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In 1996, Bev and John Lowe, two retired farmers drove past a group of homeless people gathered under a tree at an inner city park (weld Square) on a rainy cold winters afternoon on the way to friends.  On their way home some hours later they noticed the people still there.   

 

Bev turned to John and said “Let’s go home and make them soup.”

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This humble act of kindness was the beginning of Manna which has grown over the years.   

 

Today Manna provides hot ‘n’ healthy meals five days a week at that same inner city park (Weld Square) serving over 600 meals a week.

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John Lowe was born in the UK and came to Australia to train in agriculture at the age of 16. Bev and John met and married in Darwin in 1976.   They farmed together, parented together and served their community together.   In 1982 they received the news that their son had hearing problems.   He required specialised educational support so they moved to Perth to access the better facilities.  

 

Both Bev and John continued to work in the disability sector and established a Deaf Signing Choir.

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Beverley Lowe grew up in a small South Australian town where her mother ran a laundromat and her father was a violent alcoholic. The police stepped in to help Bev’s mother leave her father, and Bev and her brother were flown to Adelaide to live with their grandparents.   It was at her grandmother’s boarding house that Bev first learned to cook.

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At the age of 10, Bev had the resolve for two things: to never drink alcohol and to give the world her love because she had “never felt loved”.

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In January 2018, our Founders expressed that they would like to embark on a new journey of pursuing other interests in their lives as they move into their twilight years.

 

With their normal grace, Bev and John offered their best wishes to the organisation as Manna seeks to build on their impressive legacy in providing food and warmth to the homeless and underprivileged in Perth.

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On behalf of the tens of thousands of people that have been helped and inspired by Bev and John,and together with the volunteers and the many stakeholders of Manna, we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the remarkable contributions that Bev and John have made in helping the underprivileged of WA over the past 21 years.

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We express our deepest gratitude and respect for Bev and John’s endearing and enduring love and passion for helping those in need.

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