Centre celebrates 20 years

Cutting the cake to celebrate 20 years for the Kathleen Costello Centre.

KATHLEEN Costello died in 1987 but her legacy of a centre for the deaf and hearing-impaired was celebrated yesterday at the building that bears her name in Maryborough’s Wilson Street.

More than 50 people crowded into the Kathleen Costello Centre for an open day and launch of a booklet chronicling its history.

Centre spokeswoman Yvonne Loveday said the open day was a way of celebrating the 20 years the centre had been operating, as well as the 40 years the Fraser Coast Deaf Club has been meeting.

“We’re thanking all the people who have supported us on that journey,” Ms Loveday said.

“Our centre is an example of a really local success story of committed people working together as a group and making good things happen.”

The centre provides a range of services to the deaf and hearing-impaired residents of the Fraser Coast.

Classes in lip reading and Auslan are held there every week and it is also home to the Maryborough branch of Deaf Services Queensland.

The CEO of Deaf Services Queensland, Brett Casey, was at the open day.

“This centre was shaped by the deaf and hard of hearing in this community,” he said.

“It was provided by a woman from the community to meet the needs of those groups, and it’s an excellent result.”

The celebrations continued last night, with a Kathleen Costello Birthday Bash to remember the woman who helped make the centre a reality.