The L’Arche Bendigo Community celebrated its tenth anniversary at a fundraising lunch at St Kilian’s Hall on Sunday 14 April 2024.

The day provided an opportunity for friends and families in the L’Arche Bendigo Community to share memories, tell stories and celebrate all they have achieved as a faith-based community with a mission to provide high-quality person-centred support for adults with an intellectual disability.

In the ten years since it was established L’Arche Bendigo has grown to become a Probationary community in the L’Arche tradition and a registered NDIS provider with professional leaders and employed staff. It operates three community houses which help to support people with an intellectual disability, and their families, in various ways: Offering day programs such as art and cultural workshops, outings and social gatherings; short-term home-away-from-home accommodation; and a permanent home to five adults.

Observing the interactions amongst people in the hall, and hearing the speeches of the day, it’s clear that L’Arche Bendigo is a living example of the L’Arche motto, ‘Together We Create” and the adage ‘From little things big things grow’.

L’Arche Bendigo was seeded from the vision of two determined local women, Bernadette Ransom and the late Maureen Considine, who shared two important things in common: A child with down syndrome, and a desire for their children to live in a nurturing faith-filled community as they became adults.

In her speech, Bernadette recounted a conversation with Maureen. It was 26 years ago and there was no faith-based facility or organsation supporting adults with an intellectual disability in the Diocese of Sandhurst.

“In 1997 I read an article in ‘Australian Catholics’ about the L’Arche Community in Hobart and I thought 'I would like Andrew to belong to a L’Arche Community when he grows up'. I discussed this with Maureen and her reply was, 'This will take 20 years, so we had better get started'. So began our journey to establish a L’Arche Community in Bendigo.”

Sadly, Maureen passed away in 2006. Soon after her untimely death, her family and friends established a fund in her honour to raise funds to see the dream of a L’Arche Community in Bendigo fulfilled. The L'Arche network had begun to grow and families banded together to raise funds and advocate for their cause.  The early L'Arche advocates were well supported by the expertise, passion and commitment of so many people, many of whom were present at the tenth anniversary lunch.

In his speech, Jim Rolfe, Chair of the Community Council - L'Arche Bendigo, captured the essence of L’Arche and the spirit of the room. “Our families are the foundation of our community. They continue to place their trust in L’Arche with the care of their adult children. They are our best ambassadors and for that we are very grateful,” said Jim.