11/08/2026
🌸 Happy 43rd Birthday, Caladenia! 🎂
On 12 August 1983, Caladenia Day Centre held its very first program.
It began with an idea from our founder, Patricia “Trish” Maggs OAM, whose own parents had lived with dementia. At a time when dementia was poorly understood and families had very little support, Trish believed there had to be a better way.
Her idea was beautifully simple: a homelike place where people living with dementia would be treated with dignity and respect, enjoy an ordinary day with other people, and where their family carers could have a break.
There was no Meadowbank House then. No purpose-built centre. No buses. No team of staff.
There was Trish, a small band of volunteers, a borrowed venue and an idea whose time had come.
43 years later, we’re still here.
We’ve grown and changed enormously, but when you look back through these photographs, what is striking is how much hasn’t changed — people spending time together, laughing, contributing, getting out and about, forming friendships and simply getting on with life.
For our birthday we’ve been digging through the archives and have put together Caladenia Dementia Care – A Potted History, including photographs, old documents and Trish’s own account of Caladenia’s early years.
https://shorturl.at/ijPLj
It is quite a story. ❤️
And if you have been part of Caladenia somewhere along those 43 years — as a Member, carer, family member, volunteer, staff member, Board member, supporter or friend — we’d love you to share a Caladenia memory in the comments.
Happy birthday, Caladenia. 🌸
1983–2026
