Novita’s story has been one of bold ideas, community generosity and an unwavering belief in what’s possible for people living with disability.
From a small seaside home in Somerton Park to state-of-the-art centres across South Australia, every chapter reflects innovation, resilience, and care.
This is the journey that shaped who we are today, and where we’re going next.
When we launched in 1939 under a different name (the Crippled Children’s Association of South Australia) we had a single, remodeled home on the Esplanade, Somerton Park with 27 beds, called Somerton Home.
Construction started on the new building at 171 Days Road Regency Park, and in 1976, our clients from Somerton Home and the Ashford House School moved in.
In the mid-80s we started providing services to kids in regional South Australia. We celebrated our Golden Jubilee in 1989. By now, we employed 330 staff and supported 196 day students at the Regency Park site and 516 kids across South Australia.
Follow our transformation across decades. This timeline captures the growth, change and purpose behind Novita’s more than 85 years of supporting people to achieve amazing.
When we launched in 1939 under a different name (the Crippled Children’s Association of South Australia) we had a single, remodeled home on the Esplanade, Somerton Park with 27 beds, called Somerton Home. The home accommodated a maximum of 50 children with polio, and all up, our staff supported around 200 kids through day programs and a vocational guidance program. The South Australian Government supported the running of the home through an annual grant of £2,000.
In 1944 we expanded our supports to children with cerebral palsy before opening the first school for children with cerebral palsy at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital, along with a clinic, on 6 March 1946. The school was founded under the guidance of Director, Miss Daphne Lorraine Gum, who was later awarded an OBE and OAM for her groundbreaking work and tireless dedication.
The proud history of scosa began in 1946 when the parents of children living with cerebral palsy came together to share knowledge and offer each other support through the creation of the Spastic Children's Parents' Group of the Crippled Children's Association. At the time, the only support that existed for kids living with disability was through the hospital system. Also in 1946, teacher and former sheep station governess Daphne Gum OBE OAM (who would later become the fabled, long-term Headmistress of Adelaide's Methodist Ladies College/Annesley College), supported by a social worker, established the first school for children living with cerebral palsy in a single room at the Adelaide Children's Hospital.
In 1948 the Spastic Children's Parents' Group formed the SA Spastic Paralysis Welfare League, which held its inaugural Annual General Meeting in April 1950. Funds raised by this volunteer group, backed by community support, purchased a house on Woodville Road (for 7,500-pounds) to serve as a 'custodial care unit' for 10 children living with disability in Adelaide's western suburbs, supported by an old military bus for transport.
In 1951 we began offering services to children with neuromuscular diseases. In 1952 we purchased Ashford House at 87 Anzac Highway, Ashford, with assistance from the State Government and used it as a school and therapy centre for children with cerebral palsy. Between 1956 and 1957 rates of polio dropped significantly because of the introduction of a vaccine.
For the next three decades, the Woodville property grew rapidly and became the centre of scosa's activities. New 'wings' were constructed (generally paid for and named after generous benefactors) to cater for increasing numbers of children in 'residential care'. Schooling, training, physiotherapy, respite accommodation, and sporting and recreational activities were among the disability services offered at the Woodville site.
In 1965 we purchased a property adjoining the grounds of Somerton Home, to be used as an Occupational Therapy Department and kindergarten. In the same year, we also acquired Marshfield House, located at 10 Mortimer Street, Kurralta Park, which was used as a residential annex for the children and families of Ashford House. In 1966, we opened our new head office at 67-69 Franklin Street in Adelaide’s CBD.
In 1970 a committee was formed to look for a larger hub for Novita, and in 1971 the South Australian Government allocated 8.1 hectares of land at Islington (now called Regency Park) for us to build a new, state of the art, centre for excellence in 1973. In December of 1973, construction started on the new building, at 171 Days Road Regency Park, and in 1976 the children from Somerton Home and the Ashford House School moved to the new site. The total building cost of $5.4 million was subsidised by the Building Fund Appeal, run by Novita, which raised $2.25 million in donations from the South Australian community. The building included residential accommodation for country clients, a school and therapy services for 147 children with physical disability.
We also established our Orthotic Department in 1976. The department’s work included making and repairing braces, special seating, walking aids, wrist supports and shoes. In 1976, Dr Barry Seeger, a Biomedical Engineer, was appointed the Chief Engineer of Orthotics and Orthotics Research, and in 1978 the department was renamed Rehabilitation Engineering. By the late 70s, we were supporting 242 children.
In 1980, the Research Unit was established by Dr David Caudrey, a research psychologist, with the assistance of Miss Denise Wood, a social worker. The unit was responsible for investigating the needs and feasibility of establishing mobile teams and independent living for young adolescents and adults with disability in South Australia. Research undertaken by the unit was funded by grants from the Channel 10 Children’s Medical Research Foundation (now the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation). In the mid-80s we started providing services to children in regional South Australia.
We celebrated our Golden Jubilee in 1989. By now, we employed 330 staff and supported 196 day students at the Regency Park school and 516 children right across South Australia. We also supported 118 families in their homes, 158 people in employment and training programs, and 24 people in independent living arrangements. Also in 1989, we established what is now called the NovitaTech Test laboratory (which still operates today and is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities) at Regency Park. It was created to assist the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and Standards Australia to produce a range of quality and performance standards for wheelchairs and other rehabilitation equipment.
In 1992 the residential facility at the Regency Park Centre was closed to focus on the inclusion of children within the community. A year later, services were exchanged with the Spastic Centre of South Australia (SCOSA), and we increased our therapy services by providing therapy for all SA kids children with physical disability. In 1997 we commenced working with the Women’s and Children’s Hospital to provide medical rehabilitation services to children with disability who were recovering from surgery. Also that year, a senior researcher with a background in allied health joined the team and Novita expanded its research activities to include clinical research projects – our first foray into a multidisciplinary approach to therapy and rehabilitation.
Woodville was also the base for scosa's high-profile fundraising activities including the Miss South Australia Quest. The success of scosa's fundraising generated millions of dollars for major building projects and equipment. The final Quest was held in 2000.
In September 2002, the Board approved a redevelopment project at Regency Park to upgrade the day centre, and carry out significant maintenance to comply with current building and fire safety codes. As part of the redevelopment, the villa complex was sold to the Port Adelaide Central Mission and space in the day centre was leased to the Intellectual Disability Services Council for the Western Options Co-ordination Office. In 2003, we undertook a strategic review of our service delivery policy. We decided to focus on our core business, namely the provision of therapy, equipment and family support services to children with disability. As a result, a decision was made to transfer our adult therapy operations, Communication and Therapy Services (CTS) to the Disability Services Office, before it was transferred to the Independent Living Centre.
2004 was a turning point for the organisation when we changed our name to Novita Children’s Services. ‘Novita’ is a combination of two Latin words – ‘nova’ (meaning new) and ‘vita’ (meaning life). In 2005, through the Australian Government-funded Inclusion Support Program, Novita further expanded its services. The program enabled 400 children with disability, Indigenous children and children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds to better access community-based services such as childcare, Out of School Hours Care and vacation care through Novita. Novita supported close to 100 childcare centres across the State to equip their staff with the skills and knowledge needed to create quality, inclusive environments for children.
In 2011 we opened a new hub for children and teens at St Marys and established a wholly owned subsidiary, CareFirst Pty Ltd, to support our entry into the fee-for-service market. In 2012 we acquired a new business and renamed it Community Options SA (COSA) – subsequently renamed Novita Community Inclusion - to provide day options, respite, recreation and in-home care to children and adults with disability. 2013 saw the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the commencement of trials in a range of geographical sites across Australia to different age cohorts. The trial in South Australia focussed on children up to the age of 18, which saw Novita heavily involved in the early development and transition to the NDIS. By the time the NDIS commenced its official rollout across Australia in July 2016, Novita had the majority of its clients already on NDIS plans.
In 2017 we opened a new office in Elizabeth, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Broken Hill, and expanded our services to adults with disability. We also launched a refreshed, contemporary brand. In May 2018, Novita also opened a brand new hub in Murray Bridge. In January 2019, we announced the sale of our Regency Park Centre, with new hubs to be developed in Hindmarsh. We also opened a new hub in Broken Hill in February providing a permanent base for our services and supports for people with disability in that region. On May 23, 2019, Novita celebrated 80 years of service and commitment to the South Australian community. And, on October 1, following a vote in favour of a merger by members of both organisations, Novita and scosa became a single entity, creating a unique, leading disability service provider offering a continuum of support for people with disability at all stages of life.
In October 2019, scosa formally merged with Novita following the approval of the members and Boards of both organisations. The merger created one of South Australia's largest disability service providers (in the new era of the National Disability Insurance Scheme) providing services and supports for people living with disability at all stages of their life. The merged organisation now supports more than 5,000 clients through an expanding network of therapy and day options hubs across metropolitan Adelaide, regional South Australia, and in Broken Hill.
The early 2020s were a challenging time, with COVID significantly disrupting services. By then, we were already delivering services from hubs across the State and, in 2020, completed the transition from Regency Park to four new facilities in Adelaide’s west. After more than 40 years, the Regency Park Centre no longer met the evolving needs of our clients and families, nor our plans for growth and future service models. Our Port Road hub at Hindmarsh now supports key corporate functions, the central therapy team and community programs. As part of this transition, we opened a new community programs hub at West Croydon, providing a welcoming space for a wide range of activities focused on personal skill development and lifelong learning. A new NovitaTech site was also established on South Road at Thebarton to deliver innovative assistive technology solutions (in 2024 we were forced to move this site again due to the South Road construction works. Our NovitaTech workshops and warehouse is now located in Croydon Park).
In 2022 we further enhanced our commitment to assistive technology with the opening of our retail store – the largest assistive technology experience in Australia. In 2022 we also moved out of our St Marys hub and into a site in Warradale and a purpose-built hub in Christies Beach. The new hub in Christies Beach enabled us to provide our therapy services and community programs to the growing southern suburbs.
In 2024 we open a new hub in Salisbury, replacing our ageing Parafield Gardens therapy hub. The new Salisbury also allowed us to expand our community programs offering, including our Transition to Work program, in the Northern suburbs. In October 2024, following a vote of members, Lighthouse Disability agreed to join forces with Novita. Lighthouse Disability was a pioneer in the supported independent living space for more than 30 years. By coming together we have been able to create a unique offering for clients built on the skills and experience of both organisations. We have continued to grow all four service pillars of therapy, community programs, community living and assistive technology, to be able to provide more people, in more places with the support that they need.
Things have changed a lot since the 1930s, not just at Novita.
The introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1992, the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007, and the launch of the National Disability Insurance Scheme have been life changing for people living with disability and their families. With continued advocacy, innovation, technology and inclusion, the possibilities are endless for people living with disability.
Learn how we’re supporting people with disability to achieve amazing!
