Stirling MHR Michael Keenan inside the bus with Edmund Rice Centre staff and youth leaders including Bella Ndayikeze (middle in the pink bandanna) who had to previously transport all of the players.
Camera IconStirling MHR Michael Keenan inside the bus with Edmund Rice Centre staff and youth leaders including Bella Ndayikeze (middle in the pink bandanna) who had to previously transport all of the players. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Edmund Rice Centre gets new bus thanks to Federal grant

Kristie LimEastern Reporter

MIRRABOOKA-based Edmund Rice Centre’s athletes now have easier transport to and from training and games after the centre received a $40,000 Federal Government grant to buy a new bus.

Centre staff also use the bus to deliver community outreach programs to schools, service providers and residents.

Deputy director Christina Ward said the bus contributed to higher attendance numbers and an increased ability to pick up people who would be unreliable in making appointments.

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“Our staff can take it out during the week and we sometimes loan it to other organisations that are in desperate need of transport options,” she said.

“We’re now starting to wonder how we ever coped without this bus before.”

Stirling MHR Michael Keenan said the centre’s football team, the Edmund Rice Lions, faced years of difficulty getting to games.

“For the majority of the playing group this bus is their only form of transport to and from their weekend sports events,” he said.

“Being able to enjoy and participate in sport is a pastime every child deserves to have.”

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