When Sue Salthouse left Melbourne she said she was heading north in search of a warmer climate.
She never made it past the nation's capital.
"She found herself in Canberra and then fell in love with the people, the place, the culture and the community as well," her daughter Luisa Fearnside said.
It's only fitting that a new community, inclusive centre in Braddon's Haig Park is named after the late disability advocacy advocate.
The Salthouse Community Centre will open from next month.
The centre was built with recycled wood and brick materials, including recycled materials from Tharwa Bridge, and is an adaptive reuse of a 1950s depot shed.
This focus on sustainability and accessibility would have left Ms Salthouse "completely flabbergasted", Ms Fearnside said.
"Mum studied agricultural science at university ... she was a humanitarian at heart and she saw that as a way to make the world a better place for lots of people," she said.
"She has a very circuitous path through life but she remained an environmentalist and a greenie at heart. She was very keen on finding sustainable ways to live a sustainable life to make sure the climate crisis was known about and understood."
Ms Salthouse was left paraplegic after a horse accident when she was 45 and she was awarded the ACT 2020 Senior Australian of the Year for her advocacy work.
The community centre includes the quote on a sign "nothing about us without us", which is a quote that was very dear to Ms Salthouse.
"Nothing about us without us is the catch cry for every person in disability advocacy. There have been throughout the history of the world, a lot of human interactions, a lot of decisions made for disabled people that don't include their voice," Ms Fearnside said.
"Mum had that unique perspective of having been quite a tall, athletic person ... and then she became a wheelchair user. She noticed people stopped talking to her, she noticed the way they spoke to her changed and she was like 'wow, if this is happening to me it's probably happening to everyone else'.
"So that kind of started her on that journey of disability advocacy which is why we see her being recognised today.
"It really is making sure there's a disabled voice at the table."
Ms Salthouse was killed when her wheelchair accessible motorcycle was struck by another vehicle on the Commonwealth Avenue bridge.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the Salthouse Community Centre would be focused on inclusivity.
"This inclusive centre in Haig Park is befitting of Sue Salthouse's important legacy. The accessible building reflects her tireless advocacy for people with a disability and ensures future generations will continue to be touched by her work," Mr Barr said. "This centre continues the evolution of Haig Park into an exciting and family-friendly destination, with important flow-on impacts for businesses in the nearby precinct."
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