Locals Helping Locals
One of a Kind Community Support is a not-for-profit charity and community organisation. The Association has been operating since 1972 when it commenced as Lifeline Tamworth. Some 30 years later it was known as Lifeline Northwest with telephone support services in both Tamworth and Armidale. Lifeline Northwest and its telephone counselling volunteers joined the Lifeline Australia 131114 National Call service in 2008.
Following Lifeline Australia governance and National 131114 Call Centre changes in 2015, the Association left the Lifeline network to pursue other local community programs without the need to divest its ongoing social enterprise funding and property assets to Lifeline Australia.
Accordingly, the Association changed its name in 2015 to One of a Kind Community Support and maintained its key role as a charity, and Not-For-Profit entity.
In late 2019, the Association was placed in Voluntary Administration following poor governance and financial controls.
A new Committee was appointed by the Voluntary Administrator in December 2019 to continue its charitable purposes and business operations, albeit on a much smaller scale. This involved downsizing the 9 operating sites during 2019 across NSW and Queensland to just the one site in Tamworth; and resulted in the sale of two key properties held for many decades.
The new Committee has put in place a new charitable business or social enterprise model with a SuperStore Op Shop and Recycling Facility in Taminda. Surplus funds raised will support up to 10 local community groups with annual grant funding, and the in-kind access for community groups to continue to use the Denne Street Community Centre (formerly the Lifeline Training & Counselling Centre).
In 2022, we celebrated 50 wonderful years of community service.