By Dongyun Kwon
A special purple bus landed in Ringwood East on Tuesday 3 September after passing through many touchpoints across Australia.
The 50 Years of EACH Bus hit the road all the way from Ipswich, Queensland, stopped at EACH sites including Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Campbelltown and Goulburn in New South Wales, then Ferntree Gully, Narre Warren and Boronia, and finally arrived in Ringwood East to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The bus connected and celebrated the people and places that have helped EACH achieve this significant milestone as a community-based health and support services provider.
EACH chief executive officer Natalie Sullivan said it was an incredibly proud moment for EACH.
“We want to share our pride in our past and our excitement about our future with everyone who has been part of our journey – communities, customers, government funders and of course our amazing team members, past and present,” she said.
“Please join us to hear stories about the impact we’ve had on the lives of people and their communities, and our organisation’s commitment to building a future where everyone has the power to live well.”
EACH has come a long way since its first site was opened as the Maroondah Social Health Centre at Patterson Street, Ringwood East by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1974.
It now employs 1500 staff supported by 200 volunteers, delivering more than 150 health and support services to 60,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians annually across nearly 60 sites within Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
As part of the celebration, a message stick was passed along at each stop of the journey.
EACH Aboriginal health promotion officer and cultural coordinator Vanessa Murdoch said the message stick is a tool that is traditionally used by Aboriginal people to communicate messages to neighbouring Aboriginal nations and clan groups.
“It is made from wood and can be varied in length, as well as in patterns and designs. Although styles vary, they are usually oblong lengths of wood with motifs engraved on all sides,” she said.
“The markings on message sticks can mean different things and can vary from simple notches to intricate patterns.
“Marks were unique or distinctive to the carrier’s people so that when other groups looked at the message stick, they would know the relationship of the carrier to their group.”
The bus arrived in Ringwood East around 10am and stayed there for about an hour.
EACH program director primary care Lauren Barker said the site at Patterson Street is now one of the key sites where EACH’s primary care services are provided, covering all different health issues from child well being, sexual health to refugee and Aboriginal health alongside Burwood Highway, Warrandyte Road and Francis Crescent.
“It is one of the largest and busiest sites at EACH,” she said.
“We have around 150 personnel who work from Patterson Street and have more than 150 customers coming through the door each day.”
After the celebration, the 50 Years of EACH Bus headed off from Patterson Street to EACH’s head office in Ringwood, the last destination.
