Minda Incorporated, established in 1898, provides support to children and adults with disability in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and is the largest non-Government disability support organisation in the state. The not-for-profit organisation offers support and opportunity to approximately 1,750 South Australians with disability in the areas of accommodation (at its Brighton site and in the community), supported employment, lifestyle services and respite. It is Minda's vision for people with disability to live enriched lives of their choosing, and purpose and mission to be a progressive organisation of choice for people with disability, supporting on their journey toward enriched lives with greater community participation and contribution. Minda has office locations in the beachside suburb of

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, in

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

Modbury Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor situated in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish co ...

and

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

. The organisation was originally formed to provide support and lodging for children with intellectual disabilities.

History

Prior to 1898, children with intellectual disabilities were housed along with adults in the lunatic asylum at Parkside. After lobbying by concerned citizens, notably George Ash M.P., the government promised £500 towards a better quality institution specifically for children, provided that a similar amount was raised from donations. This target was achieved and in 1897 a home was purchased on Fullarton Road,

Fullarton Fullarton is a small area in Irvine, North Ayrshire. It is situated close to Irvine Bay and is next to several industrial estates, large supermarkets and retail stores and the town centre itself. Stagecoach Western buses operate the local bus s ...

. The home was registered as the Home for Weak Minded Children, but was called Minda, from a

Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...

word meaning 'place of shelter and protection'. The first children moved in during May 1898. A larger property was bought at Brighton in 1909, and with further government support a new and larger home was erected. This was incorporated as Minda Home in September 1911. Further buildings and additions were built over the next two decades, and by 1934 Minda operated a farm and dormitory at Blackwood (now Craigburn Farm). Despite Minda being established to provide a better environment for 'weak minded' children than Parkside Mental Hospital, Parkside continued to accommodate such children with several children being transferred from Minda to Parkside in 1940. In 1980, 55 hectares of Craigburn Farm was donated for inclusion in

Sturt Gorge Recreation Park The Sturt Gorge Recreation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the suburbs of Bellevue Heights, Craigburn Farm and Flagstaff Hill within the Adelaide metropolitan area about south of the Adelaide cen ...

as part of an agreement to allow subdivision of land south of the Sturt River in

Flagstaff Hill Flagstaff Hill usually refers to a hill on which a flag was erected. It may refer to: Place names Australia * Flagstaff Hill, near Linton, Victoria * Flagstaff Hill, Melbourne, a hill in the historic Flagstaff Gardens, Melbourne * Flagstaff Hill, S ...

. The major part of the balance of the farm at Blackwood was sold in the 1990s and forms the major part of Craigburn Farm, a major housing development. In 2007 the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

announced that the farm's

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

would be included in an enlarged Sturt Gorge Recreation Park, building on the original donation and saving the dam from demolition.

Slang usage

The organisation is so well established in South Australia that locally the word "minda" has come to be used as an offensive slang term for a person with an intellectual disability, and as an insult.Kate Strohm, (2002), Siblings: Brothers and Sisters of Children with Special Needs, Wakefield Press, Kent Town, p. 29

References

External links

The Minda Inc websiteSA Link-up
* {{Authority control Medical and health organisations based in South Australia Organizations established in 1898 Disability organisations based in Australia