Employees at Envirocare will have access to a comfortable and spacious lunchroom, following the generosity of a fantastic volunteer.
The official opening of the new space was celebrated by many earlier this month, with countless supported employees unable to the wipe the smile off their faces after seeing the room for the first time.
“Everyone likes using the new lunchroom. We all enjoy sitting at the new tables to have lunch. It has changed a lot,” Envirocare supported employee Mark said.
What was once a room that lacked colour and spark, is now a welcoming space that will be the home of many great lunchtime conversations.
Manager of Envirocare, Ivan Dargie, said the upgrade provided a fantastic opportunity to “give back” and show some appreciation to the many fantastic employees that go above and beyond.
“It will be a neater and nicer space for the guys. The space has turned up real nice in my opinion, and I am sure it will be appreciated well into the future."
The amazing upgrade wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity and hard work of Peter Mueller, one of Minda’s many incredible volunteers.
While juggling over commitments, Peter was happy to get his hands dirty to complete the job, which included removing a wall, installing a new kitchen, painting surfaces, and putting in new furniture.
Ivan praised the work of Peter, who has used his great skills to improve other parts of the Envirocare compound in the past.
“We are incredibly lucky to have people like our fantastic volunteer, Peter. Before giving his time to the project, he had worked on our training room and office spaces,” Ivan said.
“The upgrade didn’t happen overnight. It wouldn’t have happened without the help of Peter. He just loves seeing the guys and his work is appreciated greatly.”
Although the opening of the new-and-improved lunchroom celebrated an exciting new future, it also provided an opportunity to reflect on the past and say farewell to a much-loved figure.
Brian Price had been involved with Envirocare for close to a decade, and while he’s only helped out on a casual basis over the past couple of years, he has many cherished memories.
Previously a worker at Minda’s old farm at Craigburn Farm, Brian joined Envirocare as a team leader when the business was much smaller as it is today.
“At the start, basically all of the work was based at the Brighton neighbourhood. It slowly branched out to what it is today with outside contracts. It kept getting bigger and bigger,” Brian Price said.
“I was disappointed when the farm closed down, but the money that was made from it was invested back into the Brighton neighbourhood.”
The opening provided an opportunity for Brian to reflect on his many years of service and thank the countless individuals who played a key role in his employment.
“The relationships I have built with the guys here has been one of the highlights. I have seen many people learn and build incredible life skills through this employment opportunity,” Brian said.
“In my opinion, it is such a great environment to be around. Envirocare continues to grow, and I am sure the future is going to be very bright because of the people at the helm.”