Maitland PCYC officially re-opened its doors on Wednesday, with a few special guests on hand to help with the formalities.
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For young gymnast Zayne Sadien, the refurbished Maitland PCYC is a safe place for everyone of all abilities.
“I’ve boosted self-esteem from competing. They [the police] are always round to kick a ball with and are really friendly,” he said.
“It’s definitely modernised how this club operates. We are able to have a lot more programs and it’s just a lot better.”
Maitland PCYC has upgraded the gymnastics hall and the multi-purpose sport and recreation area, improved the gym and amenities, and installed a new reception and cafe – thanks to an $1 million contribution by the state government.
Speaking at the official opening of the redeveloped facility, Mr Grant said PCYC has been operating in the community for more than 66 years, and it was high time that the club received an upgrade.
“I’ve seen firsthand the contribution that PCYC can make to a young person’s life,” he said.
“It is absolutely vital that local youth have access to sport and recreation opportunities to keep them on the right track and support their health and wellbeing.
“I am delighted that locals now have an upgraded club, with new and improved facilities.”
New training props to help regional firies hone lifesaving skills
RUTHERFORD Fire Station is one of three Hunter stations that will become a hub for training and development after an $100,000 investment from the state government.
The local firefighters provided a demonstrations of the new training props on Wednesday, with Minister for Emergency Services Troy Grant officially opening the first of the facilities.
”These facilities will reduce the need for regional firefighters to travel to Sydney and other major cities for training, enabling crews to better hone their lifesaving skills,” Mr Grant said.
”It looks really simple but the technology and apparatus involved is amazing. They can use different scenarios to challenge the firefighters in their training.
”They can be furnished to resemble a residential home and reconfigured to simulate house fires, rescues, hazardous material incidents and other emergencies.
”There’s different firefighter training across the state … This will only enhance community safety in the future.”
The facility aims to incorporate training drills with other emergency services including the SES, NSW Police and NSW Ambulance services able to access the facility to train.
Project Director for the NSW Fire and Rescue superintendent Ken Murphy said the whole region's emergency services will be able to compliment each other in an emergency.
"The whole change in our whole philosophy across the emergency services is to involve all the agencies," Mr Murphy said.
"We can build that development up and create those partnerships between services, so when we are actually operating in an emergency situation, everybody will understand each other's role.
”These props are are multifaceted … it’s a fantastic investment.”
New training props have been delivered to seven other Fire and Rescue NSW stations including Rutherford, Denman, Henty, Minmi and Portland.
