Nearly thirty years ago a charitable foundation called Morningside C.A.R.E. (Child, Adult, Rehabilitation Endeavour) was created by Subud members in Brisbane, Australia.

This foundation started out as a home for old aged people in the Brisbane suburb of Morningside (hence the name Morningside). It was conceived by our late Subud sister Munawaroh English and her husband Labasir and over the years has been supported by many people who volunteered their time and money.

One of Morningside’s key objectives was to provide support for the aged, infirm, youth and low income families to provide opportunities for education, recreation and healing.

In the 1990’s the old people’s home was sold and two 100 acre blocks of land were purchased in Cougal which is situated in Northern N.S.W., about two hours drive south of Brisbane.  Grady’s Creek, where the property is located, separates this land from the adjoining World Heritage Listed Border Ranges National Park. During the preceding years Munawaroh, Labasir and many supporters worked to build a large and significant Rainforest Retreat named Sine Cera.

After Labasir’s passing in 2001, Munawaroh ran Sine Cera predominantly by herself.  When she passed away in September 2008 Bachrun and Amanda Waite were at Munawaroh’s side for support.  As close friends and board members they took on the responsibility of working out how to continue Sine Cera as a viable retreat and how to help those in need. At the National Subud Congress in 2009 a new Board of Directors was formed and Tony and Irma McDonald’s proposal to manage Sine Cera was accepted.

For the next two years, significant work was undertaken to repair and modernise the facilities. During this time modest income was achieved and more importantly patronage and reputation were re-established and developed.

Morningside Care now has an active Board of Directors which meets on a monthly basis. Community groups are now regularly using the facility again and bookings have increased. Although the operating costs are higher than the income the project is now getting much closer to financial breakeven. Generous donations and loans for large repairs and improvements have been gratefully received, and more are welcome.  Today the facility is well presented and much appreciated by those using them.

The Sine Cera Retreat now consists of three main buildings which provide a range of accommodation options for up to 90 guests. The facilities include a fully equipped commercial kitchen adjoining a large dining/conference room. There are also two houses situated on the property that accommodate the managers, their family, staff and volunteers.

Through its peaceful and tranquil location, healing atmosphere and caring staff, Sine Cera is providing its guests with wonderful experiences and is proving to have great potential.

Sine Cera Rainforest Retreat is now completely open for business and can be seen on our soon to be upgraded website: www.sinecera.org.au or search and become a friend of Sine Cera Rainforest Retreat on Facebook.

Morningside Care also has another registered project called ICDP (International Child Development Program). Anne Moore recently became the first certified ICDP trainer in Australia. The aim of ICDP is to educate the community and givers of care to children on how to look after children in a loving way.

Anne and the Australian ICDP team have achieved significant success with the program here in Australia and are now affecting activities in the Asian region through the certification and accreditation of ICDP courses delivered via Queensland TAFE courses and students. More information can be found on ICDP on:

http://www.icdp.info/ or http://project-activities.susiladharma.org/location_europe/icdp_full.shtml

Today, Morningside Care continues to strive to provide public benefit through its activities by assisting children, families, groups and charitable organizations through its subsidiary organizations of Sine Cera Rainforest Retreat and ICDP.

Morningside Care has a Gift Deductible Recipient status which means that donations made by Australian taxpayers can be claimed as a tax deduction.

This information was created by the board of Directors of Morningside Care: Stephen Armytage (Chair), Renee Goetz, Arif Matthee, Muhsin and Leonora Raven and with the help and contribution from Roland Blauensteiner, Tony & Irma McDonald.