Tarampa After Care Centre (Now Tarampa Lodge) was established in 1978 by the first generation of Rothwell's - Dorothy. In humble beginnings Dorothy was a single mum working as a Nurse in regional Victoria. She found there was a severe need for accommodation for those in our community who were homeless. So 50 years ago she opened her home to the needy. In 1978 the trend to open up budget accommodation was starting to catch on in Victoria and with a little research found there was nothing in the state of Queensland, so with the few guests she had back then, they all decided the Sunshine State was where they were headed.
Finding a little run down farm house in the small township of Tarampa was just the ticket. Dorothy and her troops fell in love with the area and the farm. First things first, Dorothy thought, we need to get a hold of a good GP so off they went to the local township of Lowood. In this town they found Dr Ron James who just so happened to have extensive training with the homeless. This was the beginning of a lengthy alliance as Dr James came to Tarampa 3 days per week every year until he retired. Dr James thought the accommodation service Dorothy was offering was brilliant to the needy and asked if she could take any more guests? Little did Dorothy realise that by saying yes a bus load of potential guests showed up from Brisbane not to have a look but to stay. This was a regular occurrence in the beginning.
In 1982 the second generation of Rothwell's - Colin and Julie took over from Dorothy. They had three young children Tanya , Troy and Lincoln, a one bedroom church manse for accommodation and a dog. In true Rothwell style the residents home was always a priority over the family home. With a lot of hard work in replacing buildings, adding buildings etc and a lot of knock backs from the banks they finally completed their renovations in 1985 allowing them to help up to 50 needy people have a home. They began employing one staff member in the local region in 1985 which had grown to employ 11 staff in 2010. Colin and Julie lived on site with the residents right up until the changes to the fire act in approximately 2003 when due to the changes to room sizes, had to find alternative accommodation. They decided to purchase land near-by and put a removal home on it. To this day they still live in the removal home. Accreditation closely followed the changes to the fire act in which Colin, Julie and Tanya were all involved in the pilot program. When accreditation finally rolled out it was a scary, daunting task, a language we had never come across before. But Colin and Julie embraced it with both arms and are largely responsible for the facility as it is today.
In 2005 the third generation of Rothwell's - Tony & Tanya Sherlock and their 3 young children Lachlan, Bayley and Madalyn now owner -operate the facility. They brought a lot of the systems and documentation experience they had from previous employment to Tarampa. In 2017 the organisation was faced with the biggest changes since its inception in 1978. The introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) added a whole new dimension to the level of services offered to existing residents. Striving for perfection was on the agenda and so was employing more amazing staff. After passing and in some areas surpassing the biggest audit in the companies history we are now well on our way to ensuring the lives of our customers are changed for ever. In 2019 we now employ 49 staff and are the largest employer in our area. We also assist customers in their own home and provide Supported Independent Living to customers in the Ipswich, Somerset regions. Our Short Term program allows city folk to take a breather in the beautiful country surrounds at Tarampa. We have a regular following of returned customers.
Still striving to provide the best accommodation and support service to our customers, our vison is to Connect Community, Empower People, Work Sustainably, Enjoy Your Life and our Mission to Provide quality support services and specialised housing for individuals striving to reach their goals.
For more information please don't hesitate to contact us on 07 5426-8314.
Kind regards
Tony & Tanya Sherlock
DIRECTORS
TARAMPA LODGE PTY LTD
ABN 41 682 841 814 ACN 010 538 020
