Yennora Public School (YPS) is located within the Fairfield area south west of Sydney. Within a heavily urbanised and industrialised environment, this unique school is surrounded by towering trees and small gardens. It’s one of the most multi-cultural schools in Australia, with 98% of students coming from non-English speaking backgrounds. YPS operates like any other public school, but it also caters to students with special needs who require additional support.
Special needs students at YPS were separated from other students because of the way the school’s grounds were designed. Both groups of students were unable to mingle and play with each other during breaks. When a local community group discovered that YPS lacked the funds to enable the two student groups to become one, the call went out to local businesses to step up to the plate and create a path for the future – literally.
In 2018 Caterpillar changed its tagline from ‘Built for It’ to ‘Let’s Do The Work’. Let's Do The Work is all about being a doer – someone who rolls up their sleeves, pulls on their gloves and makes stuff happen. It's about people who do the work that matters and, in the case of YPS, the work that needed to be done really mattered. At WesTrac, our customers are the kind of people who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty and so are we. When the team at our Sydney branch in Casula heard about the project, they only had one question: When?
In April 2019, several local businesses sent teams to YPS to:
The businesses involved included: WesTrac, Gunlake Concrete, Bingo Bins and Jimmy’s Elite Crete – all of whom are prime examples of what #LetsDoTheWork means.
"Together with our customers and business partners, Gunlake Concrete and Bingo Industries, we wanted to employ our skills and equipment to give back to our community. The work at Yennora Public School provided an opportunity to do just that, and make a real difference. One of our core values at WesTrac is Pride. I personally am very proud of our team members who contributed to transforming this area for the kids in our community." – Alister Cant, WesTrac General Manager of Construction & Infrastructure
The completed project has already had a significant impact on the lives of the young students and teachers, as well as their families and the local community.
“We’re very grateful to the businesses who dedicated their time and resources to help our school. For the first time, all our students are playing together and sharing joint experiences. The sensory garden has allowed us to create a fun and educational activity-based program that the kids are already participating in and enjoying. Over the last few weeks, the feedback we’ve received from the students and parents has been overwhelmingly positive and none of it would have been possible without support from our community. Thank you.“ – Anja Schuette, Yennora Public School Principal
