Members of the Meander Area and Ratepayers Association say they remain committed to preventing the establishment of a women and children’s rehabilitation centre at the former primary school.
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President of MARRA Bodhi McSweeney said she wanted to see the Meander Primary School was returned to the community.
“MARRA will be objecting to the proposal by Teen Challenge to set up a drug and domestic violence centre in our Primary School,” she said.
“MARRA will be submitting a comprehensive objection on behalf of our 50 plus and growing local members.”
Christian group Teen Challenge have put forward a development application to create Home of Hope “a 12 to 18 month residential AOD rehabilitation program that provides women with children, pregnant women and single women suffering from (addictions) and life controlling issues, access to a safe, stable environment.”
On Saturday Teen Challenge executive director Tanya Cavanagh told The Examiner Meander was the perfect location for the facility.
“After nearly two years of consultation and working with a majority of the community, I would answer that ‘yes’ the facility is perfect, however the community is what makes us 100 per cent certain this is the right place,” she said.
But Ms McSweeney said Teen Challenge was dishonest in asserting that it had support of the majority of the community.
“We are also aware that many individual residents are intending to write submissions against the proposed use,” she said.
Home of Hope will host a Family Music Day to thank the community for their support on Saturday, February 11.
“This community has one of the biggest hearts and an enormous capacity of acceptance and genuine concern for others, and to actually get in up to their elbows and make a difference for someone to have a better life,” Ms Cavanagh said.
“The projects and events they have been organising, the working bees they have arranged and participated in, the mowing of the lawns, the weeding, the supply of cakes, biscuits, tools, equipment and the continual popping in to see what they can do really says it all.
“It will be this community and its massive heart that will be powerful in showing these broken women and their children exactly what community looks like, that you may have come from tough beginnings but that absolutely does not define your future.”
The free event begins from 11am at the former Meander Primary School and will include a barbecue, jumping castle and face painting, desserts and a line-up of bands and musicians including Soul Revival, Two Roads, Garry Smith, Jerry Eilander and Debra Gleeson.
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Holly Monery
Holly Monery is a journalist for The Examiner newspaper, based in Launceston, Tasmania. Her main area of focus is local government.
Holly Monery is a journalist for The Examiner newspaper, based in Launceston, Tasmania. Her main area of focus is local government.
