COMMUNITY SERVICES AND SERVICE CLUBS

Wide ranging Government or locally supported community services are available in Gunnedah. These include all types of services for the aged, for families, for the disadvantaged and for those with disabilities. There are also two Rotary Clubs, two Lions Clubs and three Apex Clubs as well as Quota, View, Toastmaster, CWA and Freemasons.

HEALTH CARE

The Gunnedah Shire has a modern hospital of 50 beds. The hospital provides a high standard of general medical and surgical services including a new Slow Stream Rehabilitation Unit and a day surgery care facility together with a Public Health Dental Clinic and a Physiotherapy Unit. Gunnedah Hospital also has a helipad and can access Childflight services to Newcastle. Further specialist care is available in Tamworth. Other health facilities in Gunnedah are NSW Ambulance, the Baby Health Centre, Community Health Centre, X-Ray facilities and a pathology service.

The Air Ambulance and Child Flight Neonatal Helicopter serve the community on request.

SERVICES FOR THE AGED

Gunnedah has some the most modern and comfortable accommodation for senior residents in the region, if not the state of New South Wales. The Nursing Home has 58 beds in 34 rooms (10 single and 24 double), Alkira has a total of 32 beds, McAuley Age Care has 22 units, Yalambi has 13 units and the Frail Aged hostel gives 24 hour per day care to people. Home and Community Care provide frail aged care, home care service and community transport while Meals on Wheels are also available.

DISABILITY SERVICES

Other than those services associated with the Home and Community Care program, services for the disabled are based on employment and residential programs.

Programs for the disabled in Gunnedah are Gunnedah Workshop Enterprises, which operates a motel and also conducts a recycling service on behalf of the Shire while undertaking the training and support of the physically, intellectually or psychologically disabled. The Special Purpose Housing Service also provides a managed, fully staffed house for people with disabilities.

There are also two group homes for the disabled managed by the FACS Developmental Disabilities Service.

The community transport service is available to all these organisations and people and includes wheel-chair access vehicles.

CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS

Compared with other country areas, a particularly broad range of churches and religious groups is represented. Christian is obviously the largest group with 4,948 Anglicans and 3,467 Catholics. At the other end of the scale, Buddhism accounted for 6 people and Hinduism accounted for 3 people. A wide diversity of religion exists in Gunnedah.

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RECREATION

A diverse range of sporting, cultural and recreational activities are available all year round to both visitors and residents. Gunnedah has always been an enthusiastic sporting community and there is a great variety of established sports and sporting facilities provided by over 50 sporting clubs. For a full list of our community organisations, click here.

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES

A high standard of education is available with a choice of either State or Private Schools. Children are catered for from early pre-school learning through to some tertiary education and training.

In Gunnedah there are both traditional and Montessori pre-schools, four primary schools - two State, one Catholic and one Christian Community - and two high schools, one State and one Catholic. There is also a School for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. Together these schools cater for an average of approximately 1,500 primary school children and over 1,000 high school children.

As of 1994 there were six other primary schools located in villages throughout the Shire catering for families living outside Gunnedah.

All schools in the Shire are supported by daily bus services by various operators.

There are a number of boarding schools nearby in the cities of Armidale and Tamworth providing education from kindergarten through until year twelve for both boys and girls.

At the tertiary level, the New England Institute of TAFE - Gunnedah Campus offers a wide range of Government accredited and locally designed courses. It shares a resource base with other institutes throughout the region, giving access to an increasing bank of information.

The University of New England is one of the largest tertiary institutions outside of the metropolitan area and is located in Armidale, approximately two hours from Gunnedah.

Approximately 35% of adults in the Gunnedah Shire have tertiary qualifications varying from trade certificates to degrees.

Click here for more details about schools and education in Gunnedah.