The Ability Network has welcomed the community to their newest Community Hub, with innovative support facilities to empower clients and carers from across the community.
During a ribbon cutting ceremony held on March 12, Ability Network Chief Executive Shane Kruger, read a roll call of thanks that reflected the deep community support embedded in both the build and services provided by the network.
"We work closely with many other organisations in our community, to provide services that our participants need to participate in a meaningful way in the community that they live in."
"It's a dream we thought we'd never achieve but here we are."
"For the first time since Ability Network was formed as Cowra Special Needs and Cowra Early Intervention in the year 2000, this facility allows us to bring all of our services to one site. We can now work more closely together and work side by side with our participants each day."
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"Also for the first time we have dedicated facilities for our hard working staff to take a break each day, Many who work 10-14 hours in a stretch. As we all know it's an incredibly demanding job. Most importantly we have dedicated space for day programs, telehealth, conferences, and the care and support of our participants. The vast majority of this facility was funded by us, not by government grants."
Ability Network also engaged almost entirely in local trades to complete the build, with the near 600 square metre facility reflecting the dedication and professionalism of Cowra's tradespeople.
"We'd also like to thank our local trades who worked on the building, and donating our amazing barbecue equipment for the outdoor area. Those who donated are Lee Brown, Ben Core Electrical, Mark Sutherland Plumbing, Kilby's Heating and Cooling, Heyd Tiling, Steve Porter Plastering, Leach's Metal Fabrication, Cowra Carpet Court, Midwest Solar and Jeff's Joinery. Thank you very much for your dedication and hard work."
Both the State and Federal members for the Nationals party were present, with member for the Riverina Michael McCormack complimenting Ability Network’s readiness to make a difference.
"In life you can't put put a budget on kindness” he said, “You deserve these facilities, your clients deserve the very best, because they are the very best."
Mr McCormack complimented Mr Kruger and his team for navigating development hurdles, adding "A community is judged by how well it looks after its people, Shane Kruger is such a doer, and we need people like Shane in our communities. People who don't take no for the final answer, people who get on and get things done."
Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, who had helped secure funding for the facility in November of 2024 under the ClubGrants fund, also praised Ability Network’s success.
“Here we are today with this magnificent facility, I had the opportunity to see it come along this far and see what it is today is just absolutely wonderful, I’ve been so excited to see this.”
“Thank you so much for your vision and determination to see this project come to life.”
Mr Kruger also shared to the Ability Network's facebook page,
"This Hub stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to our participants—every decision, every effort, and every milestone is about creating opportunities, fostering inclusion, and supporting independence. This is just the beginning of what we will achieve together.
