In April 2026, TFFF and Ningana Trust Directors and staff attended site visits to recently refurbished family and community hubs in the South-East Queensland region.
The State Library of Queensland offers a free, play-based program to support Queensland families to connect, talk, read, sing and play with their babies and young children in the first 5 years. First 5 Forever is an early literacy program delivered by public libraries and Indigenous Knowledge Centres with the primary aim of providing strong early literacy foundations and supporting healthy brain development for all Queensland children aged 0-5 years.
At State Library, this program is delivered in a dedicated space for little ones and their caregivers known as ‘The Corner’. This year, the Corner underwent a full transformation, supported by a Connected grant from the TFFF and an excellent campaign advisory committee that included Gina Fairfax AC. The new look Corner has been purposefully designed to be playful and to create opportunities for imagination, connection, and learning. It has a variety of different spaces, a dedicated art studio, giant building blocks and nooks for books and imaginative play, and a sensory garden to explore outdoors. It has been designed with positive early childhood development at the centre.
Tim Fairfax AC, Gina Fairfax AC, and Senior Program Manager Katie Norman attended the celebration of the new Corner on 9 April 2026 and were pleased to see the enthusiastic engagement of children and their families on the day.
The Family Place is a beloved space in Logan, with families attending playgroups, dropping in for a casual visit and cuppa, or attending any number of social activities. It serves not only as a drop-in, play-based centre for families, but also as a soft entry point for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers to access services for themselves and their children, particularly when it comes to parenting support and child development. Part of the success of the centre has been the longevity of its operations, its central and easy to access location, and its proximity to other facilities, which will soon include a Deadly Kindy next door.
Originally utilised as a community kindergarten in the early 1970s, The Family Place became what is now celebrated for its community and social service when the Salvation Army leased the site from the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) in 2014. VFFF and The Family Place are undertaking a major capital works project, and a 10-year lease is in place to ensure this investment will benefit the Woodridge/Logan community for many years to come.
Ningana Trust provided The Family Place with a grant to construct a new play fort in the outdoor area. The bespoke play fort was designed as part of The Family Place outdoor masterplan and made from materials selected for their durability and natural aesthetic. The fort is also designed to harness the imagination of children, foster peer interactions, enable risk taking, and support the development of cognitive and motor skills.
Ningana Trust staff attended the community open day to celebrate the refurbished Family Place on 17 April 2026, and were delighted to connect with The Family Place staff and see just how much the centre means to the community.
Although the centre has only been open for a few weeks, anecdotal feedback from families is extremely positive. One attendee commented that she never thought that such a high-quality facility would be located in a community like Woodridge.
The quality of the overall redevelopment, including the Ningana-funded play fort, is attracting new families that need support but historically were not accessing the free services available. It is also attracting interest from new community service providers and consulting rooms are booking out.
Cover photo: Lucy Coulson, Tim Fairfax AC, Gina Fairfax AC, and Neal Harvey with the new play fort at The Family Place.
The Corner at the State Library of Queensland was supported by TFFF through the Connected funding stream.
The Family Place is supported by Ningana Trust.
