Our History of Providing Free Life-Changing Support
Read more about John Keating and Anita Day’s founding vision for Holyoake.
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In 1975, John Keating and his friend Anita Day established Holyoake to offer more holistic services to people affected by alcohol and drugs, and their families.
John was determined to find a better way to address ‘problem drinking’, generally treated as a disease in the early seventies.
From the very outset, the Holyoake approach achieved excellent outcomes and was welcomed by consumers and the community sector.
More than four decades on, this bold vision has stood the test of time, with thousands of people experiencing the benefits of Holyoake’s approach.
John played a key role in setting up the WA Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies (WANADA), an independent membership-driven not-for-profit organisation. He also assisted in the founding of Cyrenian House, and was elected President of the Alcohol and Drug Council of Australia.
We continue to work with WANADA to lead a shared voice to drive the positive change needed to achieve the best community outcomes.
The name ‘Holyoake’ is derived from the site of an old timber settlement in Dwellingup in Western Australia, initially granted to John and Anita to build a residential facility to support individuals and families affected by alcohol and drugs.
Today, with our headquarters in Victoria Park, we deliver support services right across Western Australia. Our team is 100+ strong and hundreds of thousands of people have benefitted from the vision John Keating realised in 1975.