There was a real sense of family in the room as Family Zone celebrated 20 years of supporting families and building community in Ingle Farm.
Families, volunteers, staff, community partners and supporters gathered at Family Zone on Wednesday 30 September to mark the milestone, with laughter, stories, food and plenty of memories shared throughout the afternoon.
For Family Zone’s Senior Manager – Children and Family Services, Kerry MacGrath, the celebration captured something difficult to put into words.
“It felt like an actual family celebrating a birthday,” Kerry said. “There was a buzz in the room, people were happy to be there – not just because of work.”
The afternoon reflected the relationships, community and connection that have been at the heart of Family Zone for two decades.
A Welcome to Country was delivered by Annette Buckskin, Kaurna Elder and Aboriginal Education Community Officer at Ingle Farm Primary School, before Lutheran Care Chief Executive Officer Ian Byrne addressed guests and acknowledged the contribution Family Zone has made to families and the wider community.
One of the highlights was a panel discussion featuring Family Zone participants and volunteers, followed by a conversation with children who have been part of the Family Zone community.
For many of those involved, the day was also a celebration of journeys that began with simply walking through the doors.
Christine first came to Family Zone as a participant in the Home Visiting program with her two children. She has since become a volunteer receptionist, taken part in Family Zone programs and community activities, contributed to the Communities for Children committee and become a passionate advocate for the service.
Other families have similarly moved from receiving support to becoming active members of the Family Zone community.
Ben and his son have participated in parenting programs and the Neurodiversity Support Group, while Wafa and her daughters have been involved as both participants and volunteers. Wafa has also played an important role in the Cooking from the Heart program, with her family’s story featured in the new Faces and Flavours of Family Zone cookbook launched at the celebration. The cookbook brings together stories, memories and recipes from the Family Zone community.
The numbers tell another part of the story. Between January 2020 and September 2026, Family Zone delivered more than 4,000 hours of community education, including almost 1,000 workshops, presentations, initiatives and programs, reaching more than 1,200 community members.
Family support has also been a significant part of the service, with more than 13,000 sessions delivered to more than 1,500 families during the same period.
And the reach of Family Zone extends well beyond the families who take part in its programs. Over the past three years, more than 2,500 community members have signed in at Family Zone each year, representing more than 7,500 visits from community members across the three-year period. These figures do not include children.
Family Zone’s Family Fun Days have become another important community event, attracting hundreds of people each year. In 2026, 618 community members attended, including 275 adults and 343 children. In 2025, approximately 762 people attended, while more than 700 attended in 2024. The events are delivered for less than $5,000, demonstrating the centre’s ability to create significant community connection with relatively modest resources.
Volunteers have also been central to Family Zone’s story. Since volunteer records began, 177 people have volunteered with the service, with 15 active volunteers currently contributing their time and skills.
Family Zone’s work has also attracted attention beyond the local community. In 2024, Family Zone presented at the South Australian Child Protection and Family Support Symposium on the question, “If not Family Zone, where else?”
In 2025, the team presented alongside The Salvation Army Salisbury Communities for Children at the National Family and Relationships Services Conference in Sydney, sharing the Family Zone approach to collaboration across services and making families the ultimate priority.
Family Zone was also one of five early childhood hubs across Australia involved in The Australian Centre for Social Innovation’s In their words: The power of Early Childhood Hubs report, launched in October 2026.
The importance of these connections was reflected at the 20th anniversary celebration, with guests joining the Family Zone community from organisations including the Department for Child Protection, City of Salisbury, Ingle Farm Primary School, The Salvation Army, Life Without Barriers, Australian Refugee Association and Child and Family Health Services.
The gathering was a reminder that Family Zone has always been about more than the programs delivered within its walls. Its strength comes from the relationships built between families, volunteers, schools, services and the wider community.
As Family Zone enters its next chapter, the anniversary was an opportunity to recognise the many people who have helped shape the service over the past 20 years.
To find out more, visit Lutheran Care’s Family Zone webpage.
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