The Liberal Government is a strong supporter of local communities and the programs and facilities which help to foster community spirit and cooperation.
The Risdon Vale community now has access to a tremendous new facility after I today officially opened the new Risdon Vale Community Hub.
The Hub brings together three community initiatives that will build community spirit and provide new skills and opportunities. It combines the Community Garden, a Community Shed and a Bike Shed and second hand shop.
It is a wonderful example of enthusiastic local people creating new services that can benefit the whole community.
The Community Garden promotes a healthy activity that brings the community closer to each other and the natural world. It also provides healthy, fresh produce which may otherwise be unavailable to some in the community.
The Community Shed presently runs a combination of woodwork, metalwork and auto workshops to teach valuable skills.
The Risdon Vale Bike Shed (part of the Risdon Vale Bike Collective) is a bike workshop teaching young people how to restore and maintain bikes. It also runs as a second-hand bike shop.
The main focus is for young people to develop job skills whilst providing affordable bikes.
The Bike Shed will also be a driving force in the Blue Hills Trails – involving local young people working with professionals to construct and maintain a new bike park located in the middle of Risdon Vale, and new bush trails in the surrounding hills.
These three initiatives will increase a sense of community ownership, bring people together, and foster the development of a community identity and spirit.