Community centre open

State-of-the-art $6.8m Torquay one-stop hub

THE multimillion- dollar Torquay Kurrambee Myaring Community Centre was officially opened yesterday.

The $6.8 million state-ofthe-art facility will offer a variety of services for the rapidly growing Surf Coast community, including kindergarten programs, maternal and child health services, playgroups, occasional care and spaces for early intervention services and parenting programs.

The centre is about 10 minutes’ drive from Armstrong Creek and is expected to be used by families from the growth area.

Surf Coast Shire mayor David Bell said the hub would be an important community asset for everyone.

“With our population growing, this is a substantial investment in meeting the needs of families in the community,” he said.

The Victorian Government provided Surf Coast Shire with $1.6 million for the project back in 2014 through the Children’s Facilities Capital Program.

Construction works began in late 2016.

Minister for Early Childhood Education Jenny Mikakos said the centre was a fantastic asset to the community as it offered parents multiple services all under one roof. “We know that better quality early childhood services mean a better start in life for our kids, which is why we’re ensuring our kids are ready for kinder, ready for school and ready for life,” she said.

Also in attendance at yesterday’s opening was South Barwon MP Andrew Katos and Western Victoria MP Gayle Tierney.

Although the centre was of- ficially opened yesterday, more than 100 children have been enjoying the new kindergarten and occasional care facilities at the community hub since the start of the year.

Meanwhile, in Geelong, work on the planned $5.5 million Highton Early Learning Centre began.

The facility — which will be built on the bottom oval of Bellaire Primary School — will include kindergarten fa- cilities, a maternal child health consulting suite, playground, central foyer and staff amenities.

City of Greater Geelong Council mayor Bruce Harwood said that the centre was the latest of five new early childhood facilities in design around the Geelong region.

“Highton has the largest population of children aged between birth and four years of any single suburb within the City of Greater Geelong, so there is strong demand for this community facility,” he said.