New blocks for the kids

By Paul Blanksby, of Helensburgh Men’s Shed

1998 was an excellent year. It was the year that Gilbert and Patricia De Vincenzo changed their lives and their young family’s direction and bought Kids Korner Preschool on Laurina Avenue in the ’Burgh. Gilbert had worked as a Telstra engineer for many years and was looking for a new chapter.

And since Gilbert and Patricia’s daughters, Lisa and Yvette, were involved in Primary and Early Childhood teaching, the match with Kids Korner was understandable. And this year their granddaughter, Estelle, also Primary and Early

Childhood trained, completed her first year of full-time work with the preschool.

The families of this delightful little school are very involved with their kid’s education and learning. The school is a Superhero for the HeartKids Foundation, joining the fight against congenital heart disease.

But there was one little fly in the ointment: the Kids Korner block set was as old as the school itself! The blocks were worn and tired, with a few suspicious teeth marks…

So, Rosie of the Morning Brew and her five-year-old daughter Amelia got together with the kindy parents, selling Bite Size ‘FUN’raising Cookies, delicious with a cuppa. The funds raised supported Supertee, an Australian company that makes medical garments for sick children.

Rosie’s been involved in our community for more than seven years, her little coffee van dispensing delicious beverages and food. When a need arises, Rosie can be counted on to help.

One of the first commissions of the Burgh Men’s Shed in 2017 was to build a six-seater play car, which is used daily in the playroom at Kids Korner and that the kids love very much – it even has two steering wheels. So, the Preschool and Rosie asked us to create a new set of play blocks for the school.

Ian Jackson, a founding member of the Shed, and a few blokes designed and made lots of new blocks, a few extra-curvy ones for the kids to enjoy, and a new box to keep them tidy.

It was a pleasure to see the pride and joy that the De Vincenzo family, Rosie and the Men’s Shed blokes took in laying the building blocks for our children’s futures – a lovely gift to the kids.