BCH chief executive officer Robyn Reeves said the organisation had always been about the people in adapting to changing community needs.

A new book, Looking Back as well as Forward, details BCH’s evolving history in this city’s health and well-being development.

Ms Reeves said the book was a great way to see how much community health had changed – and how the underlying purpose had remained strong.

“Ballarat Community Health has always been about people and their stories,” Ms Reeves said.

“It’s been more than 40 years since we first opened and ever since, it’s been to try and bring people in...So many people have played a part in Ballarat Community Health’s vision to create opportunities and a supportive environment for the community to develop and maintain health and well-being.”

BCH, and its precursor Sebastopol Community Health, date back to 1975. A state-of-the-art hub in Lucas opened in 2014 with a modern, progressive base in Sebastopol officially re-opening last year. Wendouree is set to undergo a similar refurbishment after a $3.3 million state government grant was awarded in July.

Upgrades open up more inviting, community spaces with technology to meet growing demand for allied health professionals and proactive and support groups.

BCH aims to establish general practitioner clinics in areas where access had been extremely limited; where new residents could not access a GP; and, where bulk billing for low income clients did not exist.

Looking Back as well as Forward pulls together interviews and records of oral and written histories and photos from those in developing BCH through the years. The coffee table-style book was compiled by Federation University’s Collaborative Research Centre for Australian History.

BCH stories move through key phases, from vision for a much-needed community service to building an identity, expansion, transitions and new beginnings.

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