It finally arrived on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, and the Yarrawonga & District Community Car transported the first client to and from Albury.
It was quite a few months in the planning, but through the efforts of the enthusiastic and passionate volunteers at the Yarrawonga Community Opportunity Shop and the Rotary Club of Yarrawonga Mulwala, the local area gained a Community Car to help residents from Yarrawonga, Mulwala and other local areas travel to medical appointments and treatments.
Funded by donations of $15,000 each from the Rotary Club and Moira Healthcare Alliance (under whose management the Opp Shop runs), a Holden Captiva diesel was purchased from Pigdons Motors, Yarrawonga. The dealership provided tinted windows and floor mats for the vehicle and generously offered free service to the car for a period of three years.
Signage was provided free of charge by a local business, Stickemon Signs. Community support such as this will help contribute to the long term viability of the project.
Moira Shire Council was to be congratulated on its contribution of approximately $31,000 from its Transport Connections Project. This money was used for infrastructure, recruitment, training and administration costs. A number of other organisations donated smaller amounts.
The Y&DCC is supported by a pool of volunteer drivers. Recently, a training day was held that covered all the important safety and awareness aspects of volunteer driving. Approximately 12 volunteers attended.
This training, as well as the overall co-ordination of the vehicle, is organised by Community Accessability, whose head office is in Wodonga.
2020 – An update
Use of the community car has grown considerably over the past eight years. Yarrawonga now has two cars to service the medical transport needs of the community.
The cars are supported by approximately 20 volunteers, and coordination is from the Wangaratta office.
Trips are done on a regular basis to Melbourne, Albury/Wodonga, Shepparton, Wangaratta and Benalla.
Individuals and organisations use the service to help clients attend appointments in larger hospitals and treatment centres.
Contact 1300 704 530 for information and bookings.
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