isolated, built on land out of town, so what we wanted to do was create the links right from the start with the community so clients were still part of the community, not isolated at a secluded site. We used as many community facilities as we could, like the spa, gym, parks, Merrimu Reservoir and shops. They joined art groups in the community doing things like ceramics. We didn’t have people come in, we went out.“
There were also camps, day trips and work experience opportunities in the Bacchus Marsh community.
“Because it was a developing program, something new, we didn’t really have a guide book to go by,“ said Kevin.
“We were all fairly young and enthusiastic and because it was a new service there were opportunities to be able to put all our ideas together and create a service and a program that seemed to work successfully.“
Kevin remembered it as an exciting time.
“It was quite an exciting time for the community and everyone involved because so many people had been involved in establishing working groups and the community had been fundraising for a long time. A lot of work went in from the community, particularly families of people with an intellectual disability.“
By the time Kevin left Merrimu 13 years later, there were 50 clients across sites in both Maddingley and Melton.
The Merrimu Committee also lobbied for funds and continued to fundraise to build and manage six, one and two bedroom, flats for independent living in McCrae Street, Bacchus Marsh.
Both men say they were shocked and saddened to hear the Maddingley site had closed after service provider Annecto went into liquidation. Annecto had taken over the running of the site in 2019.
“Looking back we achieved a lot so it is sad to see it closed,“ said Digby.
“For people with a disability that used to go to Merrimu, they obviously enjoyed that, and now it’s going to be missing from their lives.
He hopes the Bacchus Street complex will be kept for community use.
“It’s got to stay there as something that serves the community, and the community worked so hard to get it there.”
Kevin described the news as “very disappointing“.
“I know it’s 40 years later, but when you think of the innovation that went into creating this new service, it was quite exciting. It’s disappointing when you think about the history of the place and the work that went into establishing it.“
