RESIDENTS at a Riverland retirement village will now be able to utilise a $1 million function centre, after it was opened at a ceremony last week.
The multi-use centre, opened last Wednesday by Member for Barker Tony Pasin, will act as a hub for the cottage homes as well as the Berri RSL Club and will be used for a variety of functions including meetings, dinners and events.
Management committee president Judith Becker said the committee would not have been able to complete the project without a $425,000 grant from the Federal Government’s Building Better Regions Fund.
“It was a large amount of money that they gave us and we are very thankful for it,” she said.
“A lot of people have done a lot of work to make this possible, including our committee, and we’ve had the support of the town, so it has been wonderful.”
Mr Pasin told the Murray Pioneer he was “incredibly proud” to unveil another project in the region.
“The $425,000 grant means that there is now a $1 million activity centre at Berri Cottage Homes, which supported 10 jobs during the middle of a pandemic and two part-time jobs ongoing,” he said.
“It’s about making regional communities more liveable, and I think this project delivers on that.”
Berri Barmera Council Mayor Peter Hunt thanked Mr Pasin for his support with the project.
“Tony Pasin and the Federal Government have done a lot for the Berri Barmera region, including at the Berri Cottage Homes and the Berri Sporting Complex,” he said.
“I commend the Federal Government for the grants that they are giving, in particular to our council area, and this is another big win.
“In this part of Berri, we’ve got the growth of the Glossop High School campus, the new facility for the Calvary St Catherine’s Retirement Community and the new location for the Berri Medical Clinic.
“Which are all good for our area.”