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East Lismore Preschool seeking support for post flood rebuild
Freya Lucas
Apr 23, 2024
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The East Lismore Community Preschool community is seeking support in the form of donations to allow them to rebuild the community’s preschool following extensive flooding in the region in 2022.
Since that time the preschool has been operating out of temporary premises on the school grounds of Wyrallah Road Public School, however the space is insufficient for the number of children and families who wish to access education and care.“The children just want to go back to our old preschool,” service director Sonya McPherson shared with local news source The Lismore App.
“That is impossible but we can get them into a new building on our old site – they deserve and need to have a forever home. Now we can only provide half the places we used to while we are in a temporary building”.
East Lismore Community Preschool has been educating children for more than 50 years in its former premises, and hopes to rebuild a new preschool which can withstand any future flooding.
While the NSW Government has agreed to fund the build of the new service, however the rising cost of building materials between the grant application, the council development application and the builder’s capacity to start due to a saturated market post flood, has caused a large funding gap.
As with many others in the Lismore community, and even with insurance, the rebuilding has had a much bigger cost than could have been foreseen. “Now we can make sure we are never impacted again,” Ms McPherson said.
“We know there have been lots of appeals in the community, but we will literally not be able to proceed unless we get much-needed funds.” The East Lismore Community Preschool has another development application before council to put in a footbridge over the drain at the back of the preschool going to what will be the new Wade Park which forms part of the evacuation route in case of another big flood.
Even those who only have a small amount to give will be able to support the preschool in its mission to rebuild.
“The children just want to go back to our old preschool. That is impossible but we can get them into a new building on our old site – they deserve and need to have a forever home,” Ms McPherson added. If people wish to make a donation, the Preschool’s building fund bank account is BSB 082-707 Account Number 24-222-7400 Account name: East Lismore Community Preschool. For more information about the project and how you can help, contact Sonya McPherson on 0429 107 762 or email director@eastlismorepreschool.com.
The original coverage of this story is available here.
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