It was an auspicious day, the 21st October 2016 that the Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key came to town. He came to see a proud community who had achieved something marvelous in their eyes ~
“Tuakau’s new Emergency Services Centre has been opened to great fanfare, with the Prime Minister himself unveiling the plaque.
John Key, on his first official visit to the Tuakau district, attended the October 20 ceremony with a host of local dignitaries. The public also turned out in force, a testament to the investment the community has had in the centre.
The disused site and building were donated to the trust by the Waikato District Council. Many volunteer hours were spent renovating the building. It now boasts garage space for the town’s St John first response vehicle; accommodation and living space for emergency services staff; and the potential to be used as a training facility.
There are hopes that the centre will provide more services as Tuakau and the surrounding districts grow.
It was a community effort which brought the building this far, and everyone at the opening was in agreement that the facility would be a fantastic asset.
“What we’re seeing with shared facilities is they are very effective and they make a real difference in terms of the quality of services that are provided, because the organisations can feed off one another and leverage each other, so that’s a huge advantage,” Key said.
St John Franklin territory manager Lisa Buckingham said St John’s workload in Franklin increased by 5 per cent every year, and future-proofing initiatives like this were important. She said St John was always trying to increase numbers and capacities.
“Every time we can get to a sick patient quicker is a great thing.”
The centre was four years in the making. After town planning consultations revealed the community’s desire for a local ambulance base, Tuakau Rotary began fundraising and the Tuakau Emergency Services Centre Trust (TESCT) was formed.
“It all started because you asked for it,” TESCT member Richard Gee told the crowd.
Funds were raised from Rotary charity dinners, private donations, a grant from the New Zealand Charitable Trust and many other community groups.
The trust has spent $28,000 renovating the building, and $15,000 to equip the first response vehicle with life-saving equipment. Other funds will go towards ongoing maintenance and future development.
“This was our dream for Tuakau and today we can say it is a reality,” Rotary Tuakau president Davendra Kumar said.
“We’re looking forward to getting it operational and fully staffed. The onus is now on St John to provide us with those resources.”
Waikato District Council mayor Allan Sanson said supporting a growing population was always a priority.
“I just want to congratulate the people involved in getting it off the ground,” he said.
“It’s not easy raising money and trying to put together a facility like this.”
TESCT member Shane Groom said it’s been fantastic to see the community support.
“[They’ve] been behind it since day one.”
Source; Stuff