Thursday was a special day for Neil Shepherd as Greenacres acknowledged the legacy left by him and his late brother Alan at the opening of Shepherd Brothers Place in Oak Flats.
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The building is named in honour of the Shepherd brothers who were part of the original small group of children who started at Greenacres School in 1954.
They stayed with Greenacres their entire lives and the purchase of the new centre was made possible by a generous donation from the estate of Alan Shepherd who died in 2018.
Greenacres general manager Grant Vukasinovic and chief executive Chris Christodoulou said after a lifetime of creating opportunities for people with disabilities, the Shepherd brothers' legacy will continue with the new centre designed for people with high support needs.
"Compared to the facility we were at previously this is a thousand times better. It is nice and open," Mr Christodoulou said.
Mr Vukasinovic said the property was a function centre before it was acquired last year and only needed some minor renovations. He said it was a much better facility for wheelchairs and is already being used by 20 clients.
Narelle Langridge said it was lovely for her cousin Neil Shepherd to be invited to the opening on Thursday. She said the way the money donated from Alan Shepherd's estate was used was beyond their expectations.
"When we walked through the door today we just thought this is amazing. Their legacy is going to go on for years," she said.
"If their parents were alive today they would just be gob-smacked at everything Greenacres has achieved."
Another cousin Joyce McDonell described the official opening as a great day for the whole family.
"It is a great legacy for Alan and Neil Shepherd and their parents. It is wonderful what Greenacres has done. They have always been so good."
From the time they were small children, the two brothers, who both had an intellectual disability, were a catalyst of change as Greenacres developed programs and built facilities to meet their needs as they progressed through life.
In 1953, when there was no accessible school in Wollongong for children with intellectual disabilities, their parents Lil and Syd Shepherd campaigned with other parents to open Greenacres School so that their boys could have the chance of an education.
In 1962, the Shepherd boys were the reason a Greenacres employment facility was built so that they could have employment and training opportunities.
And in 1986, Alan Shepherd was the first employee to join a program which developed specialised work skills.
In 2003, the brothers prompted the start of Greenacres Retirement Options, a world-leading transition to retirement program.
Mr Vukasinovic said it was amazing to think that 68 years after the Shepherd brothers started at Greenacres School that their family was still making a difference to the lives of people with disability in the Illawarra.
"It really is an incredible legacy," he said.
The new Shepherd Brothers Place was officially opened by Shellharbour Mayor Marianne Saliba with Neil Shepherd as the guest of honour.
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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.
