1988-2018 - 30 years of Aurora

The Barn, Chigwell

Were you born in a barn? Well, actually yes, we were! Aurora opened its doors in 1988 and the early activities were held in The Barn in Chigwell. This facility was shared with a number of other users meaning everything had to be packed up at the end of the day and at times the day would start with a cleanup especially if there had been a party over the weekend.

The Old Chapel Tearooms
1A Chapel Street, Glenorchy

The old, and at the time, sadly neglected O'Brien's Bridge Wesleyan Methodist Chapel on the corner of Chapel Street and Main Road became available and Aurora packed up and moved...one of several moves.

The building was originally purchased, and the mortgage paid by Joy Cairns herself, so that Aurora would have a place to call its own. A donation from Friendly Care Pharmacies some years on saw the mortgage paid out and Aurora now truly had its own home.

With many working bees, and some serious maintenance, the building came back to life. What else is generally associated with churches of this era? They tended to have graves around them and this one was no exception...one afternoon someone took a walk in the back garden when the ground gave way and they disappeared into an abyss of sorts!!!

Fortunately no one was hurt and no evidence of its past occupant was found, however when the driveway for the service station next door was dug up, work had to be stopped as a skull was found. The tombstones may have been moved (to behind the Supreme Court Building in Salamanca Place, Hobart) but the graves themselves remained...

Very soon Aurora not only outgrew this building but another idea for its use also started to take root...a silver service tearooms, staffed and operated by trainees of Aurora. This meant another building needed to be found to house the day program.

15 Mill Lane, Glenorchy

Enter a Council owned building at 15 Mill Lane that was sitting empty, having been earmarked for demolition for carpark spaces.

Again, needing a lot of work and many a working bee, this building was set up for running the day support program, the Learning Centre, cottage industry and catering, as well as administration, and to this day remains the main base of the organisation.

At the end of 2006, and with new compliance regulations, it was deemed no longer up to standard and Aurora faced yet another move. Negotiations and fundraising resulted in major renovations, the cost of which was shared between the Glenorchy City Council and Aurora Disability Services. That left just one question. The renovations would take place over the summer holidays but where would the office run from? From a sea container, like the ones that were used to pack all the furniture, materials, craft, kitchen and other supplies and equipment?

45 Charles Street, Moonah

To the rescue came John Radcliffe, offering temporary accommodation and all the necessary services from a few rooms at his premises in Charles Street, Moonah. BYO computers and paperwork was all we were required to do to keep the administration of the organisation up and running. John has been a long term supporter of Aurora and his generosity was, and is, much appreciated.

Upon return to Mill Lane following the renovations we had to of course unpack these sea containers, something no one will easily forget. The kitchen was now downstairs where the learning centre used to be located, and a new spot needed to be found within the building. Soon this proved too small and too noisy and now the search was on for a new home for literacy, numeracy and tutoring activities.

Learning Centre
5 Eady Street, Glenorchy

A heritage building in Eady Street, previously used as a doctor's surgery was for sale and at around the same time as Aurora purchased 15 Mill Lane from Council, the premises at Eady Street were also bought - multiple mortgages meant a lot more fundraising! But the space and individual rooms were ideal for the purpose and both students and tutors were very happy to have all that space where they could work uninterrupted.

Car Yard Café
267A Main Road, Derwent Park

Demand for hospitality training, and so many trainees seeking a place at The Old Chapel Tearooms saw the organisation look for another facility to provide this, and in March 2017, coinciding with the Association's 29th birthday, a brand new café operated by Aurora's trainees was opened.

Like the Tearooms, the Car Yard Café operates 5 days a week within Aurora's term dates and has provided many of our trainees the opportunity to work and train in a café environment with the support they need to succeed, complementing the training undertaken at Mill Lane as part of the Certificate I in Hospitality.

New Learning Centre and additional space for activities
17 Mill Lane, Glenorchy

The Learning Centre at Eady Street did of course mean a lot of shuttling back and forth between the two facilities and when in 2017 the two workshops next door at 17 Mill Lane became vacant the decision was made to move out of the Eady Street premises.

The Learning Centre has been set up in one section, and the other building is used for many activities that are simply not possible at number 15. Think sport and recreational pursuits from table tennis to trike riding, as well as woodwork, gardening and other activities that are not practical within a building also used for catering and general food preparation.