More than 800 people gathered at Chittaway recently to celebrate the 30th birthday of The Glen, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre for Indigenous and non-Indigenous men.
Established in 1994 by Cyril Hennessy, The Glen for Men centre has gone on to accept more than 4,000 clients over the three decades and in 2020 opened The Glen for Women at Wyong Creek.
Former clients, families, staff and community members attended the birthday event where 27 organisations set up stalls on the day to share giveaways and information about their services with the community.
MC’d by former client of The Glen, Josh Toomey, special guests included Member for Dobell Emma McBride, Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch and Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch.
Newly elected Central Coast Mayor Lawrie McKinna used the event to deliver his first official speech as mayor.
There were several performances from current and former clients, including Kobie Dee and long-time friend of The Glen Mi-Kaisha.
“I am always amazed and humbled by the level of support we get from the whole community,” The Glen Group executive director Joe Coyte said.
“It was a fantastic event for everyone connected to The Glen and those who have gone through The Glen over the past 30 years which is about 4,000.”
McBride, who is also Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, acknowledged the work of The Glen for men, and now women.
“The work The Glen does locally is so important,” she said.
“It reconnects First Nations men and women to family and culture.
“I’m proud to have worked alongside First Nations women to help support The Glen for Women and have been fortunate to visit regularly since it opened.”
Organisers behind the birthday event also gave a special shout out to their supporters including The Benevolent Society, Ward Civil and Environmental Engineering and WISE Employment Solutions for sponsoring all the rides, drinks and food on the day.
Be the first to comment on "The Glen celebrates 30 years of helping those in need"