About Us
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There is more to life than just community access.
People with disabilities can do more than go to the shops, drive, walk, and watch movies with a Support Worker.
Through our capacity-building programs, individuals with disabilities can build skills that help them progress towards their vocational and independent living goals.
Acknowledgment of Traditional Owners
Noweyung recognises the Traditional Owners of the Land served by our organisation the Gunaikurnai people of East Gippsland. We respectfully acknowledge elders past, present and emerging and appreciate the ongoing contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to our community.
We only work with people with a growth mindset.
Our focus on quality over quantity means we put our resources where they can make the most significant difference; therefore we only accept a limited number of enrolments each year.
We prioritise participants, their families, and their support networks who embrace a growth mindset; these are people that:
- Believe that skills and independence can improve with effort and perseverance, no matter the complexity of a person's disability.
- Thrive on challenges and see failure as a learning opportunity.
- Embrace challenges and obstacles of living with a disability and know a better life can be achieved with perseverance.
Safety
To provide support to vulnerable people, you must ensure that the appropriate checks and balances are in place. Noweyung hold all relevant insurances. As an NDIS registered organisation, you can be assured that all of our staff have been thoroughly checked, trained and screened.
All Noweyung staff:
- Hold current police checks
- Hold NDIS worker checks
- Hold current First Aid and CPR certificates
Noweyung is East Gippsland and East Gippsland is our community, and remains our focus today.
Our History
In 1954, the Helping Hand organisation began at the old Methodist Church in Service Street, determined to establish a school to cater to the needs of the mentally disabled.
The ensuing years saw a community working together to bring what was first known as, the Centre for the Mentally Retarded, to reality, and provide a real solution for parents who had no desire to send their children off to distant institutions.
The name Noweyung bestowed by Cora-Gilsenan Waters, then president of the committee was ratified. Over the years many people became involved in the building of the centre in Goold Street, and supported the development of many activities and programs, which have helped give Noweyung a strong base for the future.
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The history of Slim Dusty and Noweyung:
One of Noweyungs biggest supporters was Slim Dusty. In Slim’s book “another day, another town” he talks about his support for our organisation:
“But my pet project is the residential programme of Noweyung Centre for the Intellectually Disabled in Bairnsdale. As well as the proceeds of my Bairnsdale concerts, anything out of the ordinary that comes my way, such as the fee for the Telstra launch of the Waltzing Matilda phone card, is sent to Noweyung.
They get some odd amounts now and then. After one of the concerts I did at Winton, a group of young people at the foot of the stage called out,
‘You didn’t sing “By A Fire of Gidgee Coal”!’
‘Sorry,’ I replied, as I was packing up, ‘I’ll do it next time, eh?’
‘Gee, Slim,’ said one. ‘I’ll give you fifty dollars if you’ll sing it for us. Go on, how about it?’
I hesitated—it wasn’t the money they offered—but then I called Fett to get his fiddle, and there on the front of the stage, with no mike and no amplifiers, we did ‘Gidgee Coal’. They held up the fifty dollar note, and I took it … for Noweyung. They can use every little bit they get.”
