A Safe and Loving Place for Youth – Then and Now

McKay Street, in 1962, was the perfect spot for vibrant youth to meet in a new chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This beautiful area on a hill – looking out over the valley and into the mountains - was a safe place for youth to come together and support each other in their needs. And McKay Street, where the Nambour Chapel was built, was named for President David O. McKay, who chose this particular site for the chapel.

DOWNLOAD

There would be basketball games, cultural activities, talent nights, and roadshows (musical plays). Friendships would be developed, and faith forged in these youth who would one day become the pioneer heritage of Latter-day Saints in Australia’s Sunshine Coast.

A Nambour resident, Rachael Regazzoli, remembers her grandfather helping to build the local chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She added, “My Dad, Rodney Atkinson, began serving as the first bishop there.”

Rodney remembers those times with fondness. “As a Bishop, I loved to deal with the youth. We had basketball competitions with congregations in Brisbane. People were willing to sacrifice and travel to reach out to one another.”

“The gospel has been brilliant,” he continued. “I’m happy with the way our seven children have turned out. We’ve got to have the Saviour in our lives.”

More than 40 years later, the members outgrew this chapel and a new, larger meetinghouse with ample parking was built in nearby Forest Glen. This would accommodate several congregations and is where the Nambour members now attend.”

The “old church building,” however, lives on.

DOWNLOAD

Sunshine Coast’s Integrated Family and Youth Service (IFYS) refurbished the former meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on McKay Street into 21 rooms for 16-24-year-olds in need.

Education, social connections, civic participation, employment, housing and living skills, and health and wellbeing are all addressed by IFYS to strengthen a young person’s employment options and help them to build better lives and become active and functioning members of the community.

The facility is complete with ensuite, basic cooking facilities, and a study area with access to shared kitchen, dining, and fitness facilities. It was opened on 29 June by Ted O’Brien MP, Federal Member for Fairfax.

“This Church,” O’Brien said, “which once provided important spiritual guidance, will now provide a fresh start for at-risk youth, who often due to no fault of their own, have found themselves in the terrible situation of being homeless.”

“Many people came to this very facility over the years to offer prayers, and, in the future, young people will come to this same facility to have their prayers answered, and I think that’s pretty special,” O’Brien said at the opening. Read more here.

DOWNLOAD

Team Leader of Accommodation Services for IFYS, Tania Larter, said IFYS was incredibly grateful to receive federal funding.

“It will change the life trajectory of young people,” Larter said. “We have seen after 40 years of working with disadvantaged young people, the impact one caring adult can have on their future, their increased confidence to succeed and realise their dreams. Case workers model positive behaviours and support the youth with their personal goals and independent living skills.”

IFYS Managing Director Tony Pignata, said, “A safe and caring environment is vital. We know that if you don’t have a safe place to sleep, you can’t address mental health, you can’t address physical health – it’s just not possible.”

Pignata continued, “We know there are many reasons why children and young people experience homelessness – mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence at home, and sometimes it’s simply a financial matter. The old church today is a living example of what is possible when a community pulls together.”

Paul Thomas, who served as the Latter-day Saint leader for the Nambour congregations during the building transition, has fond memories of “the old church building.”

“Our children were baptized there,” he said. “Eventually, we couldn’t accommodate the growth and really wanted the meetinghouse to go to someone with a good cause. I am absolutely thrilled that this building could go to a cause for youth since youth are our focus. Youth in the community will continue to use it because they are our future.”