General News
29 August, 2025
Safe haven
A SAFE haven for at-risk youth is up and running at Manunda.
As promised, youth crime advocate Perri Conti has largely completed the premises in the old Kandi store at 112 Hoare St. It has taken 12 months.
Most of the building has been renovated to include a reception, a lounge with six computer desks, a kitchen and dining area, a creativity zone, a women’s make-up area with a clothes library and staff-only offices.
Still to be finished are a chill-out room to reward youth with movies and other entertainment, a vegetable garden and a half-basketball court.
Ms Conti – herself a victim of crime – has invested $730,000 in the venture, simply dubbed ‘Our Hub’ and a not-for-profit organization called ‘Our Hub Cairns’.
She has taken out a $550,000 mortgage to pay for the property and spent $180,000 on renovations and equipment.
Bright colours are used throughout the premises plus many signs with positive messages.
The haven includes a large blackboard with the message: ‘Today I am thankful for’, where youth can write their own messages.
Working bee
Our Hub’s first event is tomorrow (Saturday, August 30), a working bee which the community is invited to help out.
“We need help to create our vegetable garden and there will be a sausage sizzle as well. It will be from noon-4pm before the Cairns Festival grand parade,” Mrs Conti said.
She said the building was divided into areas to keep youth occupied and to learn things, including an education area with computer desks, a kitchen, dining room and a pantry to teach cooking, a creativity zone for arts and crafts, sewing, jewellery and painting.
“We have two guitars so the kids can learn to play or play themselves,” Mrs Conti said.
“We have a clothes library and somewhere for the girls to put on make-up,” she said.
Chill-out room
The chill-out room will offer a reward system for kids who have been good, with videos, movie nights, books and games.
Old records and movie posters will go on the walls and kites hung from the ceiling. There is also a toilet and shower.
Mrs Conti said at-risk youth were crying out for a place they could feel safe.
“Someone had to do something,” she said.
Mrs Conti said the hours of opening were still being decided, probably from 8am until about 11pm each day.
“We really need volunteers to help us so we can set up a roster,” she said.
Grant applications
Cat Tannock has been appointed manager of the not-for-profit and she was applying for government grants and seeking corporate and community sponsorships.
Mrs Conti said the intention was to hire paid youth workers to go into the homes of struggling families, ensure children were fed and ready for school as well as cleaning up inside and outside.
She said an adopt-a-cop had joined the organisation. A chef had volunteered to teach children cooking and a young sales rep, who had previously gone astray, had offered his help.
Humphrey Hollins is Mrs Conti’s right-hand man and overall dogs body.
Mrs Conti called on the community to help.
“One young guy has written on the board: ‘Being heard’,” Mrs Conti said. “Being heard is their biggest thing,” she said.
“They are screaming out but no-one’s listening,” she said.
Mrs Conti said they would target the cohort of about 80 recidivist youth criminals and try to get them back on the straight and narrow.
‘Not going to be easy’
“It’s not going to be easy. They will go off the rails, fall off the horse, but we’ll be here to get them back,” she said.
Ms Tannock said they would foster relationships so the youth could trust and respect them.
She said there would be rules, including no knives on the premises and being respectful of everyone.
“If they do the wrong thing they will be banned for 24 hours and then we will sit down and talk with them,” Mrs Conti said.
She said they wanted to provide parental figures for the children, many of whom lived in single parent homes.
‘Here to listen’
“We are hear to listen and guide them,” Ms Tannock said.
“We will tell them: ‘Never settle for less, you are worth more’,” she said.
A Facebook page, called ‘Our Hub Cairns’, has been established, a website is being created and there will also be a Tik Tok page.
Young people can email the hub via: ourhubcairns@outlook.com or phone Mrs Conti direct on 0408 988 277.
