COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Member for Orange Andrew Gee, Bowen Community Technology Centre manager Paula Townsend and Orange City councillor Ron Gander are looking forward to seeing the centre’s extensions completed. Photo: JUDE KEOGH. 0927bowen3
IN just a couple of weeks the Bowen Community Technology Centre will have almost four times as many computers available when the centre’s $49,881 extension is finished.
“It’s all go,” manager Paula Townsend said.
“We have more space for everyone, we won’t be working out of a very small office, we’ve doubled what was there originally.”
“It will be beautiful, fresh and clean and conducive to learning.”
The centre is waiting in anticipation for the delivery of 14 second-hand computers donated from Cadia Valley Operations and the Rural Assistance Authority along with brand new benches and floor covering to mark the end of the centre’s renovations.
Each weekday around 20 students flock to the centre after school to use the five computers on hand for homework and fun.
“Now we won’t have a big changeover more kids can do their homework,” Mrs Townsend said.
Mrs Townsend said numbers had grown as more people had become aware of the centre and increasing numbers of volunteers had also helped.
She said regular users were looking forward to the centre being fully up and running again.
“I had to close down so for the last week and half the kids have been coming around saying ‘are we ready yet’?” she said.
“They were so excited and they’re saying ‘this is ours, it belongs to everybody so we have look after it’.”
Primary school students make up about 50 per cent of the centre’s users, high school students account for around 30 per cent and 20 per cent of the centre’s visitors are adults.
Mrs Townsend said she will find out in November if grant application for new computer programs and a TV for the centre was successful.
Three and half kilometres of wiring was installed as part of the centre’s renovations to connect all the computers and future proof the centre.
“It was only $50,000 but we spent it very wisely,” Mrs Townsend said.
“We’ve had some programs running on the computers for a long time and in the last few years technology has shot ahead.
“We want to keep up with technology and we want to be the best community technology centre in NSW.”
The extensions were funded under the state government’s community building partnership program.
clare.colley@ruralpress.com