At the helm of the centre for almost 21 years and pleasantly surprised with the honour, Dale thought she may run out of projects or passion after a couple of years but has never looked back, with a new community centre next on her agenda.
Regarded now as a Centre of Excellence, CHNC was recently approved for five years’ funding from the Department of Communities and Justice.
“I see that as a huge achievement since until now, we have never had more than six months’ funding which makes it difficult to plan and even keep valuable staff,” she said.
“So this is great news for everyone concerned.”
Catering to hundreds every week from across Canterbury Bankstown and not just the local area as it was when she took over, the centre now has 30 to 40 children in its before and after school program, parent programs, seniors program and home care package providers and recipients.
There are around 90 seniors at any one time in its social support program.
There’s also a community garden comprising 25 garden beds all managed by community gardeners and with Dale overseeing all.
“A big part of the job is also ensuring the programs are high quality and meet all the proper standards in the regular review processes,” she added.
“I’ve also got to keep the funding submissions going which is not always easy as we’re up against the big charities.
“But for now, I’m very happy with where we’re at and looking forward to what the future holds and how we can continue to help as many members in the community as possible.”
