Our History

Our Association – The Story So Far

BDCDA’s Supported Housing Service was originally known as Albert and Logan Community Care (ALCC) Incorporated. This body was founded by an exceptional group of civic-minded citizens—many of them active members of local churches or retired people wishing to contribute further to the well-being of their community.

ALCC held its first meeting on Wednesday 23 November 1983 at the Eagleby State School, opening its first house for families only a few weeks later. That house was managed by ALCC (and its successor BDCDA) up until August 2003. Its members worked tirelessly across this region for 12½ years as a purely volunteer-based organisation. ALCC was formally incorporated as an association on 27 February 1986.

Finally, a decision was made to apply to The Hon. Margaret Woodgate MLA, then Queensland’s Minister for Families, for periodic funding towards paid staff (approved in early 1996). Her successor, The Hon. Kevin Lingard MLA, and subsequent Ministers honoured this non-recurrent commitment. Recurrent funding was approved 3 years later.

A majority of the original volunteers having retired or deciding then not to continue, the outgoing Management Committee invited members of the Beenleigh Neighbourhood Centre Management Committee and Staff to join ALCC as new members and to stand for election at the following Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The outgoing Management Committee (each of them having served for many years) consisted of President Jo (Josephine) Kelly, Vice-President Bene Holly, Secretary Bryan O’Toole, Treasurer Dick Tellegen and Committee Member Sr Therese Herlihy RSJ. ALCC’s senior Volunteers were Maureen Armes and Ron and Sue Farmer. Long-serving Management Committee members who did not serve out their full term were Betty Faulkner and Dorothy Perry.

The incoming Management Committee consisted of President Dianne Seidel, Vice-President Sue Clare, Secretary Sean Leader and Treasurer John Forrester. This new team assumed responsibility for ALCC as a well-established housing group on 20 January 1997. Georgia Thompson and Tom Cranitch joined the Management Committee later that year.

Beenleigh Neighbourhood Centre (BNC) Incorporated also started as an initiative of active and civic-minded local citizens. It was opened to the public on 13 May 1985 and was formally incorporated on 1 October 1987.

These two bodies – BNC and ALCC – worked in parallel for nearly 3 years, commencing on 31 August 1998 an amalgamation process which culminated on 15 September 1999 with the registration of a new Albert and Logan Community Care (ALCC) – covering both services. The new body then took the name of Beenleigh District Community Development Association (BDCDA) Incorporated (our official title) on 10 November 1999.