EndED founder shares journey and projects supporting recovery

EndED founder, Mark Forbes “I’m very proud to be a part of this region,” he said. “I’m very proud of everybody that makes this what it is.”

By Cameron Outridge

The founder of  local eating disorder support organisation EndED has shared his family’s deeply personal journey and the community projects that have grown from it.

Speaking at the Nambour Chamber of Commerce Coffee Catchup on August 7, Mark Forbes said EndED began a decade ago when he and his wife opened their home to parents and carers of people with eating disorders.

“We have two daughters ourselves with eating disorders,” Mr Forbes said. “The oldest became an alcoholic through her journey. Happy to say she’s three years sober and working in this field that we work in now. Our youngest, however, became an ice addict and still is, and we’re raising her little girl, Ruby, who’s seven. We’ve had her since she was eight months. So it’s been a journey.”

In that time, the organisation has achieved inspiring milestones, including the creation of Australia’s first live-in residential facility for eating disorders, Wandi Nerida at Mooloolah Valley, run by the Butterfly Foundation.

Mr Forbes said EndED had also established the House of Hope, a day program centre at West Woombye.

“We employ eight lived-experience recovery coaches,” he said. “They’re dietitians, psychologists in their own right, but they’ve had lived experience, and that’s the key to success at the House of Hope.”

Set on three acres, the site includes peaceful gardens, a yoga deck, veggie plots, a community café, and counselling rooms.

“It’s not just a hub for eating disorders, it’s a hub for mental health,” he said, noting that about 15 different community groups used the space.EndED’s next project is a short-term accommodation village on 10 acres across the road from the House of Hope, with support from the LNP state government.

“On that 10 acres, there’ll be eight tiny homes,” Mr Forbes said. “Those tiny homes are also being built by an organisation who gets kids off the street. They get a Cert One Certificate, so they actually assemble the tiny homes. So it’s a great circle and connection.”

The site also hosts 2400 square metres of community produce gardens run by Teens Take Control, a program for young people outside the school system. The first crop will be harvested next week.

“That produce is donated back to Urban Angels who deliver frozen meals to a lot of community groups such as us,” Mr Forbes said.

“The other produce will go to Maroochydore Community Centre, Nambour Community Centre, and the like. So it’s a beautiful synergistic model.”

Reflecting on the beginnings of the residential facility at Mooloolah Valley, Mr Forbes recalled a funding announcement that grew beyond expectations.”

(Fisher MP) Andrew Wallace took me to Canberra and said, we have $2 million we want to announce to help you build that residential facility… and he said, ‘well, actually, the LNP federal government has now made that $70 million because we want to replicate what you’ve done in all states of Australia’,”

Mr Forbes said.Today there are four residential models nationally, with two more to come. Mr Forbes credited Sunshine Coast Council, $1million-donors Roy and Nola Thompson, the federal government and local businesses for making the $4 million Mooloolah Valley project possible.

“I’m very proud to be a part of this region,” he said. “I’m very proud of everybody that makes this what it is.”