60 Years of Heat, Hustle and Community: GGC enters a Milestone Year

This year, something monumental is happening.

George Gray Centre is turning 60.

That’s six decades of creating space for people of all abilities to be seen, supported, and celebrated—not just as participants but as artists, athletes, gardeners, friends, workers, advocates, and valued community members.

While we’re not blowing up balloons just yet (we’ve got a few surprises up our sleeves), we are starting to reflect on the legacy that brought us here and the vision that’s shaping what’s next.

From an Idea to a Movement

In 1965, a new kind of centre opened its doors in Maffra. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t big, but it was bold.

Born from years of community-driven momentum, sparked by Sister Flora Johns in 1957 (stay tuned for more on her), the newly built Kyndalyn Day Training Centre became a place of belonging for children with intellectual disabilities. For many, it was the first time they had a space to learn, play and simply be themselves.

Officially opened in November 1965, the centre was the first in the Wellington Shire. Funded through community donations, government grants, and sheer determination, it stood as a proud symbol of what can happen when a town comes together to meet a need others choose to ignore.

The early days were humble. Everything was made by hand – resources, routines, even the furniture. Teaching materials were pieced together from donated magazines and coloured paper. Volunteers ran programs five days a week, while local ambulance drivers transported students. The children played music, painted, built crafts and shared morning tea, just like any other classroom, but built with a bit of extra love

When something was needed—a new radio, a set of climbing bars, a stove—the community delivered. Fundraisers, working bees, donation drives, and street stalls became regular events on the local calendar.

But perhaps most significantly, those early days didn’t only create a school. They created a moment – one that challenged assumptions about what children with a disability were capable of. A movement that believed in inclusion before it had a name. One that understood, even that, that dignity starts with opportunity.

That first group of ten children, and the women and men that stood beside them, laid the groundwork for what would grow in the George Gray Centre we know today.

Now, 60 years on, their legacy lives on in every program, every laugh, every new skill learned and every person supported to live their version of a good life.

Because what started as a small idea in a borrowed hall?
It’s now a thriving, heart-led community creating opportunities every single day.

The Heart of GGC Hasn’t Changed

Sure, we’ve grown. We’ve added new locations. We’ve built supported employment programs, markets, respite services and a few thousand memories along the way.

But the core remains the same:

We exist to create opportunities.
To help people live, learn, work and connect.
To celebrate difference – and fight for inclusion
and to prove that community can move mountains.

Do you have a memory, photo, or story to share?

As we begin marking our 60th year, we’re building something special: a collective storybook filled with moments, milestones, memories and mischief – from the classroom days at Kyndalyn to our newest crew on the mower.

If you have a story about GGC – whether you were part of the early years, worked with us, supported a loved one, or simply have a great memory – we’d love to hear from you.

Please share your story at ash@georgegray.org.au or pop into one of our sites to drop it off.

A Big Year Lies Ahead

We’ll be celebrating through the rest of the year in the lead up to our 60th birthday in November, with events, tributes and a few nods to the past, and we want everyone to be part of it.

So, whether you’ve been with us since the beginning, joined us last year, or just believe in what we stand for, thank you. This milestone belongs to you too.

Stay tuned. It’s going to be a beautiful year.