NSW Ports has helped Nareena Hills Public School give new life to a shipping container to support student’s learning and play as part of the 2023 Community Grants Program.
The program supports groups delivering positive outcomes for communities living in the neighbourhoods surrounding Port Botany, Port Kembla and the Enfield and Cooks River intermodal terminals.
NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas said the business was thrilled the grants program supported so many diverse and meaningful projects across the Illawarra and beyond.
“Nareena Hills Public School was one of 11 grantees to benefit from our 2023 program, which supports local, grassroots organisations doing tremendous work in our communities,” she said.
“Port Kembla has a long and celebrated history in the Illawarra that dates back well over a century. And those strong connections continue to this day, with many of the port’s workers living in the local community, so they’re very much a part of the port’s 24/7 operations.”
Nareena Hills Public School’s Parents and Citizens Association (P&C) was awarded a grant to purchase a shipping container to be ‘upcycled’ and used to store sporting equipment, musical instruments and library books to support students and teachers each day.
The shipping container was proudly provided by Wollongong business Murrell Freight Lines that delivers transport and logistics services across the country.
“We love seeing schools and other grassroots groups finding creative ways to re-purpose shipping containers for the benefit of local communities. It’s heartening to know this steel box that performs such a crucial role in our supply chain will now support a local school community,” Ms Calfas said.
Nareena Hills Public School P&C President Angela Howes said students and staff were thrilled to receive the new container that will help house so many important resources for the school.
“We’re a tight-knit community at Nareena Hills, but our little school continues to grow and that means more resources are required for our students to help them learn and thrive,” she said.
“Like much of the Illawarra, our grounds have also had challenging storms and flooding in recent years, so having this waterproof container to store school resources will be a real lifesaver. We thank NSW Ports for its support and will be making the most of our new storage space, which also gives students some insight into Port Kembla and the vital role the trade gateway plays.”
Port Kembla contributes $2.9 billion annually to the NSW economy and supports about 10,000 jobs. Further information about the NSW Ports Community Grants Program is available here.