Disability Flower Farm Closes After 35 Years of Blooms

Workers with disabilities are wrapping up their final flower harvest after three decades of bringing blooms to thousands of Australian families each Mother's Day.

Endeavour Foundation in Bundaberg has been growing chrysanthemums and other flowers since 1991, creating meaningful employment for people with disabilities. This year, about 40,000 flowers were harvested for what will be the organization's last Mother's Day bloom sale.

Gay Gollschewsky has been a loyal customer for 20 years. "It's sad. I'll have to find somewhere else to get my chrysanthemums next year," she said.

The decision to close the flower program came after extreme weather damaged crops and the organization reassessed its business model. Acting site manager Shaun Nortje explained that heavy rain earlier in the season significantly impacted the harvest, which once peaked at 70,000 flowers annually.

But here's the good news: every single employee is keeping their job. The Bundaberg site is transitioning to focus on packaging solutions instead, and workers will gain new skills in that industry.

"They'll actually benefit from being able to upskill in a packaging work environment," Nortje said. "We are supportive of the people that we do employ and providing them with skills and a sustainable future."

Why This Inspires

The impact of employment on people with disabilities extends far beyond a paycheck. Aron Mercer, a Griffith University researcher who studies inclusive employment, said jobs transform lives in profound ways.

"Their confidence grew, they gained financial independence," Mercer said. Workers also experience a ripple effect that touches their families and social circles.

Employment provides something even more valuable than income: connection. "Their friendship networks multiplied as a result of starting work," Mercer explained. "Suddenly, they've got four or five people that they would class as friends."

Currently, 60 percent of Australians aged 15 to 64 with disabilities participate in the workforce. Mercer believes companies can do even more to create inclusive workplaces for neurodivergent people.

While the flower fields will sit quiet next Mother's Day, the workers who tended them for decades are moving forward with new opportunities and expanded skills.