On Christmas eve in 1971 Townsville was struck by Cyclone Althea. Many homes were destroyed and people were admitted to the Townsville General Hospital. The hospital social worker Joan Innes-Reid organised for women such as Kath Gordon and Colleen Hegarty to care for children whose parents had been injured. From this crisis a need was identified for ongoing care of children when a family experienced an emergency.
By 1973 a nucleus of 12 women were caring for children, and the need grew for a permanent residence. In 1974 Wee Care was officially established at 'Coolock Cottage' which was owned by the Sisters of Mercy. It was officially opened by Joan Innes-Reid who had become the first female Deputy Mayor. The house was furnished by the Latter Day Saints, and the first house parents were Ray and Elizabeth Ingham.
In 1980 Wee Care moved to 197 Kings Road a property owned by Charles Arnold and initially rented for $1/year. The Army's 3rd Field Engineer Regiment helped them move and the house parents were Mr & Mrs Creed. The Mayor of Townsville Alderman Perc Tucker officially opened the new premises on 29 March 1980.
In 1984 Wee Care moved to Railway Estate to their own purpose built premises. The Federal Community Employment Program Grant provided $93,000, Townsville Apex donated $24,000, the estate of J S Love and R & E Hayles left a donation, and the community raised much needed funds through a 'Buy a Brick' fundraiser.
In February 1995 Wee Care expanded to include Shared Family Care, a foster care program. Shared Family Care was funded by the Department of Child Safety. It began with 1 Support Worker based at Wee Care but grew very quickly. The following year the program grew to include 2 Support Workers and a part-time Admin Officer.
By 2009 Shared Family Care was funded to support the placement of 165 children each day, and supported approx. 90 foster and kinship carers. SFC outgrew the space at Wee Care and moved to their own premises at 2 Fleming Street, Aitkenvale. The Shared Family Care team grew to include a Manager, Team Leader, 4 Support Workers and a part-time Admin Officer.
In 2010 Wee Care expanded its services to include a registered playgroup, and began delivering federally funded emergency relief funding (ERF) to families in need. These services were particularly targeted to supported families.
2012 brought additional funding and a change to the Service Agreement. The SFC team consisted of a Manager, Team Leader, 8 Support Workers and 2 Admin Officers. SFC was now funded to support the placement of 190 children daily, and supported 120 foster and kinship carers. The premises at 2 Fleming Street expanded to include another 3 offices.
With a new strategic direction the organisation rebranded and changed their name to Althea Projects Incorporated. Wee Care and Shared Family Care became known as programs of Althea Projects. A new structure was introduced and the first CEO Mandy Thompson was appointed. Althea held significant meaning as it reflected the reason the organisation was first established after Cyclone Althea hit Townsville in 1971. Althea Projects corporate office and Shared Family Care moved to 296 Ross River Road to accommodate the growth in staffing.
In 2016 Althea Projects launched their first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The purpose was to build culturally mindful relationships with reconciliation at the heart of all programs. Artist Michelle Tyhuis titled the RAP artwork ‘Together We Will Make It Right”. The artwork acknowledges Althea Project’s beginnings, emerging from turbulent times, and signifies the ‘around-the-clock’ nature of their services, most notably Wee Care. In 2020 the RAP artwork was refreshed by Michelle to celebrate the growth, insight and achievements gained by Althea Projects.
In 2017 the Townsville Drop In Centre was facing closure after having delivered a service to homeless people since 1984. Althea Projects took over the centre with a vision to make some important changes and continue the service.
In 2020 the industrial kitchen at TDIC became licensed which led to the start of a social enterprise named Morehead Meals. This included a catering service and the cooking of healthy meals that were frozen and sold to the public. The revenue raised goes back into the centre to support homelessness.
In 2020 Althea Projects began supporting Child Safety with family contacts. This service grew rapidly and is co-ordinated from Wee Care.
In 2021 the programs provided by Althea Projects were re-branded to bring them together under the Althea corporate name. Shared Family Care was renamed Althea Foster & Kinship Program, and the Townsville Drop In Centre was renamed Althea’s Community Hub. The fostering program and corporate services moved to larger premises at the new Brad Webb development at Unit 1, 5-11 Fleming St.
Althea House was established in 2023 as a stand-alone property. It is a care model of intervention that provides short-term residential care to children under the age of 12.
In 2024 we reached the incredible milestone of serving the Townsville community for 50 years. We celebrated with a 50th logo, a strategic marketing campaign, and a 50th Gala with the theme ‘Party Through the Decades’.
