Page 12 The Moorabool News – 30 November, 2021
News
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Join in to say thanks By Lachlan Ellis A new initiative running throughout December, aims to show frontline workers across Moorabool how grateful the community is for their hard work during the covid pandemic. The ‘Thank You Frontline Workers’ initiative was designed by Veronica Bertram and Nimmy Justus, who participated in Council’s 2021 Community Leadership Program. The initiative includes two card-making workshops at Darley Neighbourhood House and Lerderderg Library, engaging local schools for student-made artwork thanking frontline workers, and decorating letterboxes. Postcards of appreciation will also be available for collection until 17 December, from Lerderderg Library Customer Service, Darley Customer Service Office, or Darley Neighbourhood House. Organisations such as the CFA, SES, police, hospital staff and paramedics – whose hard work has continued through the heights of the pandemic – will be the recipients of these symbols of thanks. Ms Bertram said the initiative was a way to thank people who have “given up so much of their time” during the pandemic. “We thought, it’d be a great thing to say thank you to all the frontline workers, not just the hospital and the medical staff…it’s everybody else, the CFA, the SES, the paramedics and police,” she told the Moorabool News. “We wanted to thank them as a community. We thought we’d target the schools and get students to do posters to say thank you to frontline workers.”
Ms Justus thanked Council for supporting the initiative through the Community Leadership Program. “Thank you to Moorabool Shire Council for sponsoring and hosting the program, it’s an excellent program that was delivered thoroughly. We had an excellent teaching leader, Helen [Rodd],” she said. “I never thought I was going to get so much out of the Leadership Program,” Ms Bertram added. Created by graphic designer Liz Thompson, the postcards of appreciation can be written on with thankful messages, and then returned to the drop-off box at the three collection areas. They will then be delivered to frontline organisations by Veronica and Nimmy, just in time for Christmas. The team has also made a Facebook page, ‘Bacchus Marsh's Frontline Thankyou Group’, and they’re encouraging the community to post photos of decorated letterboxes, posters, or anything else made to show appreciation of frontline workers. You may also see the team’s banners up in December at Bacchus Marsh College, Bacchus Marsh McDonald’s, and Darley Park. The Darley Neighbourhood House cardmaking workshop will run on Saturday 4 December from 2 – 4 pm, while the Lerderderg Library workshop will run on Thursday 9 December 12:30 – 2:30 pm. Booking is free for both workshops, with more information on how to book available on the ‘Darley Neighbourhood House & Learning Centre’ and ‘Moorabool Libraries’ Facebook pages.
(L-R) Veronica Bertram and Nimmy Justus show off signs of appreciation on their mailbox, created by local children. Photo – Lachlan Ellis