Our history
In the beginning
South Port Day Links Inc (SPDL) was incorporated in 1991, however, the organisation’s foundation was celebrated in 1988 when the DayLinks set of objectives were developed and subsequently launched in July 1989.
These were the result of meetings, planning, consultation and hard work by a group of dedicated aged care workers, residents and volunteers in the Cities of Port Melbourne and South Melbourne, led by Beris Campbell, who was the Senior Social Worker at the City of Port Melbourne (Phillip).
Back then the ideas that were developed were revolutionary as aged and disability care was based on institutional models, that did not recognise the benefits of older people or people with a disability being able to maintain access to the community.
We refer to these concepts today as “Ageing in Place” and “Wellness and Reablement”. Research now demonstrates that the more active an older person or person with a disability is, that it improves their health outcomes, personal sense of wellbeing and life expectancy.
The services offered by SPDL address these needs of the community. Programs such as the DayLinks community transport service, GardenMates, PetMates and WalkMates, through the incredible support of volunteers have allowed many people in the community to maintain independent living.
Celebrating 30 years
In July 2018 SPDL achieved 30 years of service to the community, we take this opportunity to recognise the dedication of so many people over the years in making a significant positive difference to the lives of people living in the City of Port Phillip.