Sarah MacKay Drop-in Centre

Description

In 2000, Mitch McColl and Hayley Smith found a homeless girl, Sarah MacKay, drowned in a stormwater drain in the bay. Having lived on the streets himself, it struck a chord with Mitch and he decided to set up a place in the bay for kids in their time of need.

After some initial setbacks with the council, they were eventually given permission to renovate an abandoned house on Palmer Street to provide a drop-in centre. The centre opened in Episode 2878 and was named after Sarah, who’s parents attended the opening.

Eventually the writers felt that the Drop-in Centre had run it’s course, and in Episodes 3657–3658, aired in the opening weeks of 2004, the building was burnt down.

Thankfully the real life building, a private residence, remains unscathed in the suburb of Carlingford, a few minutes away from the old Seven Network studios in Epping.

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