Eva Dennis was an “instrumental organiser” and one of the founding members of the Spastic Centres of South Australia. Her involvement began when she approached the Crippled Children’s Association (now known as Novita) in 1945, searching for a wheelchair for her son, Allan.

Mrs Dennis then started attending regular gatherings with other parents of children with disability and, from that, she started the Spastic Children’s Parents’ Group, with the purpose of bringing together parents of children with cerebral palsy. These parents made it clear to the wider community – they had big goals for children with significant and multiple disabilities. They wanted to provide teaching, training and, above all, hope for children and their families.

The group planned and worked, fundraising for services and equipment before Mrs Dennis led the group to found the original Board of Management of the Spastic Centres of South Australia in 1950. Cara formed from the Spastic Centres of South Australia in 1995.

At the offices of Cara and SCOSA in Woodville, the 12 founding members were honoured with a garden featuring a fountain and planted with Mrs Dennis’s favourite Lorraine Lee roses. A new generation of Lorraine Lee roses now grows at Cara’s new Home of Possible in Hindmarsh, as part of Cara’s living history and this room, now named in her honour, recognises her significant legacy to our organisation.