I know of a number of strong, resilient friends who care for a member of their family in ways I can only imagine. For this reason I want to acknowledge their courage, and share some of their stories with our readers.

One friend of mine has moved permanently to Melbourne to help her daughter, whose second child has special needs. Her daughter has three children and requires daily help to juggle the needs of her other two children with the demands of her second son who requires extra tuition, physical development classes and constant medical care. My friend considers it a privilege, not a hardship.

Another young woman has willingly taken on the care of her intellectually disabled sister. This friend goes into bat for her sister regularly. There are many hurdles along the way. The challenges of finding secure accommodation and supported activities for her sister, particularly with the recent closure of Radius, have been challenging.

In a recent heartfelt piece on Facebook my friend has made a desperate plea to keep Radius open for all those who, like her sister, have gained so much pleasure and joy from the interaction she experiences with others in the wider community.

The closure of Radius is a tragedy for so many families in Bendigo, both the paid employees and the intellectually handicapped workers who were able to earn money and benefitted greatly from the experiences offered by Radius.

I really hope this is not the end of the story for Radius. Hopefully the government or another charity can see the value in keeping the doors open for both clients and employees.

Congratulations to the Mount Alexander Shire and Accommodation and Respite Group on the opening of their respite facility at McKenzie Hill in Castlemaine. This has been a nine-year vision by committed, and now elderly, parents of intellectually disabled adult children. This is a respite centre which will give relief to families who have struggled to find relief from caring, even if only for a few hours or perhaps an evening free of responsibilities.

In Bendigo we have a dedicated committee called Quality Living Options, which is raising funds to provide a permanent place to live for adult children with intellectual disabilities. It is here they can live independently of their ageing parents, while still receiving the support they need to live well. There are over 50 families in Bendigo who are desperately trying to find appropriate accommodation for their adult children.

These parents have been working for over five years towards realising this dream. They need land and funds to build such accommodation.

Dr. Nola Foreman has led this group in Bendigo, as they strive to make this dream a reality.

These parents need our community support and we should not hesitate to offer it. The commitment of these parents leaves me feeling incredibly humble. All they ask is a fair go to help their intellectually disabled sons and daughters to enjoy a place they can call home, where they can feel safe, secure and supported well into the future.

Let’s get behind them Bendigo.

ANNIE YOUNG