Woodworkers of the Southern Peninsula will hand over in excess of 1, 000 toys to a number of peninsula based charities in their annual Toy handover day on Saturday December 9.
The hand-made wooden toys have been made by the 80 member strong club, as part of their annual contribution to families in need on the Southern Peninsula. The program has been a key focus for the well-established woodworking club for over 10 years.
Representatives from charities such as Food For All, the Salvation Army, Western Port Christmas Giving Program and others will accept the toys made for children in need across the Mornington Peninsula.
The charities will be joined by Member for Flinders, the Hon Greg Hunt and Councillor Antonella Celi, as well as Gary Sandford, Bendigo Banks Rosebud, Dromana an Rye Manager and Bunnings Liaison Manager, Alyce Fogarty.
The toy handover day is a culmination of 12 months of work, with many members volunteering a day a week from 9am – 3pm.
On any given day the members of The Woodworkers of the Southern Peninsula can be found in the Boneo Road Rosebud workshop creating art, toys and meaningful connections while they work on charity toys as well as other community projects.
Club President John Bayliss said it was extremely gratifying making the toys, and the group also takes pride in making a difference in the community.
“We have members of all ages and backgrounds joining in, some are experts and others are learning new skills as we are united in our mission to make toys for families who struggle at Christmas,” said John Bayliss.
Toy Handover leader and member John Parrent is always amazed by the results of the effort of members “they’re not necessarily tradespeople – but the quantity and also the quality of what they produce is amazing.”
Life Member Bert Bartlett feels rewarded by the connections as well as contributions he has made, “It’s something to look forward to and you’re doing it for the community – when it all comes together at the Toy Handover it’s fantastic – you know that’s what you’ve been working towards.”
The toy making initiative is as much about supporting one another as it is about the community. Several members of varying ages join to make social connections after relocating or retiring to the Peninsula. The Club has also found its niche in providing opportunities for younger families and people who don’t have ready access to tools at home to also spend time learning from other members and enjoying working on projects in the club workshops together. A community open day will be hosted on Sat 3 February 2018.
