By CASEY NEILL
THIRTY years ago, a group of concerned Dandenong Rotarians had a vision to provide meaningful, fulfilling employment for disabled people.
They wanted to give them not only employment, but a sense of purpose and endeavour and a feeling of belonging to a community.
On 7 November Gateway Industries celebrated three decades of doing just that.
Then-City of Greater Dandenong mayor Angela Long unveiled a plaque at the festivities, at the Progress Street site.
Arthur Wren, Murray Guille and other Dandenong Rotarians formed a group in 1983 to investigate opportunities to provide for disabled people in the community.
They set up the Gateway Centre in rented premises at the Doveton Hall for assembling and packaging goods.
They soon sought a bigger home and leased a factory in Futura Road, Keysborough, in 1984.
Gateway’s main activities expanded to gardening and outside work, plus some woodwork at the factory and external employment.
After 20 years at Keysborough, Gateway decided to look for a premises of its own and plans were drawn up for a purpose-built factory.
It opened in Progress Street, Dandenong, in 2003 and Gateway has since expanded the quantity and scope of its operations.
Today its customers include City of Greater Dandenong, City of Casey, Gates and Denso Australia.
