Recent playground harvest 23 August 2023 which will be refurbished and at this stage destined for Bougainville Island Papua New Guinea
How Rotary Overseas Recycled Playgrounds works:
Over the past few weeks, a group of hardworking members undertook a number of different projects in support of RORP (Rotary Overseas Relocated Playgrounds).
The workhorse behind the program is Rotarian Wayne Jenkins who co-ordinates playground harvests across a number of areas within District 9820. He has a beautiful property out at Mount Martha where he does an incredible job of cataloguing, repairing and storing playgrounds that have been harvested awaiting shipping to overseas communities, with the support of his "very understanding" wife Jenny who makes a mean chocolate brownie to reward the weary workers!
I myself am your local "Friend of Rotary" who liaises with both Wayne and Dandenong Council to co-ordinate removal of playgrounds to be upgraded within the municipality.
I am so fortunate to have the support and muscle of a great team of members that have helped me in undertake several recent removals including dismantling a sizeable playground and loading the RORP trailer at Thomas Carroll Reserve in Dandenong last week. To Hans, Howard and Con - you are incredible for a bunch of oldies and I absolutely love working with you and getting to know you a little better each time. Thank you for letting me boss you around from time to time! (I do reward them with coffee). My same team also assisted in the week prior with loading a total of four complete playgrounds into a shipping container which left for Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea in the past week!
To give you a summary of how the program works....
* Local council pay a fee to Rotary for the playground to be taken away (in Wayne's purpose built trailer) as opposed to being taken to landfill. This is a win/win as we get a playground to ship to a needy community overseas whilst supporting the council's sustainability and recycling program. The fee for an average playground is around $1000-$1200. The council also pays a fee direct to the contractor engaged to physically dismantle most of the playground, using excavation equipment.
* Rotary members assist in the dismantling where able (old guys love their tools) and load all components of the playground into the RORP trailer. The Playground is transported to Wayne's property where he undertakes minor repairs if needed, catalogues and stores the playgrounds until ready for shipment.
* A shipping container typically fits around 10-13 playgrounds. The more we can pack on there the better and believe me, there is an art to getting all the pieces in correctly, bit like a jigsaw puzzle, to eliminate dead space. Its a very awkward space to be moving in and does require considerable concentration and tight teamwork.
* Shipping fees have increased substantially since COVID, making it much more challenging to keep the project viable. For example, the cost of shipping the current container to Bougainville is around $19,000. If you do the math you can see the challenge we have. Some additional funds are collected by sale of damaged parts for scrap metal but it really does depend on getting as many playgrounds in there to get it off the ground. Shipping fees pre-COVID (depending on destination) were closer to $10,000.
The playgrounds can be shipped anywhere overseas that we are able to logistically and financially facilitate. If any members have contacts overseas and would like to discuss possible future shipments, please reach out.
We have a couple more playgrounds earmarked for the coming months in Noble Park. We are always grateful for new hands on deck so if you fancy a free workout with coffee and possibly a donut, please put your hands up!
Kindest regards,
Mel :)
Frankston Rotary Golf day is coming up soon with a big prize so get your entries in early!