GREAT things happen when community organisations join forces.

Tea Gardens local Barbara Downing desperately needed a mobility scooter and an access ramp to make a major difference to her day to day life.

Enter, the Tea Gardens Lions Club, the Myall Coast Rotary Club and Tea Gardens Men’s Shed.

In a friendly spirit of cooperation, the organisations pooled their talents and resources to turn Barbara’s dream into reality.

‘’Over the years, Barbara and her late husband, Ken, have been very involved in community works and this was seen as one way that we could show thanks for their contribution,” Lions Club Treasurer, Bart Huthnance said.

The Lions Club had the mobility scooter, but it needed reconditioning.

Members of the Men’s Shed came to the rescue, stripped it down and got it back up and running.

Then there was the problem of access to Barbara’s house.

“So Ian Robinson, President of the Men’s Shed and Lions member, proposed that the talented team from the Men’s Shed should construct and install a suitable access ramp,” Rotary Club member Ian Mackenzie Smith said.

Rotary then donated $500 to cover the cost of all the necessary building materials.

The ramp was duly built and installed by a team led by Des Pagett and Kevin Partridge.

Barbara said, “I am just so appreciative of the wonderful work that everyone has done.’’

‘’It will make such an enormous difference to my ability to get about in my daily life”.

 

By Margie TIERNEY