Lending a helping hand at Barnardos Australia's Working Bee

The Australian Mutuals Foundation (AMF) in conjunction with Horizon Bank and Australian Mutual Bank were to glad to assist Barnados Australia at the “Working Bee” to revamp a property on the NSW South Coast used for short holidays for disadvantaged families across the Barnardos network.

The house can accommodate up to 10 people at a time and is a familiar place for Barnardos children, who will often struggle to go away on holidays to unfamiliar places. From time to time, the house also provides emergency accommodation for young people.

The Working Bee was a bustling hive of activity with 19 volunteers working on:

• Revamping the cubby house so the children can use it including giving it a fresh coat of paint internally and externally, chalk paint wall inside, outdoor carpet and making it rain proof

• Building a vegetable garden

• Putting new bark in the outside gardens

• Staining the exposed wood near the entry staircase

• Re-painting to freshen up the discoloured blue wall around the house

• Dismantling and disposing of the old swing to make way for the new one

There were 24 hands on deck assisting on the day x 5 hrs = 120 hours of painting, gardening and building skills. A big shout out to Barnardos South Coast staff, Alicia, Fiona & Deborah who helped out on the day too.

Many thanks to Horizon Bank and Australian Mutual Bank staff for giving up their time for this worthwhile cause.