Deakin volunteers blitz Lara village

Almost 100 Deakin University volunteers have built an outdoor amphitheatre for Lara retirees in a day-long backyard blitz.
The Deakin volunteers donated everything from roofing materials, to rocks and fertilizer for the project to transform the gardens and grounds of St Laurence Park Retirement Village.
GenU chief executive officer Mike McKinstry congratulated the volunteers on their efforts.
“We do a lot of community events but the scale of this is just tremendous,” he said.
“Almost 100 volunteers from Deakin gave up their time to put a smile on the residents’ faces.”
The volunteers made new outdoor furniture from scratch on site, raised garden beds and landscaped the grounds for the residents to enjoy, Mr McKinstry said.
But the “piece de resistance“ was an outdoor-style amphitheatre, he said.
“To create an amphitheatre from scratch, all on the one day, is a testament to the power of community and a shared goal of creating something which residents can enjoy in years to come.”
“So, that’s a big thank you from us to Deakin, for their generosity and they should be congratulated on the fantastic outcomes they achieved in just one day.”
The blitz would enrich the property and the residents’ lives, with the amphitheatre providing a stage for outdoor concerts and social events, Mr McKinstry said.
Residents gathered in the village’s gardens to enjoy the renovated gardens, while a local jazz band gave the amphitheatre a test run.
Deakin also hired a team of external contractors during construction to make sure that the works finished on time.