Epilepsy Action Australia has been serving Australians with epilepsy Since 1952.
In 1952 concerned parents founded the Epileptic Welfare Association in Sydney. It began with a mother’s heartache, having no option but to place her daughter with severe epilepsy in the care of a psychiatric hospital.
Initially members of the association provided support to each other but ambitious plans included accommodation and therapy services for people with severe epilepsy. By 1967 the association acquired the 'Fairholme' property at Pennant Hills to become the 'Epileptic Nursing Home', and in 1968 the first 4 residents moved in.
In 1969 the association re-structured as a company limited by guarantee to meet its long-term mission of providing consumer-focused, professional services across Australia.
Commencing with the opening of its first regional office in Canberra in 1999 the organisation began extending its services into all states and territories of Australia. The year 2000 saw the establishment of a nationwide telephone service and also a change in name to Epilepsy Association.
In 2003 Fairholme residential services were transferred to Disability Services Australia. The final stages of extending services across Australia took place in 2004 with the introduction of outreach services into Western Australia, with a permanent physical presence established in Perth in 2007.
In 2005 the Epilepsy Action 'brand' or trading name was introduced to signify a firm commitment to working for positive change and also to differentiate the organisation from local state based associations and support groups.
Now, for more than a decade, Epilepsy Action Australia has delivered services nationwide with around 130 staff who fundraise and provide specialist epilepsy services.
For the years it has been serving the community, Epilepsy Action Australia has raised funds required for services through its own fundraising, with only a very small percentage of funding from Government. However in 2009 the Australian Government provided support that enabled Epilepsy Action Australia to establish a national service centre as a referral point for enquiries and requests across Australia. Staffed by Epilepsy Nurse Educators, it is easily accessible via 1300 epilepsy
(1300 374537) or epilepsy@epilepsy.org.au [1]
Epilepsy Action Australia has been a member of the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) at least as far back as the 1980s.
