The Laura Community and Tourism Group installed new sporting equipment and a concrete court on April 26 in the Laura Parklands. The project was funded by the group alongside funding from the Lions Club and a $5000 grant from Energy Australia.
The group installed a new basketball ring and backboard alongside a heavy-duty outdoor table tennis table to go on top of the fresh concrete and is the culmination of an idea at a meeting 18 months ago.
Group president Gerald Higgins said there were 10 volunteers for the concrete pour on April 12 in what was a community effort.
“A lot of local tradies jumped in to assist with it all,” he said.
“We had three blokes lined up to install the sporting equipment but it ended up being a bit heavier than expected so we had three local Dads who happened to be at the park willing to lend a hand.”
Mr Higgins said the addition will be beneficial for locals and visitors alike.
“The caravan park is always busy so it helps touring families and gives the kids something else to do,” he said.
“Everything we do as a group is to make the town more appealing, to get visitors to stay a few nights and spend their money at local businesses and strengthen the town.”
The project is another addition to Laura courtesy of the Group, who Mr Higgins said was responsible for much of the main street’s infrastructure.
Mr Higgins said to keep an eye out for an upcoming project the group had been hard at work raising funds for.
“Another project underway is the nature playground at the Laura Oval which we’ve started fundraising for,” he said.
There is a group of young mothers driving this, running events like slice drives and sausage sizzles, as well as applying for grant money and organising donations from community groups.
Mr Higgins said everyone is free to get on board and support the project which can be done via the ‘Laura Nature Play’ Facebook page.