Our History

The Emergence of Learning Centres in WA

Historically, several Learning Centres emerged in the suburbs of Perth following the visit in August 1977 by Gwen Wesson, Lecturer in Urban Education at La Trobe University, Victoria. Gwen spoke of the real and often neglected educational needs of women. She had investigated these needs as experienced by women in suburban Melbourne and discovered many of them would appreciate the opportunity of furthering their education, although they were reluctant or unable to do so in a formal setting.

Learning Centres in Western Australia evolved as community-based learning exchanges, which provide alternative educational and creative opportunities in comfortable and informal surroundings. Costs were, and still are, kept to a minimum by sharing the workload. In the relaxed atmosphere of the Centre, learning follows from the sharing of experiences and skills rather than the imparting of knowledge in a conventional class situation.

Community Development Centre – the first step in bringing Centres together

In February 1978, a workshop at which participants from local Learning Centres were able to review and share their efforts, was held at the Community Development Centre. Many of these first Centres flourished, and are a fine example of what dedication and perseverance can accomplish. They are a tribute to those women who established and maintained them and continue to be the benchmark for new Centres today.

Learning Centre Link is born

The Community Development Centre continued acting as a link between the increasing number of new Centres and the established ones until its closure in June 1982. Almost immediately, mainly through the continued inspiration of a small nucleus of determined women, the organisation Learning Centre Link was established.

Several members from a number of Learning Centres saw the worth of such an association to further coordinate the aims and philosophy of the Learning Centre movement in Western Australia.

In 1988, some funding was granted from the Department for Community Services to continue the process. In 1989, additional funding from TAFE was obtained. This dual funding recognised the link between the ‘education’ and ‘community’ functions of Learning Centres and of their State Association.

Family and Community Centres are established in WA

Between 1990 and 1993 under the leadership of Dr Carmen Lawrence, the first female Premier of WA, the network of Family and Community Centres were established. Over 50 Centres were built across the Perth metro area and a small number in regional WA. These Centres were given to the local community to run with a small amount of funding. Dr Lawrence’s vision was ‘it takes a village to raise a small child’. She believed community run organisations that incorporated childcare and adult education and activities was an effective way to build community. Many of those Centres are still open and busier than ever. Some are still called Family and Community Centres and over 50 are funded by the Department of Communities under the Empowering Communities Program.

Community Resource Centres emerge across Regional WA

In 1991, the first Telecentres were established in small rural communities in WA. Initially a federally funded program, by 2008 there were 103 community run, NFP Telecentres scattered across rural, regional and remote WA. Telecentres had emerged organically across WA and received a small amount of grant funding. On 8 April 2010, the Minister for Regional Development and Lands (Minister) The Hon. Brendon Grylls officially launched the new branding and logo of the CRC network at Boddington. In the same year, the Association of WA Community Resource Centres was launched as the peak body for the WA CRC Network.

A new name and a bigger network

In January 2011, Learning Centre Link became Linkwest. The name change – and the introduction of a new logo and corporate ‘look’ – was the culmination of a rebranding project designed to more closely align the organisation with the needs of its members.

In 2015, Linkwest received a grant to provide sector support services to the WA CRC Network. In 2016, at the Linkwest AGM, the motion to merge Linkwest and the AWACRC was passed unanimously by both groups of members. The network grew from approximately 60 member Centres to nearly 150 predominantly community run, place-based not-for-profits. Linkwest became the peak for Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres in WA.

Linkwest continues to be funded by the current Department of Communities under the sector support, development and advocacy program. It is also recognised at the Peak Body for both the Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres in WA by both Department of Communities and DPIRD.

Today, Linkwest continues to act as an effective liaison between individual Centres and agencies and the public in general. Its focus remains on assisting member Centres to achieve their full potential and to promote the establishment of new Centres across Western Australia.

Linkwest is a member of the Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association (ANHCA) and participates actively on the national scene.

Since June 2008, Dr Carmen Lawrence has been the Linkwest patron.