NDCAS: Caring for the local community for 50 years

Narrabri and District Community Aid Service (NDCAS) has celebrated 50 years of caring for the community.

Past and present NDCAS staff and board members were joined by supporters and community members for an evening of celebration at The Exchange last Thursday night.

Attendees heard how the service has evolved since it was launched in 1974, continuing to add to the programs offered to the community.

The organisation’s chief executive officer Josh Pattison paid tribute to the incredible vision and commitment of the people who launched what was called Community Aid Service.

“NDCAS was born from the hard work of local people who gave their time and energy forging a path of service to their community,” Mr Pattison told the gathering.

“Because of their commitment to a cause greater than themselves which was to serve others, the Narrabri Shire community has been benefited greatly over the past 50 years.”

Following its launch in 1974, Community Aid Service would become known as Narrabri Community Aid Service and then on to Narrabri and District Community Aid Service.

“It took an extraordinary level of volunteer committees and commitment to bring in funds for the service to operate and employ staff who would share the vision of aiding the community through service to others,” Mr Pattison said.

“And again these staff and volunteers including committee and board members, community supporters and many others continue to build the service that lasts today. As we look through the history of NDCAS, it’s amazing to see how things change and yet they come back around and repeat as the service adapts to community need.”

Reflecting on the year 1974, Mr Pattison said the minimum wage was $2.08 per hour. Four ounces of Heinz beans at Woolworths cost nine cents and the median house price was somewhere around $22,000.

“In 2024 the minimum wage is $24.10 per hour. Heinz baked beans at Woolworths cost $1.06 for the equivalent of four ounces, 113 grams, and Narrabri’s median house price, according to realestate.com, is $445,000.

“One of these things has become much more unaffordable and it’s not the baked beans. In 2024 and in our shire, affordable housing and even just available housing is a challenge seemingly out of reach for many people.

“Domestic abuse is often a hidden scourge on our society that does not discriminate and there are alarming increases in the mental ill health rates in young people. External and internal factors place pressure on families which are the very core building block of life and health for individuals and communities.

“Looking also throughout our history we can see children are now facing similar challenges to those that their parents faced and this is one thing in history that we do not want to repeat.”

While times have changed, and NDCAS has grown in its 50 years, the service shares the same core purpose as it did in its early days.

“We are motivated by service to our community. Our newly established vision is quality of life for everyone, empowered individuals, connected families, and committed communities,” Mr Pattison said.

“We are committed to building, improving, and providing a service for the community that lasts. As we look ahead to continuing the legacy of NDCAS in the Narrabri district, we see exciting opportunities.

“We will continue to make a difference in people’s lives well into the future. In our 50th year we have a fresh new strategic plan setting our direction into the future.

“We have recently grown our staff and established a new team focused on supporting women and their children impacted by domestic and sexual abuse, our Safety Beyond Violence Service. We have projects in the pipeline to expand our support to children and young people.

“Our Community Christmas Drive that was launched this year has us all very excited and we plan for it to be an annual project to keep this Christmas spirit alive and bright for families and children facing challenges across the shire. And we have many other irons in the fire.

“We could not do this without the support of so many great community members, groups, and organisations that we partner with, including those who joined us tonight.”

Management board chair Robyn Keeffe, who has enjoyed a long involvement with NDCAS across two decades, paid tribute to the staff who have continued to ensure the service plays a special and important role in the community.

“NDCAS is recognised as a multi-skilled service and resourceful service, achieving positive outcomes, sometimes under very difficult circumstances,” Mrs Keeffe said.

“I have to make mention of the board members from the beginning, in the early days, as our service could not progress without you, your resilience and dedication to the vision that created NDCAS today.

“We are well positioned to continue our core service provision across the shire well into the future.”