History of Active Care Network

Humble Beginnings...

Blacktown Community Transport Coordinating Committee began in 1982. In the first week of operation 28 trips were provided to 14 clients. Clients were asked to contribute $1.00 per quarter hour of use.​

In the Blue Mountains LGA Mountains Community Transport delivered community transport services through funding by the Home and Community Care Program (HACC) in 1986. ​

In 1987 Nepean Community Transport was funded to service the same community in the Penrith LGA. ​

In 1988 Blacktown Community Transport Coordinating Committee was incorporated and officially became known as Blacktown Community Transport Incorporated. For almost 30 years the service continued to provide transport to the people of Blacktown LGA, expanding the fleet to 12 vehicles and the number of clients to over 1,500 people.​

Consolidation​...

In 2004 Mountains Community Transport and Nepean Community Transport were amalgamated to become GREAT Community Transport Inc. The service expanded its community transport program and provided assistance with shopping, medical and hospital transports, transport to centre-based meals and social outings, all provided by a predominantly volunteer workforce.​

In 2017 Helen Walker, long time CEO at GREAT Community Transport passed away, leaving a substantial gap in the community transport sector broadly but also at the helm of GREAT Community Transport more specifically. It was at this time that GREAT Community Transport considered how it might strategically reshape the organisation.​

Blacktown Community Transport, with aspirations to deliver transport services beyond the community transport funding, looked towards commercial operations and a name change that would reflect its new ambitions. In 2017, Blacktown Community Transport officially became known as Easy-Go Connect.

Beyond Transport...

It was in 2018 that the Boards at Easy-Go Connect and GREAT Community Transport started a conversation about the strength of merging the two organisations. It was these conversations that recognised there was scope for a merged organisation to deliver services beyond community transport and even beyond transport. In these conversations the seeds of building a merged entity into a multi-service organisation started to grow.

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On July 1, 2019 Easy-Go Connect and GREAT Community Transport merged and retained the name Great Community Transport. At that time the combined services had grown and had over 3,500 registered clients. ​

For the next year the new organisation worked hard at integrating two operationally similar but culturally diverse organisations always with an aim to rename and rebrand the new organisation at the appropriate time. It was decided that the new name, Active Care Network, would go live on the 1st of July 2020. ​

Carpe Diem...

In early 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for community transport organisations across the sector, and Active Care Network responded by redeploying under-utilised staff to a client welfare function. Staff called clients, made sure they were safe, and asked them what they needed help with. Clients asked for help with shopping for everyday needs and maintaining their garden. From the foundation of our COVID Courtesy Gardening Service, the Gardening and Maintenance Service grew.​

With the Gardening and Maintenance Service coming online Active Care Network launched their new name and brand to the public on the 14th of August, 2020 and went live the next Monday.

Today, Active Care Network has a fleet of over 30 vehicles based at 3 depots (Lawson, Penrith and Blacktown). We service over 5,000 clients spanning from the top of the Blue Mountains in Mount Victoria all the way down to Seven Hills in Blacktown.