Portarlington Ladies Auxiliary is celebrating half a century of community service and fundraising support for Bellarine Community Health (BCH).
It all began on April 29, 1974, with a public meeting in Portarlington to establish a community health centre and the Ladies Auxiliary was formed the following year.
By the end of 1978, the purpose-built health centre was officially opened in Fenwick Street.
During those 50 years the auxiliary has raised funds for essential equipment and furniture and contributed significantly to building funds for the Fenwick Street facility.
Aline Dunn has been a member of the auxiliary for 35 years, initially starting as a volunteer helping to establish a palliative care service.
“I love it, it’s part of me,” she said.
“I’ve volunteered here since I moved to Portarlington. The community looked after me when I needed help when I first moved here, and I’ve given it back to the community. The health centre was always the community – if you needed help you came to the health centre.”
The Ladies’ Auxiliary has done most of its fundraising through their op-shop, which was first established at the Portarlington rotunda in Portarlington. After many years it was forced to move and ran from cramped quarters in a tin shed and even a shipping container in the car park of the Fenwick Street site while the health centre underwent renovations.
Now the op-shop is housed in a large new space at BCH’s Portarlington site with bathroom and kitchen facilities as well as storage and a change room.
Past and present members of the auxiliary along with BCH staff and other invited guests recently celebrated the milestone with an afternoon tea and display of memorabilia at the BCH Portarlington site.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up and chat about the history of the auxiliary and thank the ladies for all their incredible support over the years,” BCH chief executive Kathy Russell said.
“They’ve been there since the land was secured through sheer determination and community grit and the first spade of soil was turned to establish the centre.
“Other local auxiliaries have come and gone, but Portarlington has stood the test of time… a testament to the strength of this community and the women who lead it.”
