Laying the foundations for an inclusive, accessible community
Lendlease has partnered with local disability service provider, Thorndale Foundation, to pack settlement gifts for future Kings Central residents.
Fostering a meaningful partnership with local disability service provider, Thorndale Foundation, Lendlease is laying the foundations for an inclusive and accessible neighbourhood for everyone to feel welcome in.
Located near the emerging Kings Central community on Rance Road in Werrington, Thorndale Foundation provides a variety of disability services to the local community – from supported employment and day programs, right through to disability accommodation.
Cathy Gault, Chief Executive Officer of Thorndale Foundation says the partnership happened very organically.
“It came about through discussions with the Lendlease design team when they were negotiating the roundabout at the front of our site,” said Cathy. “We showed them our facilities and planted the seed for any potential work opportunities.”
Unbeknownst to Cathy, this conversation would have remarkable outcomes for Thorndale and its participants – with Lendlease identifying an opportunity for them to be responsible for packing settlement gift boxes for future Kings Central residents.
Thorndale Foundation offers this service as part of their packaging and assembly program, which allows people with disabilities to thrive in an accessible working environment.
“It’s important for people with disabilities to be just like their brother or sister, who go to work every day and contribute to being a valuable member of society,” Cathy said. “The social aspect, the meaningful work that is undertaken and the respect of the community is something we all hope to achieve in our working day. Everyone has the capacity to do something, no matter how big or small.”
Another priority close to Cathy’s heart is establishing opportunities for people with disabilities to live, work and play all within the same community. Inclusive Housing Australia has purchased four homes within Kings Central, which will be turned into disability accommodation for Thorndale clients to live in.
“Our participants with a disability are familiar with the local area, the train station is less than a 10-minute walk, and St Mary’s is growing and developing to grow with the community around it,” said Cathy. “Thorndale is a small provider and we only have the one main hub location, and this is very close to Kings Central, so we wanted to provide people with the opportunity to live within a familiar community in a modern, brand-new home. “They are already familiar with the area, the shops, transport and the little things within their community that make them feel safe - this may be the regular bus driver, the sign they read every day on the routine walk, or the dog they know that barks if you walk to close to the fence.”
As the Kings Central neighbourhood comes to life, we’ll be providing further updates on Lendlease’s partnership with Thorndale and its participants. Stay tuned!