Tongala Memorial Aged Care residents will soon enjoy fresh eggs and fruit, thanks to the generous support of local businesses and community groups.
On Friday October 11, residents of Tongala Memorial Aged Care were joined by a few local business owners and members of the Tongala Men’s Shed to celebrate their new chicken shed and fruit trees.
Matt Hangan from GVL Civil, Scotty Morris from Trent Finn Plumbing and Nick Platt from Pratt Painting each donated $50 towards the planting of fruit trees in the community garden at Tongala Memorial.
Mr Hangan said he got involved with the project because he knew how something as simple as a fruit tree could change the residents’ environment, and in turn, their outlook.
“The things that (residents) have achieved over the years and the history behind their lives, it’s incredible to listen to,” Mr Hangan said.
“So anything to get them outside, on a beautiful day like this — yeah, of course we’ll jump aboard (the project).”
The planting of the fruit trees themselves was at the centre of the morning tea, attended by about 20 residents, staff and the donors themselves along with the unveiling of the new chicken shed, which was also donated.
The Tongala Men’s Shed shares a deep history with the aged care centre, with many members residing at Tongala Memorial — so it was an easy decision for members to agree to donate their time and resources to the project.
David Keating, a Tongala Men’s Shed member, explained that while setting up the shed took about two weeks, the entire process of building and collecting materials spanned about two months.
“Hopefully some of the residents can get out here and feed the chooks and have some fresh eggs on hand for brekky,” he said.
Tongala Memorial maintenance manager Rob Moore said he was thankful for the community, especially those wwo donated their time and money for improving quality of life for the residents.
“Because the old (trees) had died and they were all no good, and because the (residents) love their fruit, we thought we would put some money in and do up the garden,” Mr Moore said.
Mr Moore expressed gratitude to the GTH Hardware team for donating chickens and assisting with the fruit tree purchase.
He also thanked local electrician Andrew Spakman for his support of the projects.