DEPUTY Premier Andrew Stoner almost caught a faceful of dirt at the sod-turning ceremony for the Macleay Options new care home in Rudder Street on Friday.
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After doing the official first sod-turning, Mr Stoner invited a representative of Macleay Options to join in.
Peter Britten stepped up and, after digging a good shovelful of soil, flung it over his shoulder.
Only quick reflexes on Mr Stoner’s part stopped him from copping it to the face, much to the amusement of the assembled audience.
Mr Stoner delivered the perfect response, without missing a beat.
“Hey careful, I get enough of that in Macquarie St,” he said in a reference to the NSW Parliament.
Macleay Options has received a $2 million capital funding grant to build an ‘Ageing in Place’ residence to accommodate ageing persons with a disability.
The grant was provided by the NSW Department of Families and Community Services, Ageing, Disability and Home Care.
It will cover the land, design and construction of the home, which will be built in East Kempsey.
It will be the first model of such a residence in the Kempsey Local Government area.
Macleay Options has been active in the community since 1963.
It is a not-for-profit non-government organisation that provides a range of housing and support services, including supported employment to people with a disability.