Corrimal’s Laurie Matthews is being awarded an OAM for his service to youth with social welfare organisations.
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He founded Caretakers Cottage in 1977 and has been the chief executive ever since.
The former NSW Department of Youth and Community Services’ caseworker has been on the Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies and St Laurence House boards and is presently on the board of Y Foundation and Southern Youth and Family Services in the Illawarra.
In 2016 Youth Action presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in the same year he was presented a Community Service Award by Randwick City Council.
Mr Matthews started the Caretakers Cottage youth homelessness service 42 years ago at a time when the only kind of care for young people who weren’t living with their parents were larger institutions mostly in rural areas or church run orphanages.
“We were like the radical new alternative to traditional care for children,” he said.
St Laurence House is an accommodation service for young people who can’t return to family, who don’t have the skills to live independently and need some medium term accommodation where they can get some more parenting.
Y Foundation is the peak body for youth homelessness services. As a board it advises government and we help construct new programs and initiatives.
Mr Matthews said he has always been passionate about programs that support youth.
“My father was a minister of religion and growing in Paddington in Sydney was where we started the refuge,” he said.
“I was in a lucky position where I was able to get access to real estate. And that helped us get our program going. We had an Illawarra connection because our great patron was the person in government who had the most vision for the development of these kind of services”.
Mr Matthews described Rex Jackson as “the best minister there has ever been for community services”.
“He had the vision to open the world up and including non government agencies. He initially gave us $3000 to get our program going and we thought “WOW” this is wonderful recognition back in 1977. But he was a bit canny because that then obligated us to providing something”.
That was a great driver to get things happening and the Caretakers Cottage has now been around for 42 years.
“This is a sector now that attracts hundreds of millions of dollars,” Mr Matthews said.
He said the direction has changed over the years from initially rescuing children to empowering parents to fulfill their duties to raise their children.
Mr Matthews has lived the last 30 years in Corrimal and drives to Sydney every day to work at Caretakers Cottage which covers an area from Sydney Harbour to Botany Bay.
“We have programs throughout that whole area,” he said.
Mr Matthews said it was a great honour to be recognised.
“Essentially what I have been recognised for is doing a job that I just love. I am 62 and I love getting up in the morning to do my job. I love it because I think we have a really important role in bringing about significant differences in kids lives”.
Mr Matthews said he was much more in administration these days and employs people who are care providers. But what he still loves most is having children tell him about their achievements and goals.
He thinks the recognition is that he has been in the business of helping youth and committed to it his whole adult life.
And is grateful for the spotlight it will shine on the many organisations he is involved with.
Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
