The sod was turned on one of the regions most anticipated projects the Jindelara Respite Cottage in UIladulla, on Friday, February 10.
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Construction of the respite care facility is set to commence thanks to $358,000 in Federal funding, promised on the 2016 Federal election campaign trail.
MP for Gilmore Ann Sudmalis turned the first soil for construction of the facility, on the corner of Nurrawallee Street and the Princes Highway in Ulladulla, and said she was proud this one was one the first election commitments to be actioned.
“This has been the most amazing project,” she said.
“I have been working on it since 2012. This is really, really special and this is such a legacy for the community.”
The five bedroom facility will provide disability respite care for local children and young adults once built and has been designed to provide respite for the parents and carers of young adults with disabilities.
“It will be a place where parents can send their children, small children or adult child so the parents can have a bit of a break,” Jindelara Foundation chairperson Alison Wade said.
“I have a daughter who is 23 and she has Down Syndrome. I am lucky she is now living in a group home in Mollymook.
“Until she went into the group home two years ago, we used to get respite about once every six weeks for one weekend only and that involved sending her up to Bomaderry.
“Parents just need a break to a) rejuvenate; b) to spend time with their other children, husband, spouse, significant other; c) to allow the person with the disability to experience something different.”
The project has been years in the pipeline with local service groups establishing The Lions – Ulladulla District Community Foundation to support local needs within the community and selected the disability respite house as its first project.
The Foundation is administered by representatives of the local service clubs including the Ulladulla Milton Lions Club, the Rotary Club of Milton Ulladulla and the Milton Ulladulla Apex Club, together with prominent members of the community.
The project has received Federal funding along with $126,000 from the Lions Club International Foundation, approximately $85,000 from Jindelara Services and $235,000 from Lions Club Bookshop and Foundation via community donations.
“The sod has been turned and it's exciting,” Lions Club of Ulladulla Milton president Allan McDonald said.
“We have had a fair length of time planning and getting it to this stage. Sleepless nights by some worrying if we will get the money, but now we are here.
“It's been kicked off by Lions International, of course the hard work from our book shop and the huge grant from our Federal government.
“But, we mustn't also forget the other community groups who have helped.
“This is a very giving community and all we can look forward to is getting this completed and on with the other part of our project which will be to get started in group homes.”
“We are renowned for doing sausage sizzles, but it's the money from them that goes towards things like this,” Lions International district governor of 201N2 Sharon Bishop said.
The cottage which has been designed by architect Emile Jansen is still out to tender and construction will commence once finalised.
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