Over 30 years ago, on 24 August 1980, a small group of Catholic Aboriginal people gathered for the first Mass specifically for Indigenous people in Adelaide. It was held in the little known St Joseph's Church in Pirie Street - the building became known as the Otherway Centre.

From that small beginning has grown a service which has touched the lives of thousands of Aboriginal people, prisoners, homeless and vulnerable people, and refugees.

Our Ministry today serves Indigenous people throughout South Australia no matter what family or area they are from, no matter what their religion or spirituality. Our services, whilst primarily urban, sometimes reach out to rural and traditional people and communities.

As needs have arisen we have also given service to non-indigenous people through our volunteers visitation to families and when homeless an

d vulnerable people drop in at the centre during the day. Over recent years we have also had contact with large numbers of Afghani refugees who were being released from detention. Our 25th Anniversary - held five years ago - was a celebration of all of those people as well as all of the people who have been a part of the Aboriginal Catholic Community,

those who have been staff members, pastoral associates and chaplains and all of the dedicated volunteers.

In 2009 the city premises was sold and we moved the Otherway Centre out to the Payneham Catholic Parish Complex.