Great Southern Toyota in Katanning recently donated a 2005 Toyota HiAce to the community of Woodanilling in Western Australia’s Great Southern Region.
At a recent Aged Care Forum held in Woodanilling the community expressed a deep concern over the lack of transport in the area. If residents were too old or unwell to drive there was no way to get to the doctor or even do food shopping without imposing on family and friends.
The obvious solution to this dilemma was to acquire a community vehicle which could be driven by volunteers, but how to get funding for it was a whole other problem. The Shire of Woodanilling found itself in a Catch 22 situation; they could not get a vehicle without evidence of the program’s viability and they could not prove viability without a vehicle.
The Shire approached Great Southern Toyotas’ principal Wally Cybula and requested his help.
Mr Cybula generously offered to loan the Shire of Woodanilling a 2005 Toyota HiAce for six months to allow them to test the program.
Great Southern Toyota has three offices in Narrogin, Katanning and Manjimup. The vehicle Mr Cybula donated came through the Katanning Branch and was handed over to Community Development Officer Julia Schurmann and Projects Officer Wendy Bessell-Browne in August.
In the week that followed the Shire was thrilled to discover the level of interest in the community bus with 12 people volunteering to be drivers for medical appointments and shopping trips and two social inclusion trips planned.
Julia Schurmann said Great Southern Toyota’s generosity had made a real impact on the lives of Woodanilling residents.
“We cannot begin to thank Mr Cybula and Great Southern Toyota Katanning enough for their help.”
