Tom Quinn Community Centre
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We exist to create a safe and supportive environment, where young people can access life and living skills and holistic wellbeing support. Together we walk alongside young people to help transform lives.
Welcome to our little piece of paradise!
When you visit us today, you’re doing something truly meaningful for our community. Every cent spent here is guilt‑free, with 100% of profits supporting the programs we deliver.
Our Community Centre is a place where people connect, grow and feel supported. As you explore, you’ll discover a wide range of initiatives that YOU help make possible. If you’d like to learn more about what is offered at the centre, please feel free to chat with our friendly staff, trainees, or volunteers - we’re always happy to help.
Your safety and wellbeing are central to everything we do. If you have any concerns while visiting, please speak with a staff member so we can address the issue promptly.
The Tom Quinn Community Centre offers a vibrant mix of programs and life‑changing opportunities for young people and the wider community, including:
- A modern and welcoming café where you can enjoy fresh and delicious food.
- Beautiful spaces that offer therapeutic and environmental experiences - plus plenty of room for growing local produce.
- Flexible spaces for community gatherings, events and practical real‑world experiences.
- Drive for Life (DFL), a supportive program that helps young people build the skills, confidence and road knowledge they need to work toward obtaining their driver’s licence.
We are also proud to work in partnership and deliver a range of programs for 16‑ to 24‑year‑olds, including:
- Youth Justice Education / T2S & River Connections Program 1 Skills Passport
- Legal Aid Queensland Information Sessions
- Life & Living Skills / Pop‑Up Store Program
- Life & Living Skills / Nursery and Grounds Maintenance Programs
- Life & Living Skills / Hospitality Program
Together, these services strengthen our community by helping young people and people of all ages build life skills, access wellbeing supports and take confident steps towards brighter, more connected futures.
DFL Volunteer Mentor Recruitment
Volunteer Mentor Recruitment
🚗 Volunteer Mentors Needed – Bundaberg Drive for Life 🚗
Do you want to make a real difference in a young person’s life?
Bundaberg Drive for Life is seeking volunteer mentors to help local learner drivers gain their hours, skills and confidence behind the wheel.
As a mentor, you don’t need to be a driving instructor – just a safe, fully licensed driver with the patience and passion to guide young people on their journey to independence.
What you’ll do:
✅ Support learner drivers to achieve their required logbook hours
✅ Build confidence and safe driving habits
✅ Be a positive role model in a young person’s life
What we provide:
🚙 Fully insured program vehicles
📋 Training and ongoing support for all mentors
🤝 A welcoming and rewarding volunteer experience
By giving just a couple of hours of your time each week, you can help transform the future for young people in our community.
📍 Location: Tom Quinn Community Centre, Bundaberg Central
For more information or to sign up to be a mentor, please contact us via email at driveforlifebundaberg@salvationarmy.org.au
Join us today and help drive change – one learner at a time!
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Who was Tom Quinn?
Mr Tom Quinn was an exceptional man who dedicated his life to helping other people. He moved to Bundaberg in 1978 after a successful career as an accountant with Qantas in Sydney.
His passion for the aviation industry continued and he was instrumental in organising the removal of Bert Hinkler's home from the UK to Bundaberg.
Mr Quinn was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1997.
In 2000 he floated the idea of restoring a derelict waste management building and transforming it into a centre for young people with ADD. In 2002, the Tom Quinn Community Centre was opened to help disadvantaged youth and after his plan blossomed well beyond what he first envisioned, with a range of services, business houses and Work for the Dole programs helping to restore the building to its original finery. It now houses a range of community services focusing on deprived and disengaged youth, and others serving community service orders, and people in need of training. Our centre is named in his honour, and how proud we are of this heritage.
We aspire to bring Tom’s vision and dreams to life by continuing to build on the amazing opportunities he set in motion for young peoplevin the Bundaberg area.
We encourage you to read up on Tom’s life, including his achievement in his 70's when he decided to study law so he could offer free legal advice to those in need and went on to become admitted to the bar at the age of 75 in 2003. He graduated when he was 75 years old and it is estimmated the value of his legal assistance to be in the vicinity of $1.2million.
Mr Quinn passed away in 2006, but his legacy lives on in the work our centre continues to provide in his namesake. What a remarkable leader!
National Model of Care - Journey to Independence
For over 20 years, TSA Youth Services have been walking alongside young people across Australia.
We provide a range of services that support young people to secure safe and stable housing, engage in alcohol and other drug recovery, reconnect with school, explore further training and employment opportunities, become safe drivers and navigate justice systems all whilst promoting positive community connections.
We believe every young person deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential!
To help us achieve our goal of supporting every young person to reach their full potential, we have developed our National Model of Care - Journey to Independence.
The Salvation Army Youth Services has a range of programs for young people, their families and the community. To find out more about The Salvation Army Youth Services in Australia, visit Youth services | The Salvation Army Australia
The Salvation Army Youth Services Model of Care outlines how our services are delivered. It sets out our commitment to all young people, children and families. It guides what we say, what we do, how we act and how we respond.
It's our guiding document that ensures everything we do creates intentional and meaningful pathways for young people to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.
For most kids, home time is something to look forward to. For others, the end of the day means fear and uncertainty.
Every year, there are almost 40,000 children and young people who have nowhere to live across this country. Around 9,500 of them are 15-17 years old and thousands more lost their homes when they were children.
Current policies are creating lifetimes of disadvantage by failing vulnerable children and young people. It’s time to fix our housing system through policy change and dedicated investment.
We are calling on federal, state and territory governments to:
- Develop and maintain a national pool of 15,000 dedicated youth tenancies for 16-24 year olds.
- Provide linked support services to enable young people to pursue their individual goals and transition to full independence.
- Address the rental gap to ensure viability for housing providers and landlords offering tenancies to young people who have been homeless
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Please click on the links below for further information on the services we provide
Community Garden
Garden Café
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Drive for Life
Contact Us
Phone: (07) 4153 3557
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Address:
8 Killer Street
Bundaberg QLD 4670
Postal Address:
PO Box 5315
Bundaberg West QLD 4670
The Salvation Army Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters throughout Australia.
We pay our respect to Elders past and present and acknowledge their continuing relationship to this land and the ongoing living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across Australia. We also acknowledge future aspirations of all First Nations Peoples.
We value and include people of all cultures, languages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and intersex status. We are committed to providing programs that are fully inclusive. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of people of all ages, particularly children.
