Donations flood in

By Bridget Brady
Merinda Park Learning and Community Centre was inundated with water during this month’s deluge in Casey, with two classrooms and an office completely flooded.
The community house had already held a fundraising event for the Queensland and Victorian flood victims, and decided to donate the money to the specific cause of the Cranbourne and Pakenham Rotary clubs, which are delivering much-needed hay to farmers.
Merinda Park Learning and Community Centre manager Jan Gilchrist said $2000 would be donated to the Rotary Club of Cranbourne’s delivery of hay to northern Victorian farmers, and $2000 to the Rotary Club of Pakenham’s livestock appeal.
“We just thought it would be nice to know the money we raised has had a direct impact on something that we could identify with,” Ms Gilchrist said.
“Rotary and Lions just do such a wonderful job I thought it was a nice way to be able to hand out the money that we’d raised.”
The clean-up at the community house was continuing, Ms Gilchrist said, with carpet ripped out from rooms so classes could go ahead.
“My office had water a couple of inches deep but the classrooms had water right through them,” she said.
“It is difficult to work in these sort of circumstances but our main concern was to get the classes up and running with the least affect on students as possible.”
Casey councillor Amanda Stapledon said it was wonderful to see the Rotary clubs and the community house demonstrate a real sense of community.
“I congratulate the Rotary clubs of Pakenham and Cranbourne on a purposeful and beneficial initiative and I would also like to thank Jan Gilchrist and Merinda Park Learning and Community Centre for the contribution of their Floods Appeal Fundraiser going toward this wonderful initiative,” Cr Stapledon said.
Bruce Peterson from the Rotary Club of Cranbourne said so far three loads of hay had been delivered to northern Victorian farmers who were in “dire straits”.
“A lot of the publicity has been mainly about the Queensland floods and although the Victorian floods were not on the same scale it’s done a heck of a lot of damage in northern Victoria,” Mr Peterson said.
“There is a lot more hay needed. One of the problems is getting the hay up there because a lot of the roads are cut or badly damaged,” Mr Peterson said.
Anyone who wants to donate hay should contact Bruce Peterson on 0418 346 907.