The management and staff of the Kimberly-Clark Australia Millicent Mill have lent their support to upgrade the former Matron’s Apartment at Millicent Hospital into temporary accommodation for student nurses.
The company will provide manpower later this year when the third stage of renovating the bathroom and toilet facilities is undertaken.
KCA has a long-standing policy of granting its employees a day’s paid leave per annum to work on community projects and charitable works.
Many of the mill’s 400 employees and contractors are members of the KCA Social Club and it has agreed to make a major cash donation of $5000 to the project.
It is an initiative of the Millicent and Surrounds Health Support Group as it saw the need for comfortable quarters while the visiting student nurses on placement gain additional skills and knowledge in a hospital setting.
Numerous individuals, companies, organisations and service clubs are supporting the project with donations of goods, cash and labour.
It is estimated the 25 volunteers have donated the equivalent of 700-man hours to the project since the upgrade began in January.
They were formally thanked at a celebratory on site lunch on Tuesday.
The event also marked the successful completion of stages one and two comprising a makeover of the five bedrooms, kitchen and lounge areas.
It was jointly hosted by the MASH Group and the Millicent Health Advisory Council and 50 project backers were in attendance.
Among them were members of the Lions Club of Beachport and Rivoli Bay who donated labour and $3000 in cash.
Club president Keith Sneath said the accommodation project was a great cause.
“It is about supporting kids who are learning the nursing profession,” Mr Sneath said.
“Lions are all about community service. The community supports us and we reciprocate.”
Millicent Health Advisory Committee Chairman Dr Kevin McGrath has praised all contributors and the role of the MASH Group.
“We were immediately supportive of the accommodation project when we were approached by the MASH Group,” Dr McGrath said.
“We had back-up funds if needed but all the costs have been met.”
