Local business supports hall upgrade

THE Winslow Mechanics Institute has this week received a long-needed upgrade thanks to the efforts of the team from O’Brien Electrical and Plumbing.

By Staff Writer

Business owner Matt Cole and operations manager Todd Noble were happy to launch their ‘Give and Grow’ initiative in Winslow earlier this week.

When it comes to throwing their support behind a community project, this Warrnambool-based business knows how to lend a hand.

Business owner Matt Cole and operations manager Todd Noble saw a great opportunity to give back to the community when approached by a representative from the hall committee for a quote for heating upgrades.

“The hall was in desperate need of a new heating and cooling system and the hall committee approached us for a quote and said they would try to get a grant to cover some of the cost,” Matt said.

“But when Todd (Noble) went and had a look at the hall he suggested we do something more.

“He then contacted some of our preferred local suppliers to see if they could contribute anything – and the response was amazing.

“Our team donated our time while all other materials and resources were generously provided by our sponsors and partners.”

This included the donation of a hot water heat pump and four split system air conditioners from Emerald; electrical equipment from Portland’s Lawrence & Hanson; Tradelink covered the cost of freight, while Teknik Lighting Solutions donated energy-efficient LED lighting upgrades.

“We also had Hire Australia donate the height-access equipment we needed to do all the work,” Todd said.

“We closed our doors for the day on Tuesday and all 18 staff headed out to the hall where we spent the day working on the installations and upgrades; it was an amazing team effort.”

Tuesday also saw the launch of O’Brien Electrical and Plumbing’s ‘Give and Grow Initiative.’

“This initiative enables us to give back to the community that supports us,” Matt said.

“The community is the heart of this project and this initiative allows us to contribute in a tangible way to local organisations that make a difference.

“We plan to make Give and Grow an annual initiative. We hope this inspires others to support local organisations and shows how small contributions can make a big difference.”

This week’s much-needed and long-awaited upgrades at the Winslow hall have been well received by the current hall users – members of the Winslow Craft Group.

“These upgrades are just amazing and we are extremely appreciative,” craft group and hall committee member Janine Bubb said.

“Before today this hall was very cold in the winter and extremely hot in the summer, and I’m sure all this work will make the hall far more appealing and hopefully will attract more user groups.

“Our craft group meets each Monday from 11am and there’s also talk of possibly Monday nights once a month.”

Fellow craft group members Louise Speed and Joy Sparrow are also excited about this week’s upgrades.

“The work the team is doing here today is just incredible and we’re so appreciative,” Joy said.

“At times it’s been freezing in here so we’re really looking forward to being more comfortable. We have one lady who comes to our sessions who is 93 years-old; she comes from Warrnambool but it’s not just about the crafts it’s more about the companionship for some people.

“This hall is a wonderful community facility and now that all this work has been done, hopefully more people will use it.”