Celebrating 75 Years
Celebrating 75 Years
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13 February 2020
Stories
| BaptistCare
Seventy five years after BaptistCare registered its name for the very first time as the NSW Baptist Homes Trust, the organisation has launched a commemorative anniversary book to mark its milestone anniversary.
The book, titled "Because we care", features 75 stories that capture a range of services, events, activities and people whose memories detail some of the tapestry that is BaptistCare’s heritage and history.
Authored by Carolyn Kelshaw, Carolyn explained that when she was looking for a way to link all of the stories together, she came across a paragraph in the first Annual General Report of the Baptist Homes Trust, highlighting the need for an “elderly ladies home”.
Back in the early 1940s, BaptistCare’s founding members were determined to “establish a home in the real sense of the word ‘home’”; more than a building and a home that provided a “friendly, kindly, sympathetic atmosphere.” It would be a place where “people feel loved and where people truly feel at home.”
Seventy five years later, this approach continues as the foundation for BaptistCare’s ministries, where the organisation’s shared values of love, respect, reliability and empowerment underpin its strong and caring communities across NSW and the ACT.
The anniversary book was unveiled at a celebratory lunch attended by long term supporters of the organisation, including Lola Cousemacker, the first and only matron of BaptistCare’s children’s home Karingal during the 1950s to 1980s, former CEO Dr June Heinrich as well as honorary life members.
Chair of the BaptistCare Board, Ms Judith Carpenter thanked guests at the event for their role in the organisation’s history.
“Thank you for the hard work you have put in to ensure that as an organisation we continue to reflect the Kingdom of God – both in the work we do with our customers, and in the way we do it.”
Ms Carpenter closed the celebration looking towards the future.
“As we move forward into the next 25 years, may we hold firmly to our core but continue to respond nimbly to the changing world around us,” she said.
“As we look back to the past and forward to the future we can say with confidence ‘the Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise’. This is our hope and our confidence for the future.”
Celebrations will continue into early 2020, as the organisation’s annual Dedication Service events acknowledge BaptistCare’s history and story, while also celebrating that of its own staff and volunteers.