The Origins of Woodford

Woodford is the name of the original residential home for children with disability at 98 Woodville Road, Woodville, Cara’s former head office.

Woodford was purchased in 1951 for £7500, more than $310,000 in today’s value. The funds came from successful appeals and fundraising ventures, based on the story of a girl, 12, who watched her brothers and sisters play from her wheelchair. When the girl dropped her doll and leaned forward to reach it, she fell from her wheelchair, revealing legs in iron braces.

This unnamed girl’s story became a major appeal, funding the purchase of Woodford.

On November 28, 1951, the Adelaide Press announced Woodford in an article headlined “School for Spastic Children”. Woodford served as the first residential home for the South Australian Spastic Paralysis Welfare Association.

In 1970, the building was knocked down and rebuilt as a state-of-the-art accessible building with occupational therapists, speech therapists, treatment rooms, space for parents and a training centre. The new building was decorated and furnished with a donation of more than $3,700 (more than $40,000 today) from the Auxiliary.

The building then served as the head offices until 2018 for Cara, scosa, Community Support Inc, the State Government’s Western Psychosocial Services, Job Prospects, Campbell Page, Woodville Medical Practice and an accessible, rehabilitative swimming pool and the James A. Nelson Hall.

When Cara were making plans to relocate from the Woodville campus after over 60 years, we wanted to ensure we took as much history with us as possible and as such we named one of our meeting rooms in our new Hindmarsh head office, Woodford.

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