Endeavour Foundation celebrates 70th anniversary

Endeavour has come a long way in 70 years, but there is still plenty of work to be done to level the playing field for people with disabilities in Queensland.

Jessica Harkin, Jane Hopkins, Stephanie Rudorfer celebrate Endeavour's 70th birthday.

What better way to celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities than to let them rock out.

That’s exactly what the Endeavour Foundation did as they marked 70 years on Tuesday.

For eight years running, performers from Endeavour branches across 50 locations have taken the stage to express themselves in song.

Due to COVID-19, the Battle of the Bands was held online this year, but it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of those taking part.

Endeavour CEO Andrew Donne said the Battle of the Bands was created as a way to give people with an intellectual disability an outlet free of judgment.

“Our Battle of the Bands has the power to make people feel included and accepted,” Mr Donne said.

“People with disability are often told what they can’t do, and Battle of the Bands is an event that focuses on ability, empowering participants to show the world what they can do.”

The Ipswich Branch of the Endeavour Foundation is the second oldest branch in Queensland, behind Toowoomba.

The Endeavour Foundation began in 1951 under the name Queensland Sub-Normal Children’s Welfare Association. The name was changed in 1982.

Travis Boundy, Wayne Pugh, Cameron Fetter, Michele Erbacher, and Jesse Anderson.

Endeavour board member Scott Ellis said Endeavour’s goal remained constant over the past seven decades, in giving people with disabilities a chance in life they otherwise would not have.

“It’s an organisation established by family members for their loved ones,” Mr Ellis said.

“We’re now in a situation where we have a fantastic facility here at Ipswich which has got all the technology.

“The guys love it, it’s life, it’s opportunity for our guys to live the best possible life.”

Mr Donne said Endeavour was born from the love parents had for their children, and that mindset had not changed over the years.

“Seventy years ago there was little support available for people with disability, and children with intellectual disability were being excluded from Queensland’s classrooms due to overcrowding in the post-war baby boom,” Mr Donne said.

“Endeavour Foundation was born from the voices of parents who started by demanding one of the most basic rights for their children, the right to an education.

“They began a movement that advocated for social inclusion for people with disability and while we have come so far, we know there is much more to do.

“People with disability are still fighting for their right to a job that suits their abilities, the right to a suitable and safe home, and the right to be included.”

The Endeavour Foundation is working towards the My Home, My Life program — a $35 million investment into affordable, accessible housing for people living with disabilities across Queensland.