M2 Newspaper article

‘The community of Montrose and surrounding areas united to build a fantastic new playground in the Montrose Recreation Reserve. Community spirit was overflowing as hundreds of volunteers enthusiastically dedicated their time and skills to construct the playground over 5 days from Wednesday the 16th April – Sunday the 20th April. More than 400 people covered over 1200, four hour shifts. As volunteers worked tirelessly, new friends were made and old friends united. After 2 years of planning, the project finally became a reality thanks to the hard work and dedication of the planning committee. Approximately five weeks before the build, the committee was forced to engage a new playground company, Omnitech, who worked tirelessly to prevent postponing the build. Scott Garner, playground installer from Omnitech, along with our fantastic volunteer construction captains, lead the teams of people in such a professional and personable manner that allowed everyone to have an enjoyable experience.

The playground is largely made from a recycled plastic material thanks to the unbelievable generosity of a local business, Replas Repeat Plastics. It also features some wonderful artwork all completed by local artists with each piece now sprayed with anti graffiti spray. The children from local primary schools visited the playground everyday with such excitement as they watched their playground come to life.

An enormous thank you goes to the amazing volunteers who gave up their time to help. Thanks also goes to our wonderful local traders and community groups, such as Rotary, who supported the project with such generous donations. Our food team ensured all the workers were well fed with almost all food provided by local traders and volunteers. Thank you to Councillor Len Cox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges for supporting this project every step of the way.

Back to the playground page