Burnie Brae Centre, The Chermside and District Senior Citizens Centre
25th Anniversary Commemorative Morning Tea
18 March 2009
Member for Stafford, Mr Stirling Hinchliffe MP,
Member for Nudgee, Mr Neil Roberts MP,
Councillor for Northgate, Councillor Kim Flesser,
Councillor for McDowall, Councillor Norm Wyndham,
President of the Chermside and District Senior Citizens Club and of the Burnie Brae Management Committee, Mr Al Fielding OAM,
Vice President of the Chermside and District Senior Citizens Club, Mrs Dot Viklund,
Manager of the Burnie Brae Centre, Mr Kevin Rouse,
Former Manager of the Burnie Brae Centre, Mrs Pauline Maidment,
Members of the Burnie Brae Management Committee,
Lifetime members,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
In the spirit of reconciliation that we wish to see fully observed in our State, so that we may achieve equality for all and true harmony in our communities, I acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands of this region, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples and their descendants.
It is a great pleasure for me to join you at this Commemorative Morning Tea to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Burnie Brae Centre, grown from modest beginnings in 1984 to become Brisbane's largest Senior Citizens Club (and that's very clear, looking at this very large crowd today) and one of Queensland's leading community centres.
As you have already heard and as you can see from looking at the booklets on your tables, twenty-five years ago, on 22nd March, it was the then Governor of Queensland, Sir James Ramsay, who opened the new Centre from the car park outside the front entrance of what was then Annand Park in Chermside and it seems entirely fitting and appropriate that the Governor of the day should be here to mark this important milestone in the history of the Chermside and District Senior Citizens Centre, otherwise known as the Burnie Brae Centre.
I have always been interested in names and their origins. Preparing my remarks for today I checked out Chermside and Burnie Brae and was pleased to discover something that I am certain that all the senior citizens and long-standing residents of this part of Brisbane know very well - that Chermside was named after another Governor of Queensland.
Actually, it was originally called ‘Downfall Creek' - not a very appealing name. At least that was the view of the teacher of the first school in the area, which opened in 1900, who suggested it should be renamed after the newly appointed Governor, Sir Herbert Charles Chermside. So ‘Chermside' it became, in 1903 - and has remained to this day - so, in one sense, your gubernatorial links can be demonstrated as stretching back not just for twenty-five years, but for over a century.
Similarly, the more colourful and evocative name of ‘Burnie Brae' links this Centre, in an interesting way, with Queensland's and Brisbane's pioneering history, something pleasing to recall on today's commemorative occasion and at a time when we are all celebrating an even larger anniversary - that of the sesqui-centenary of both our State and of its capital city.
It will be well known - it is on your website and it is recorded in the commemorative Book of the Centre being launched today - that ‘Burnie Brae' was the name of the original homestead built on this site, in 1870, by Scottish immigrant, Andrew Hamilton, whose family was one of the very first to settle in the area in the 1860's. Andrew, who established successful coach-building and blacksmithing businesses on Gympie Road, may have been influenced in his choice by a town called ‘Burnie Brae' in central Scotland near the community of Airdrie, where the Hamilton family were leaders in the local community and by wanting a lasting reminder of his Scottish homeland so far away; or perhaps he just liked the phrase: it's certainly one used in many traditional Scottish songs and poems dating back as far as the 16th century. I wonder, however, if he thought through fully the actual translation of the phrase? A ‘burnie' in traditional Scottish parlance is a small river, while a ‘brae' is a hillside at a crook in a winding river. If you put that together, one could suppose that it means where the small river meets a hillside when the river goes around the bend! Between downfall creek and going round the bend, I'm not sure which is preferable ... and perhaps all in all, it's better not to venture too much either into speculation about - or literal translation of - the name's derivation - but instead focus on the broader reality, that the ‘Burnie Brae' Centre of today has a history effectively longer than the 25 years of its physical existence, that helps create an even stronger sense of ‘place' and of its significance within our Brisbane and Queensland community. For this reason, I was very pleased to learn that the Centre had applied for - and been successful in obtaining funding - under the Q150 project, for an artwork that will depict the homestead and surrounds from its earliest days. I am sure the work, once completed, will be a wonderful addition to the Centre, adding to the appreciation that members and visitors have of the Centre's history and of its development over time.
I have been talking until now about the long sweep of history, believing that it adds to our appreciation of the significance of today's commemoration, but of course on this specific 25th anniversary, our focus is on what has been achieved in the twenty five years since Governor Ramsay officiated at that formal opening.
I was unable - despite searching - personally to track down a copy of Governor Ramsay's remarks at the opening (our Government House records and archives are in a parlous state - we should, like you, have applied for a Q150 grant, to try to put them in better order!). However, even without knowing what hopes or forecasts he may have expressed about the Centre's future development, I believe he would have been both surprised and highly gratified to see the growth which has occurred and greatly impressed to see the Centre in its contemporary state, providing such a diverse range of services to the community and offering so many facilities and activities. I certainly find it remarkable that it now has 1500 members and is servicing over 6,000 homes and households on the northside of Brisbane; and I doubt that anyone, when the Centre was launched, would - or could - have anticipated either the extent of the physical additions and improvements that would be carried out over the coming years (improvements such as the Day Respite Centre, the new Meals on Wheels kitchen, the new Home Assist Secure Office, the development of the Auditorium, the construction of the Outdoor courtyard area, the new Welfare office) OR the growth of the programs, activities and outreach services that the Centre now provides. Quite simply - it's a great story. And I am even more impressed to find that it's a story not yet fully written, that it is still, as they say, a "work in progress", with many more improvements underway or planned. The list is simply too long to recount, but just a glimpse, a brief selection, is sufficient to verify the ambition and energy that is driving the centre forward - new automatic doors, renovated foyer, new library, new members' support office, new podiatry room, new covered walkway, extension of client areas in the day care centre, improved landscaping ... it leaves me breathless ... and in these pressured times, when funds are scarce, it also prompts the question ... how do you do it? How have you done it and how are you managing to continue to do it?
Your President, Al Fielding, gave the answer, when he said: "We have certainly done some building in the past 25 years but building a Centre like this is not all about bricks and mortar ... it's primarily about people."
From the very beginning that has been the case: in 1981, once the Brisbane City Council agreed to the subdivision for the land site, it was Rotarians and others in the community who set about raising the funds - and it is that spirit of service to others, of civic responsibility, of selfless commitment to the community that has sustained the Centre ever since. Burnie Brae operates on a very high-octane fuel - what I call the energy of volunteerism. And it is that energy that spirit that we honour today. This commemoration event is, in reality, a celebration to acknowledge the enormous contribution made to Burnie Brae by so many members and volunteers over the years.
Every edition of the "Burnie Brae News" - and I read a good number of them preparing for today's event - drives the point home:
"A community meeting was well attended ... this was a working meeting where 2 of the garden beds were planted ... the group has set aside Friday afternoon for garden maintenance";
"Numbers are steadily climbing for our monthly project pantry market day ... the consistent and generous support of those who regularly give to project pantry is quite overwhelming ... it's wonderful to see the community giving to support the needs of others ... without your generous help this service could not continue";
"We have a library available for members use...donations of books and magazines are gratefully received";
For the Coordinated Home Aid and Togetherness scheme - "volunteers may be able to help YOU with - gardening, transport, visiting, keeping in touch on the telephone, shopping, some household assistance and minor odd jobs";
And, finally - to round off my little newsletter survey, an appeal for volunteers:
"There are many volunteering opportunities at Burnie Brae for as little or as much time as you have to give. All help is greatly appreciated"
My pleasurable task today, in my role as Head of the State, able to speak on behalf of the people of Queensland, is to express that appreciation - not in the quiet way it appeared in that simple, straightforward advertisement for helpers - but to say formally and with a deep sense of gratitude, on behalf of everyone who benefits from the services provided by the Burnie Brae Centre - and has done over the past 25 years - THANK YOU. Your contribution - to thousands of individuals and to their families - and to the wider community - is immeasurable, but even if it cannot be measured, it is a contribution and a commitment that is not taken for granted and that I can assure you is greatly valued. While you may not seek recognition or acknowledgement, it is important that what you give voluntarily to others - of your time, your energy, your compassion, the sharing of your skills or of your enthusiasm - is acknowledged by everyone in the community, as the most precious of gifts, for which we are deeply grateful.
I hesitate, Mr President, to single out any individuals - this expression of appreciation applies to management, staff, members, life members volunteers, business and a range of organisations - but I believe a special thanks is warranted today to Rotary and to two Rotarians in particular - Mr Owen Marlay and Mr Wal Morton, who have raised significant funds over the years; and to the late and well-loved Gwen Fielding, whose dedication created the gardens in and around the courtyard - the gardens which bear her name.
And I also believe it appropriate to register a special appreciation for the work of the Life Members (10 of whom are with us today) and the members of the Management Committee, who have played such a vital role and so consistently directed the growth and change that, together with the sense of giving to the community that infuses this organisation - has become the hallmark of the Centre. Managing change is never easy. Most people resist rather than embrace change; and while physical growth to accommodate a larger population is one thing, adaptation to meet changing needs is another. From my tracing through the history of the Centre's development over its 25 years of providing services to the community, successive Management Committees appear to have been remarkably good at anticipating the changing needs of the community and of our senior citizens and have been very progressive in their service delivery approach, constantly adding to and tailoring programs and activities to suit new interests and demands. Progressive AND practical, very focused on outcomes and helping make peoples lives better in a tangible and immediate way; and also very professional - guided by the Centre's formal Mission "to promote, improve and maintain the quality of life for all who are associated with the Chermside and District Senior Citizens Centre" and by the vision of achieving "excellence in community based services for older persons and younger people for disabilities".
These goals have served the Centre - and in turn the members of the community it exists to serve - very well in its first quarter century and provides a strong foundation for the future. Which is just as well, as we all know that the need and demand for its services will be even greater in that future, with the average life expectancy for both men and women continuing to extend and with Queenslanders living longer lives in greater numbers: on present projections, by 2051, when Burnie Brae itself will have turned forty (42 in fact), 46% of the population of Queensland will be over 50.
A daunting thought for some - but not for others. Optimistic by nature, I was charmed to come across a rather pithy Jewish proverb, in a little book that our first-born daughter gave to my husband on his sixtieth birthday: "Old Age comes at a Bad Time: Wit and Wisdom for the young at heart". It's a delightful little book, bound, as our daughter suggested in her inscription, 'to bring a smile to your day'. The proverb I like says:
"For a fool, old age is winter.
For a wise man, it is a time of harvest".
With centres like Burnie Brae committed to maintaining the quality of life of our older citizens and investing such energy and imagination to this cause, we should be able to reap, indeed to count on, this harvest, making those senior years rich and fulfilling ones, lived in dignity, with a sense of purpose, of belonging and of fellowship - fellowship that will help you to enjoy your life and at the same time, encourage you to continue to give to others, including younger people in the community with special needs - younger people who can benefit from your example and your experience.
It is on that point of fellowship that I conclude my remarks: Virginia Woolf wrote: "one of the signs of passing youth is the birth of a sense of fellowship with other human beings as we take our place among them." I have spoken about and praised many aspects of Burnie Brae today, but at the heart of its success and spirit, is the sense of fellowship shown and experienced by everyone associated with the Centre. Birthday celebrations usually involve gifts - but this, your gift to the community, is one that is given daily, and one that I am confident will continue to be given, sustaining the Centre though the challenges of the future.
Happy twenty-fifth birthday. I wish you all a most wonderful day and a most wonderful celebration.
Thank you for your attention.