Tom Quinn Community Centre

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We exist to create a safe and supportive environment, where young people can access life and living skills, holistic wellbeing support and education and training pathways. Together we walk alongside young people to help transform lives. 

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Through Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW), TQCC helps eligible Queenslanders to gain skills, qualifications & experience to participate in a range of vocational education and training activities that provide opportunities to creatively learn and develop skills that increase employability.

“If it wasn't for The Salvation Army, I wouldn’t even have had Taylor with me for Christmas."

Mum Sophie and Taylor are fleeing their home.

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Welcome to our wonderful little piece of paradise! By joining us today, you are doing something great for your community! Every cent you spend here is guilt free, as 100% of our profits go back into the programs we run. So enjoy a cuppa at our café, with a spoonful of social good.

Please feel free to explore all the things that are happening here at our Community Centre, that YOU are helping to make happen. There are more details about the Tom Quinn Community Centre on your table at the café, or you can ask one of our friendly staff, trainees or volunteers.

One of the exciting programs run at the Centre, is our Certificate I in Hospitality. That’s right, our café is a registered training facility and helps young people with a passion for food make a career of it by completing a traineeship with us.

Please help them feel supported by being patient as they learn how to be fabulous in Hospitality. We all start our journey’s somewhere and our trainees are at the beginning of their Hospitality journey. We thank you for your support as they are being trained and thank you for taking this journey with them!

Who was Tom Quinn?

Mr Tom Quinn was an exceptional man who dedicated his life to helping other people. He moved to Bundaberg in 1978 after a successful career as an accountant with Qantas in Sydney.

His passion for the aviation industry continued and he was instrumental in organising the removal of Bert Hinkler's home from the UK to Bundaberg.

Mr Quinn was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1997.

In 2000 he floated the idea of restoring a derelict waste management building and transforming it into a centre for young people with ADD. In 2002, the Tom Quinn Community Centre was opened to help disadvantaged youth and after his plan blossomed well beyond what he first envisioned, with a range of services, business houses and Work for the Dole programs helping to restore the building to its original finery. It now houses a range of community services focusing on deprived and disengaged youth, and others serving community service orders, and people in need of training. Our centre is named in his honour, and how proud we are of this heritage.

 

We aspire to bring Tom’s vision and dreams to life by continuing to build on the amazing opportunities he set in motion for young peoplevin the Bundaberg area.

We encourage you to read up on Tom’s life, including his achievement in his 70's when he decided to study law so he could offer free legal advice to those in need and went on to become admitted to the bar at the age of 75 in 2003. He graduated when he was 75 years old and it is estimmated the value of his legal assistance to be in the vicinity of $1.2million.

Mr Quinn passed away in 2006, but his legacy lives on in the work our centre continues to provide in his namesake. What a remarkable leader!

Tom Quinn Community Centre... - Tom Quinn Community Centre

Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) Traineeships - Apply Now!

Another round of Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) Traineeships are available at the Tom Quinn Community Centre. Positions in Hospitality, CAEM (Conservation and Ecosystem Management) & Construction can now be applied for through Job Salvation Army or Seek.

For most kids, home time is something to look forward to. For others, the end of the day means fear and uncertainty.

Every year, there are almost 40,000 children and young people who have nowhere to live across this country. Around 9,500 of them are 15-17 years old and thousands more lost their homes when they were children.

Current policies are creating lifetimes of disadvantage by failing vulnerable children and young people. It’s time to fix our housing system through policy change and dedicated investment.

We are calling on federal, state and territory governments to:

  1. Develop and maintain a national pool of 15,000 dedicated youth tenancies for 16-24 year olds.
  2. Provide linked support services to enable young people to pursue their individual goals and transition to full independence.
  3. Address the rental gap to ensure viability for housing providers and landlords offering tenancies to young people who have been homeless

 

Take Action

Please click on the links below for further information on the services we provide

Life and Living Skills

Community Garden

Garden Café

Resume and Cover Letter Club

Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW)

Drive for Life

The Salvation Army Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters throughout Australia.

We pay our respect to Elders past and present and acknowledge their continuing relationship to this land and the ongoing living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across Australia. We also acknowledge future aspirations of all First Nations Peoples.

We value and include people of all cultures, languages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and intersex status. We are committed to providing programs that are fully inclusive. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of people of all ages, particularly children.