Community Story

Parent Power Over The Years

Notice: This article is kept for historical reference. Some details may be outdated.

Ever wonder what the Turner Scout Hall looked like a few years ago? And what magical things happen at working bees each year?

The hall has been transformed over the years by the input and vision of the committee and parents. We’ve had ACT government grant help a few times as well to purchase capital items so we can deploy our amazing teams of parents to put in the work to make these improvements.

When we first arrived at the Turner Scout Hall in 2008, we faced draughty single pane louvre windows, ancient electric heating that didn’t heat the hall properly, the kitchen was falling apart, there was graffiti all over the exterior, there was no playground, no fence, two toilets, two sinks, two and a half tonnes of rubbish to be taken to the tip….

Over the years, we have painted inside and out, installed a fenced fully equipped outdoor playground and shade sail, solar panels, triple glazed windows, a new kitchen, two new toilets, four children’s sinks, refinished the beautiful wooden floors (twice), new tiling, new carpet, revamped the cloakroom completely, added a new storage shed, improved drainage, and more.

It is fun to look back at the old photos and see that quite a number of the children in the photo above joined us at Pfadfinder, and some are still with us a decade later as some of our oldest Venturer scouts!

Here is the same corner of the hall as in the photo at the top.
This above was the cloakroom back in 2009. And even this was a big improvement on what it was like when we first arrived in 2008.
Here is that same cloakroom ten years later., largely thanks to the vision and design work of Horst Punzmann.
Our original tables and chairs were donated by other preschools and playschools. This was the state of our walls, floors, doors, divider curtain and equipment in 2009.
Twelve years later, hours and hours of painting walls and doors, sanding and varnishing floors (thanks Levin and Salim), and other improvements are helping us look a lot better.

To get an idea of how dedicated our parent group is, and what the Scout Hall looked like when we first arrived in 2008, check out these amazing photos of some of the things our volunteers have achieved, transforming our hall into a licensed children’s services venue, from 2008 to 2010.  And it just keeps getting better!

Ever wonder what the Turner Scout Hall looked like a few years ago? And what magical things happen at working bees each year? The hall has been transformed over the years by the input and vision of the committee and parents. We’ve had ACT government grant help a few times as well to purchase capital…

2–3 minutes

See how this story connects into the wider Spielwelt community.

Related story

Do you know our next Head Teacher?

Job Vacancies at the German Australian Playschool (GAP) in Turner, ACT!  The GAP offers a fantastic program for 3-5 year olds in German in a loving , safe and caring environment.   Playschools are wonderful community-led not-for-profit organisations, where staff, children and families feel welcome, supported and included. Come join our community, and feel the love!   We are looking for:  German-speaking Educator (Diploma or above) If you enjoy working with children with love and care, heart and soul, and want a whole lot less paperwork than big childcare centres require (and therefore more time to dedicate quality time to the…

Related story

A-Z of Spielwelt in 2023

Herzliche Grüße liebe Spielwelter und Spielwelterinnen, Again we find ourselves at the end of a busy year for Spielwelt! Some of us proudly have our hands in the air celebrating, while others are holding our heads and red hats, astonished that we made it through 🙂 We have again compiled the A-Z of 2023 for your enjoyment. A is for the After GAP Program, which allows some children the opportunity to come to GAP. Thanks to Mel and Lisa3 for the fun that they facilitate at the end of a long day for teachers and children alike. B is for…

Testers Share feedback