Our History

The Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Health Services (Trading as TAIHS) was established in 1974. At that time, it was the fourth Aboriginal community controlled health service (ACCHS) established in Australia, and was part of the wider move for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to take control of the delivery of health care services in their communities. On the 11th of December 1979, TAIHS was incorporated under the Companies Act.

In 1973 a women’s conference was held at the James Cook University. Attending this meeting was Mrs Aunty Geraldine Briggs and her daughters, Leah and Frances, all of whom were involved with the setting up of the Victorian Medical Service. Also at the meeting was Mary Tapim (wife of David) who was the president of the Indigenous Women’s Council. She took the information back to her Organisation who started proceeding towards the formation of a Medical Centre.   

In October 1973 a meeting was arranged at Senator Jim Keeffe’s place at Pallarenda to talk about the formation of a medical centre. The meeting was attended by Don Bradly, Dennis Walker, Sam Watson Jnr, and Dr Doolan as they were here in Townsville and they were also involved with the Brisbane Medical Centre.

While a submission was being prepared the steering committee met regularly at the residence of Ron Gordon on Melton Hill, others to become interested in forming a Medical Centre were Dr Dorothy Cole and Mike Doylen (Pharmacist).,this is where they would keep in touch with the progress of the submission. During this period it was heard that some community members were opposed to the Medical Service and a petition was developed to obtain signatures for the approving community members.

People who gathered signatures were Maud Hoolihan, Eva Kennedy, Gracelyn Smallwood, Josie Sailor, Leah Andrews, Norman Brown and Mary and Mabel Tapim.

The Roman Catholic Church donated the premises at 201 Willis Street to be used as a clinic. Leah Andrews obtained donations of some medical equipment and supplies. Dr Dorothy Cole and Gracelyn Smallwood volunteered their services for a clinic three times a week. A constitution was drafted and adopted but it was to be some time before the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service was to be incorporated. In August 1974 a General Meeting was held at the Arts Centre in Walker Street and over 300 people attended that meeting and all voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Medical Centre.

The official opening of Flinders Street was during National Aboriginies Week (NAIDOC) on the 7th July 1975.

After the approval was given by the Commonwealth and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs a General Meeting was held and resulted in the first steering committee. At an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held on 13 December 2011, the members of TAIHS endorsed (with an overwhelming majority vote) to transfer the registration of TAIHS from the Corporations Act 2001 to the Corporations (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth).