The grant round 16 funding, spread around Tasmania, will go to a broad range of groups to assist community health, the arts, disabled people, aged, family and youth welfare services, heritage preservation, recreation and other community activities.

TCF Chairman Gerald Loughran said the latest allocation of $1.96 million took the total provided to assist the community since 2000 to more than $35 million covering 977 projects throughout Tasmania. Mr Loughran said this substantial funding and the projects assisted were creating significant and wide-ranging benefits in the Tasmanian community and making a real difference to the lives of Tasmanians.

Projects assisted in the current round included funding as diverse as assisting the purchase of Argyle jackets for a Highland Pipe Band and the restoration of an historic yacht, to support for a statewide learning program based on social justice and education. Other supported projects include the heating of St David's Cathedral in Hobart, the Westbury Historical Society's Heritage Hub in the north and the City Mission's supported accommodation initiative on the north-west coast.

"These and all the other projects receiving support will have a lasting, positive impact and will assist the Tasmanian community in many ways," Mr Loughran said.

"The total of more than $35 million in grants provided by the Fund since its inception is certainly significant for Tasmania and we look forward to continuing this valuable support to local community groups in the years ahead."

The Tasmanian Community Fund was established in 2000 from the proceeds of the sale of the Trust Bank, to make grants for worthwhile community purposes throughout the state. The TCF holds two general grant rounds every year, each of which attracts approximately 250 applications and distributes funds across a broad range of project areas, offering benefits to many different community sectors and regions.

The next funding round will be open from mid-July and close at the end of August. Further details and funding guidelines are available from Mark Green on (03) 6233 2800 or by email at admin@tascomfund.org. A listing of the latest grants is available here.

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Members of the Board have a mixture of financial and community-based experience, and reside across the State. Current Board members are:

Gerald Loughran (Chairperson) - company director and former chairman of the
Trust Bank.

Fiona Calvert - Manager, Strategy and Planning for Aurora Energy Pty Ltd

Catherine Fernon - Business Manager, Institute of Regional Development, UTAS

Lynn Mason - Chair of Tasmanian Affordable Housing Ltd; former President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania

Ron Sanderson - General Manager, Brighton Council

Joan Walters - registered nurse, Child Health and Parenting, Department of Health and Human Services

TCF staff:
Mark Green - Senior Executive Officer
Melissa Gunn - Administrative Officer

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A major part of the project is a partnership between the students and the Bonorong Wildlife Conservation Centre to build an entirely new style of Bandicoot enclosure that demonstrates the development of gardens to support wildlife.

Students are taking a hands-on approach to the project and will be involved in all aspects of the garden, from the initial planning to construction and ongoing maintenance. The year-long project will see the development of an organic vegetable garden alongside a native grasslands area. It will be planted with a range of edible seasonal vegetables as Bandicoot fodder and display habitat as well as providing a booster supply of organic vegetables for other park animals. The entire space will be fenced off with the appropriate fencing design maximising animal safety, close and personal viewing for the public and access for daily maintenance.

As well, students will be planting wildlife friendly gardens in the school grounds as a showcase for the Gagebrook Community and they will also conduct an educational campaign aimed at cat owners alerting them to the threat to wildlife associated with cats hunting at night. The ruMAD? program supports social justice and education and is being delivered by the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning through a funding grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund. The Centre has received a number of TCF allocations and was awarded a further grant in the round 16 funding just announced.

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The website, developed by Proactive Agricultural Safety and Support Inc. (PASS) a grassroots group of farmers and supporters formed to promote rural safety. The website project was supported by a grant of $5000 from the Tasmanian Community Fund.

The PASS organisation was formed in 2007 following the deaths of two young farm workers when the irrigation pipe they were handling came into contact with overhead electrical wires. PASS Chair Anne Taylor said there were seven fatalities on farms in northern Tasmania since 2000 and PASS was determined to work to combat this tragedy.

"We provide information and advice, conduct safety seminars, forums and workshops on issues as diverse as general farm work practices, safety around electricity, sun protection, children's safety on the farm and digging near underground telephone and electricity cables," she said. "Learning how to manage safety is vital for sustainability and profitability on the farm and implementing efficient safety systems can be a challenge for farmers. "The website will play an important role in sharing information between the rural community and in providing online access to a range of resources."

Mrs Taylor said the grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund made this possible and the website, which can be accessed at www.pass.org.au, would assist greatly in the promotion of a safer rural industry for Tasmania.

TCF Board Member Lynne Mason said the Fund was pleased to be supporting such a worthwhile community project. "This is a real demonstration of prevention being far better than the cure and hopefully the website will make a real difference in supporting farm safety," Mrs Mason said.

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The TCF provided a grant of $32,849 for a new fibreglass pool base and new pumps and filters with the upgrading work extending the use of the pool, particularly to younger children.

Ringarooma Swimming Pool Association secretary Louise Hayward said the depth at the shallow end of the pool had been raised to less than one metre the facility was now able to be used by families and the community on a daily basis. "The upgrading was based on advice from water safety and school swimming instructors and we have regained the local school's learn to swim campaign, which is good news for our children and the community," Mrs Hayward said.

"The pool is a valuable public recreational facility for Ringarooma and the north-east region and the improvements are very welcome. "The community supported the project through working bees, fund-raising and we undertook ancillary works such as landscaping and the grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund funded the major upgrading. The project would not have been possible without this support," Mrs Hayward said.

TCF Chairman Gerald Loughran said the Fund was pleased it could assist such a worthwhile project that would benefit the local community for many years to come. "The upgrading has expanded the use of the pool and the learn to swim program particularly provides a major lasting benefit," Mr Loughran said. "While people in our major population areas may take such public amenities for granted, it is also important that our outlying communities can also enjoy similar facilities."

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The All-abilities Play Park has been designed for children with a wide range of abilities, providing a themed experience to stimulate the imagination and foster physical development. The playground was developed at a cost of $120,000 and jointly funded by the Glenorchy City Council and the Tasmanian Community Fund (TCF).

Glenorchy City Council's Urban Design Coordinator Ken Betlehem said the park was providing for the recreational needs of children across the broadest spectrum. Mr Betlehem said Glenorchy's population included a high proportion of children and while the city had numerous playgrounds, these had tended to cater for able-bodied users. "The Montrose Foreshore All-abilities Play Park gives the enjoyment of a play experience to people with disabilities and has been designed to particularly cater for those with limited mobility and physical movement," he said.

"Importantly, the design does not limit the access or enjoyment of other users, so it promotes the integration and inclusion of children of all abilities. It is a safe, memorable and iconic place where people can enjoy time together, be they children, carers, families or others using the park."

The park includes play components, rubber soft fall, picnic & bbq facilities, an entry feature, one-off seating, fencing and landscaping. It has been developed within the existing regional park with facilities including barbeque shelters, covered tables and bench seats toilets, car parking and walking tracks along the foreshore.

TCF Chairman Gerald Loughran said the Fund was pleased to support such a worthwhile community project. "The All-abilities Play Park provides a wonderful experience for all children and I am sure it is making a difference in the Glenorchy community," Mr Loughran said. "The Montrose foreshore is a great recreational area and this project has expanded its appeal to the widest cross-section of people and particularly families with children with some disability."

The TCF also provided a funding contribution for another all-abilities playground at Dru Point in Margate in an earlier grant round.

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