In 2005, we took a leap of faith and purchased Occupational Therapy For Children (OTFC), a small practice with three part-time staff working out of a little cottage on Ruthven Street, Adelaide. On learning the business would be sold, two of those staff resigned, leaving Dino a sole Practitioner.
We worked hard to stay afloat at this time but what you will come to learn is that risk does not scare us. We are fuelled by passion and ambition, and the knowledge that life is precious and it is our duty to live it for the gift that it is. Back then, it was more about survival, but we were committed to the belief that OTFC provided a vital service, just as it does today, and we were not going to give up.
After 18 months, we relocated to Waymouth Street in Adelaide, and as Dino’s reputation grew and revenue increased, we hired more staff and expanded steadily. OTFC was starting to flourish.
As our young clients grew with us, they outgrew our space. It was this which inspired the inception of OTFC+. In July 2018, we opened our second clinic in Mile End, South Australia. It would become the first OT service in the world which was specifically designed for adolescents and young adults. The innovative space bridged the gap in services and provided much needed support to an area which had long been under-resourced and over-looked. Within a year, it was at capacity.
Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, we launched OTFC Parkside in July 2021, which also became home to our corporate team. Recognising a growing need for quality services in the community, and fuelled by our mission to help as many young people as possible, we opened our first regional site, OTFC Riverland, and first interstate site, OTFC Gold Coast, in 2023. It marked the beginning of our national expansion, and so it continues.
Our journey has been one of passion, perseverance, and belief in the power of play to change lives. We’ve grown from a small practice into something much larger, but at our core, we are still driven by the same purpose: to provide exceptional care and support to those who need it most. With 10,000 young lives impacted so far, it is a privilege for us to do the work that we do and to see the difference it is making not only in the lives of our young people, but their families and community around them.
Michelle & Dino Mennillo
CEO & National Director, OTFC
