The legal name of the organisation is Kuranda Information and Support Centre (KISC), however we trade as the Kuranda Neighbourhood Centre (KNC). The legal name is the one used by the bank, funding bodies, the Office of Fair Trading and the Australian Tax Office.
In October 1992, a group of local residents met and considered the concept of people helping other people in the place where they live.
It was envisaged that an information and support Centre for Kuranda locals would assist in promoting a sense of community: by linking people to supporting services, by promoting inter-agency contacts and by responding to emerging needs. This was achieved over nine years without any government funding: in short, entirely by volunteers. A vital and dedicated Management Committee kept the vision alive whilst Kuranda volunteers kept the doors open.
The Centre’s first home was a brightly painted donated caravan parked behind St Saviour’s Church. In subsequent years, the service moved to the former Mareeba Shire branch office, to the QCWA hall in Thongon St, an original timber cutter’s cottage beside the BP Service Station and then in the Market Mall arcade on Therwine Street.
After much lobbying to the State Government, extensive planning and discussion and a substantial renovation of an existing Queenslander, we moved into our new home in November 2007.