Australia

Great story.

Mums' Efforts Make Child-care Centre Reality

By SARAH SCOPELIANOS
February 21, 2006

FIVE determined mothers with a vision to create a centre for child care and health services were acknowledged for their years of work at the opening of the Hawkesdale and District Family Services Centre yesterday.

Four years of planning paid off for the mothers who, with the backing of the community, worked together to raise funds to build the centre.

The community raised $71,000 for the project while the Handbury family donated $100,000. A Federal Government grant of $250,000 and Moyne Shire's $397,000 combined to make the project possible.

Member for Wannon David Hawker congratulated the small rural community for its ability to develop a plan and attract funding for the centre, which will host kindergarten, child care and child and maternal health services.

President of the pre-school Linda Roache said for 30 years the pre-school operated out of the Memorial Hall.

She said a recent survey reported rural people were happier than their city counterparts because they pitched in and helped their communities.

``Hawkesdale must be one heck of a happy community then,'' she added.

Twenty-one pre-schoolers have enrolled, two day-care sessions are expected to begin soon and maternal and child health services started last week, Mrs Roache said.

Mr Hawker said ``happy Hawkesdale'' was thriving due to its determined residents. ``In fact this project speaks a lot about community involvement and shows what a small community can do to not only survive but to also thrive,'' he said.
``It is not a rarity a lot of country communities are fighting back.

``I think the centre draws a lot of people from a wide area and it's in a position where it will have a flow-on effect to the school with it making an easy transition to the P-12 school.

``It's got a very good reputation.''