When Evelyn Powell first arrived at the Woodville Spastic Home (the Home) in 1959, as a Kindergarten teacher, she recalled the better education system that was developing within the Home was all part of the team approach that had been adopted in the care and training of the children and youths for whom the Home had been inaugurated. Something even greater was envisaged for the future.

The great teaching skills and guidance of Evelyn were remembered by the residents of the Home, particularly Trevor Harrison. Trevor noted that Evelyn had “an uncanniness to work out exactly what you could and couldn’t do, because of the fact that she had the same disability (Evelyn also had cerebral palsy) …we had a lot of fun, but were also pulled into line.”

It was during one of several speaking engagements that Evelyn undertook in recognition of International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP) that she spoke of her experience working in the disability sector
“The biggest changes I suppose, have come from the attitudes of the general public, and my story still is that you need to educate the general public more than you need to educate the kids at The Spastic Centre. Our main things in life are, apart from the food and clothes and somewhere to live (shelter), love and acceptance. These don’t change.”

Evelyn Powell was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the welfare of children with physical disabilities in 1986.