Commemoration sees services unite to help community

Whanganui Police have teamed up with soldiers from the New Zealand Army to makeover Gonville kindergarten's outdoor play area as well as create a new mountain bike track over this week.

The Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles Wellington East Coast Squadron are in town for exercises as part of their 150th anniversary commemorations and local police and soldiers got together to give back to the community.

Senior Sergeant Paul Baskett says: "The leadership team from the Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles approached Police and asked how they could help in the community."

"We identified a need for more recreational mountain bike tracks and it was decided that a new track in Lismore Park would be created in consultation with Sport Wanganui and the Wanganui Mountain Bike Club.

"The kindergarten also needed a few helping hands to revamp their outdoor area and we both saw this as a great opportunity for the services to come together and support the community."

Soldiers from the Wellington East Coast Squadron worked on the new mountain bike track over this week and a makeover commenced at the Gonville Kindergarten this morning.

“It’s a great opportunity to be part of the community and a privilege to reaffirm our connections with the District," says Major Aldis Malskaitis, Officer Commanding of Wellington East Coast Squadron.

Work on the kindergarten included transforming the sandpit, creating some vegetable gardens, and moving a storage shed, and local businesses generously donated resources to the project.

A sausage sizzle was also put on by police and army staff, and while the hard work was being done the children and their parents got to spend the morning checking out Army and Fire Service specialist vehicles as well as meeting a police dog.

Mayor Annette Main, also visited the Gonville Kindergarten playground today and says having the squadron in town to work on projects to help our community is fantastic.

“I am sure the children and whänau at the Gonville Kindergarten will be happy about the hard work which has gone into the makeover and the mountain bikers in our community will enjoy another track they can use in our district. Projects like this, where Wellington based soldier's team up with Whanganui Police demonstrates the advantages of living in a small country where people still go the extra mile for one another and their communities.”

"It has been a great morning out interacting with the children and their parents. This is one of the many examples where collaboration achieves positive and rewarding results. We hope the children and their families enjoyed the day and their new play area. I want to thank the Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles for their hard work and significant contribution to Whanganui," says Senior Sergeant Baskett.

ENDS

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