Woodside Sanctuary - A home From Home

Woodside was originally named the “Woodside Maternity Home”, and was situated in Yeoville, Johannesburg. It was a small home and accommodated children, including a number of children with a variety of disabilities. The principal carer who ran the home was Matron van der Helde, and when the home began to lose business due to the opening of more modern homes in Johannesburg, Matron van der Helde decided to change her business to care for children with special needs. It was a great shock when the Department of Health declared the building a fire hazard, closing it down, and the parents were unable to find alternative accommodation for their loved ones. So they decided to start an institution of their own and formed a committee in 1955. The inaugural committee comprised of: - Vernon Veale as elected inaugural Chairman - Ray Susskin was elected Vice Chairman - Norah Veale was elected honorary secretary - Len Silberman was elected treasurer Vic Metcalfe, a member of the committee, recommended the name Woodside Sanctuary, which was accepted. Within 5 years, the committee successfully raised sufficient funds through campaigns with the help of people like the Monday Club, Round Table, and Rotary, which enabled them to establish Mr. Veale assisted greatly with the negotiation with the Church of England to purchase the property (consisting of two erfs) including the Herbert Baker House in Cottesloe, Auckland Park, and the sale was finalised by September 1958. The ground was leased from the City Council on a 99-year leasehold system. In the mid-1980s, the municipality sold the two properties to Woodside at a reasonable price, and on November 25, 1987, another milestone was attained. A new, large extension was opened by the then Minister of National Health and Population Development, Dr. W. A van Niekerk. A loan from the government and donations from far and near made a dream come true for everyone connected to the sanctuary. This extension enabled us to extend our desire to help stricken families with handicapped children and offer accommodation for a further 64 families. Today, we are even more determined to continue our service to those who come to us asking for help and care. We also assist others who are less fortunate by offering training workshops and follow-up support to NGO’s and CBO’s operating in disadvantaged areas. Our intervention has a ripple effect within the communities that are in desperate need of training and facilities. By helping to skill staff and people who work with physically and intellectually challenged children from underserviced areas, we are addressing a community programme for which there is a demand and need. Woodside also offers training placements for Nursing, Care Worker and Social Work students, helping them to better understand the needs of those with profound intellectual disabilities. Woodside now provides care for 85 people with severe to profound intellectual disabilities on a full-time basis. Our holistic approach continues to include 24-hour nursing care, various forms of therapy, residential care (full-time and respite), as well as rehabilitation and stimulation programmes. Residents originate from all across South Africa.