Grandpa to the rescue
Published: September 20, 2006
GOLD Coast grandfather Graham Flint could be Queens-land’s greatest good Samaritan.
The former property developer is spending $1.1 million on a dedicated facility for children with autism.
The centre, being built and due to open by 2007, will be the first of its kind on the Gold Coast.
It comes as the State Government has been accused of leaving gaping holes in the city’s disability services.
“It’s a lot of money but there’s nothing better I could spend it on,” said Mr Flint, 74.
“If you wait for the Government, you don’t get anywhere, so I decided to build it myself.”
Families of children with autism described Mr Flint as a hero yesterday, but the former consultant turned property developer from Arundel said he was only doing the right thing.
“I’m very, very ordinary,” he said.
“(The hero tag) doesn’t sit very comfortably with me at all.
“What can I say? I like kids.”
Mr Flint said he experienced autism first hand when his grandson Ben, 11, was diagnosed at age two.
Mr Flint’s daughter, Robyn Hawkins, who will run the centre, said her motivation was to give other children suffering the neurobiological disease a chance at a normal life.
“It’s ridiculous how inadequate services are on the Gold Coast,” said Mrs Hawkins.
“Parents are really struggling, they are doing it tough and they need some help.
“If we waited for the Government, it could take 10 years and we might still not get any funding.
“There’s always so much red tape and basically they don’t want to know about it.”
The proposed centre, at the corner of Napper Road and Allied Drive at Arundel, will focus on intervention for autistic children aged two to five.
“There’s just nothing like this on the Gold Coast and the tragic thing is, there needs to be, because early intervention can make such a huge difference,” said Mrs Hawkins.
“My son Ben made such an improvement and it’s something that should be available to all parents.”
Autism Gold Coast president Tony Maher praised Mr Flint and he urged the Government and the community to support the project.
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