Former Gayndah PCYC site transformed into IWC healthcare hub

A new health centre, five years in the making, is set to open at the former Gayndah YMCA site. Here’s everything you need to know.

NEW FACILITY: The IWC North Burnett Health & Wellbeing Community Centre is will have an officially opening event on Thursday September 16. Artist impression supplied by IWC.

After five years of hard work the IWC North Burnett Health and Wellbeing Community Centre is set to open next month.

The new purpose-built centre at 24 Fielding St, Gayndah, is at the former YMCA building site which closed in 2016.

With the official opening on September 16, invited guests will include traditional owners and elders from across the region.

IWC CEO Wayne Mulvany said this project had come to fruition despite COVID-19 challenges, and would be a “much-needed boost for the region”.

“It will provide services for all people in our communities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and is a very tangible part of IWC’s commitment to Reconciliation in Action every day,” he said.

“We are working with and for the community to build a better future for the region.”

The purpose-built facility comprises community meeting areas, clinical rooms, treatment rooms, reception areas and interview rooms, plus gardens and carparking.

A gym suitable for all fitness levels will be open to all.

IWC has also retained the large indoor sports stadium, which was donated to the community by the Robinson family in the 1990s.

The team has been upgrading the stadium, giving it an additional entry and adding dedicated toilet, shower and change facilities which are disability friendly.

“We have more work to do on the stadium, which is costly, but we know how important it is to the people of this region,” said Mr Mulvany.

“Once the official opening has been held, we will address the resurfacing of the floor so the stadium will not open while the full curing process takes place.”

Mr Mulvany said the new centre was here for everyone in our communities and offered a “very real opportunity for the region to move ahead in relation to Primary Health Care”.

IWC has been a constant in the region for years, with an active Multidisciplinary Care Team operating until now from a small clinic in Pineapple St, Gayndah.

“The new North Burnett centre will build on the services currently delivered by IWC in the region,” said Mr Mulvany.

“We are excited about it, and we know the community is too.”

IWC delivers more than 137,000 Episodes of Care a year across its operations, which include the IWC Health & Wellbeing Complex in Bundaberg, and has more than 15,000 clients across Bundaberg and North Burnett.

IWC has co-funded the $2.43m North Burnett project, receiving $980,000 from the Indigenous Land & Sea Corporation (ILSC), and has spent additional money to ensure safe and accessible use of the centre and the sports stadium.

Mr Mulvany said the official opening ceremony would be strictly by invitation only, and run until 1pm, but there’s an opportunity for the community to take a short tour of the centre from 1–2pm.

While IWC did not let the COVID pandemic knock the project off course, Mr Mulvany said the start date of the build was delayed by some years because of initial on-the-ground hurdles that had to be addressed.

“The acquisition of the site, although it was abandoned and the YMCA building itself was in a state of condemnation, took years rather than months, which was a real shame for the community,” he said.

“These delays were unnecessary and I know the community was frustrated, as was IWC.

“But once we were able to secure the site, with the active support of Peter Malone of National Y and then North Burnett councillor John Zahl, we moved as quickly as possible and now we are very pleased to offer this beacon of hope to the community at a time when COVID is dealing us all so many challenges.”