CASS History
From a Volunteer Telephone Referral Service to a Multicultural Community Service Organisation
Preparation & Formation (1981-1983)
CASS began as a child care initiative to address the lack of culturally appropriate services for Chinese-speaking migrants in Sydney.
Since 1979, community leaders had united around the vision of providing child care that recognised the language and cultural needs of non-English speaking families. A Preparation Committee was formed on 12 January 1980, with Mr Henry Pan elected as Convenor. That year, the Committee conducted telephone, door-to-door, and workplace surveys to assess community needs, and later submitted funding proposals, drafted by Dr Vivienne Teoh, to both Federal and State Governments.
The Chinese Australian Services Society was officially established on 8 March 1981. While awaiting funding, volunteers launched a telephone referral service in July 1982. Government support was secured in March 1983, enabling the employment of the first paid staff member under the three-year Family Day Care Development Service (FDCDS). The first weekly Chinese playgroup commenced in May 1983. Please click here for more details
First Child Care Centre (1984–1987)
Building on the confidence gained through the FDCDS and with support from the Federal Government, CASS acquired premises at 44 Sixth Avenue, Campsie. Mr Henry Pan, Dr Leng Tan, Dr Tony Goh, and Dr Cecilia Fong personally guaranteed the finance using their own assets.
In early 1985, the Campsie Child Care Centre began offering long day care, out-of-school-hours, and vacation care. Later that year, CASS secured the adjoining property at 48 Sixth Avenue. Major renovations were completed in March 1987, significantly improving the Centre’s quality and safety. The Centre was officially opened at a ceremony held that same month.
By the end of this phase, the Society had repaid its loan for 48 Sixth Avenue and demonstrated its ability to operate a high-quality, community-focused child care service.
Please click here for more details
Diversifying Services & Community Leadership (1987–1992)
As the Campsie Child Care Centre stabilised, and with migration increasing and community needs expanding, CASS broadened its work beyond children’s services to include aged care, settlement, and community programs.
In 1987, CASS co-founded the Elderly Australian Chinese Home Co-operative Ltd (EACH Co-op) with the Chinese Youth League and Sydney Chinese School to support the welfare of Chinese elderly people. The first major project was the development of Croydon Hostel.
The Board of Directors of the Society adopted the first five-year corporate development plan in August 1987.
Reflecting the Society’s growing diversification, in March 1989, it officially adopted the name Chinese Australian Services Society Co-operative Ltd, with “CASS” as its brand name.
In 1990, CASS began to organise a series of community fundraising activities/events for the Croydon Hostel project.
In 1993, Hua An Seniors Group was established, with its Chinese name symbolising the collaboration between CASS (Hua) and EACH Co-op (An) in founding this group.
Key milestones during this period included:
- Establishment of the CASS Academy of Arts (October 1989)
- Construction of the Campsie Activity Centre (February 1991)
- Establishment of the CASS Chinese School (July 1992)
- Establishment of the CASS Charity Trust Fund (December 1992, ATO-approved)
“One-Stop Shop” Community Service (1993–2000)
In September 1994, the Federal Department of Immigration approved funding for settlement services at CASS. A full-time worker was employed to provide services across the Campsie and Ashfield areas.
That same year, the Croydon Hostel was officially opened. However, CASS and EACH Co-op later parted ways due to differing views. Nevertheless, CASS had made significant contributions to establishing a strong foundation for EACH Co-op.
During the Croydon Hostel project, the CASS Board recognised that many frail elderly individuals in the Chinese community preferred to remain at home and required community-based support. Consequently, the Board determined that providing community aged care services would become a future direction for CASS.
In 1996, CASS secured a bank loan to purchase property at 48 Queens Road, Hurstville, for the establishment of the CASS Hurstville Child Care Centre.
After persistent efforts, CASS obtained approval to deliver Community Aged Care Packages (CACP), starting with 30 places for Chinese-speaking seniors across the Inner West, Canterbury, Marrickville, St George, and Sutherland areas. This achievement laid the foundation for what would later become the Home Ageing and Disability Services (HADS), formally established in 2009.
Rebrand & Wider Reach (2001–2010)
Between 2001 and 2010, CASS entered a period of professional growth, marked by strategic planning, modern management systems, and strengthened partnerships.
In 2002, the subsidiary, CASS Care Ltd, was established to deliver services to a broader multicultural community, with “CASS” continuing as the organisation’s brand.
That same year, CASS received 13 additional CACP places to extend services to Chinese-speaking individuals in the Inner West and South East Sydney regions, along with 10 places to launch CACP services for Korean-speaking seniors.
CASS expanded its services to include aged day care, disability services, dementia and carer support, as well as enhanced health and settlement programs. CASS was also selected by the Department of Immigration as one of three organisations to manage the increased settlement workload following the closure of the Inner West Migrant Resource Centre.
A tragic event occurred on 8 January 2006, when Founding Chairperson, Mr Henry Pan OAM, was assaulted while assisting police in his CASS role, leaving him permanently blinded. The perpetrator was later convicted and sentenced to 14.5 years’ imprisonment in July 2006.
Following this incident, internal conflict arose when a small group sought to exclude long-standing members from voting at the Annual General Meetings (AGMs) in September and November 2006, and there was an attempt to sell off Society assets. In response, members united to elect a new Board at the 26th AGM on 9 December 2007, under the banner “Support Mr Henry Pan, Rebuild and Save CASS.” The earlier resolution concerning Mr Pan was rescinded on 15 March 2008, and CASS began rebuilding its services.
A significant milestone followed with the acquisition of the St Leonards Child Care Centre on 1 July 2010.
Growth & Expansion (2011–2019)
CASS embarked on this period with a strengthened focus on enhancing services and improving governance.
In July 2012, CASS became the only Chinese organisation in Sydney to provide Settlement Services.
In 2013, JP Services was introduced, benefiting more than 9,900 people.
In 2015, the Campsie Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) opened, quickly reached full occupancy, and received the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Award for Excellence in Seniors’ Aged Care Living. That same year, we established the Multicultural Community Services Development (MCSD) team, initially focusing on the Korean community.
Since 2016, intergenerational activities have become a regular program, connecting children from the CASS Gumnut Early Learning Centre with seniors’ activity groups and residents in our aged care facility. In the same year, CASS acquired seven properties in Asquith to prepare for the construction of our second Residential Aged Care Facility.
In 2017, the comprehensive reform of the Home Care Package (HCP) program led to substantial growth in our consumer base. The number of packages expanded from 107 to more than 2,300 clients, including Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) participants.
In 2018, the operating licenses of all of our child care centres, including Campsie, Hurstville and St. Leonard, were transferred and registered under the subsidiary CASS Care Ltd with the group name ‘CASS Gumnut Early Learning Centre’.
In 2019, CASS extended its home ageing services to the Vietnamese community and later to the Indonesian community, enhancing our capacity to serve people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Achievements & Excellence (2020–2025)
In 2020, the Yagoona Elderly Hostel commenced operations, and CASS expanded Settlement Services to the Korean community using our own resources at the CASS Ryde Community Centre.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the suspension of many face-to-face activities, CASS rapidly adapted by using Zoom and various social media platforms to run virtual programs. This ensured the continuation of social activities for senior groups as well as classes for the Academy of Arts and the Chinese School.
In 2021, CASS launched the H-Line Non-Crisis Hotline, which was the first Chinese-language non-crisis support service in New South Wales, to provide emotional support and promote mental well-being. In the same year, we established the Youth Program for young people aged 12–24 to support their learning, wellbeing, and developmental pathways.
In 2022, CASS extended its presence to Melbourne, offering home ageing services and establishing a seniors’ activity group.
Responding to increasing demand for accommodation services, CASS opened the Beverly Hills Group Home (BHGH) in late 2022, while continuing to provide Specialist Disability Accommodation and Supported Independent Living at the Belfield Group Home (BGH) and Dominic House (DH).
The MCSD unit expanded its reach, incorporating the Vietnamese community in 2022 and the Indonesian community in 2024.
In 2023, CASS further extended Settlement Services to the Vietnamese community using our own financial resources. That same year, we collaborated with Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) in Hong Kong to install a bus stop pole for dementia support at the Campsie Residential Aged Care Facility, which was the first KMB bus stop top ever sent to NSW.
In 2024, the CASS Asquith Aged Care Centre commenced operations, providing 97 ensuite rooms and 11 Independent Living Units, which significantly increased capacity for culturally and linguistically diverse seniors in Northern Sydney. In the same year, our intergenerational program between CASS Gumnut Early Learning Centre – Campsie (CLEC) and the Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) received national recognition from the Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice.
Our efforts were further recognised at the 2024 Third Sector Awards, where:
- Chinese Australian Services Society Ltd received the Sustainability Leadership Award
- CASS Care Ltd was honoured with the Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Award
- Mr Henry Pan OAM, our Foundation Chairperson and Honorary Executive Director, was named CEO of the Year
CASS Gumnut Early Learning Centre – St Leonards (SLELC) won the Outstanding Early Childhood Centre category at the 2024 North Shore Local Business Awards.
In 2025, our Chairperson, Professor Stephen Li, received the Volunteer of the Year Award at the Third Sector Awards. In the same year, CASS was awarded funding under the Community Connectors for Immunisation Grants Program by NSW Health to support multicultural communities.
Currently, we reach diverse cultural communities through over 17 multilingual social media channels (English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Indonesian), engaging more than 43,500 followers across our platforms.
Moving forward, CASS will continue to deliver high-quality services and respond proactively to the changing needs of our community.
