The Spastic Centre was founded on the 9 December 1944.
The Spastic Centre commenced operations on 30 January 1945, by a concerned group of 25 parents of children with cerebral palsy, under the leadership of Neil and Audrie McLeod.
The McLeods had arrived in Sydney from Perth in the early war years, with their daughter Jennifer who had cerebral palsy. Neil and Audrie McLeod began to search for the best possible treatment for their daughter. Through meeting other parents who had children with similar disabilities the need for a treatment centre was recognised and The Spastic Centre was founded in the loaned house of Arthur Sullivan, in Queen Street, Mosman.
The hope and hard work of parents and friends and with two old cars on loan from the National Emergency Service, the first Spastic Centre commenced operations. Initially, 14 children attended The Spastic Centre, but by the end of that same year the figure had grown to 40.
The Education Department also recognised the special needs of these children and set up a school at Mosman. The foundation stone of McLeod House, which would eventually house 120 country children with cerebral palsy, was laid in Allambie Heights in 1953. As the children started to grow older, new services and facilities were needed and in 1961 the Centre Industries Factory was established to provide training and employment for adults with cerebral palsy who could not find employment in the community.
Today, The Spastic Centre of New South Wales provides a range of services to more than 3,000 babies, children and adults each year. Services are provided on a regional basis with over 60 sites across metropolitan Sydney and Newcastle areas. Families living in rural and remote areas are offered a range of Centre based and Outreach service.
The Spastic Centre’s Milestones’ consists of the seven decades in which The Centre has been operating. Facts, figures and photos are included:
1944-1949 In The beginnings… (
PDF - 258 KB)
1950-1959 Behind The Scenes… (PDF - 512 KB)
1960-1969 If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them!... (PDF - 380 KB)
1970-1979 The Story Continues… (PDF - 519 KB)
1980-1989 A New Era Begins… (PDF - 127 KB)
1990-1999 Moving Forward… (PDF - 145 KB)
2000-2009 Still Building Futures… (PDF - 187 KB)