General News
16 November, 2022
Dance-O-Mat takes centre stage
THE newest addition to Tea Tree Lake was officially launched over the weekend, with locals turning out in numbers to experience the new Dance-O-Mat.
THE newest addition to Tea Tree Lake was officially launched over the weekend, with locals turning out in numbers to experience the new Dance-O-Mat.
A Dance-O-Mat Launch Party was held over the weekend with a range of activities including workshops, face painting and stalls for attendees to enjoy.
The Dance-O-Mat is a coin-operated jukebox fashioned from a washing machine and includes a sound system set up around an outdoor dance floor.
The project was first identified by local students and received support from council in 2020 in a bid to provide an interactive social facility at Tea Tree Lake.
Moyne Shire mayor Karen Foster said council was “excited to see the project come to life and very proud to support this youth-driven project”.
“The past couple of years have been very tough for local students, having to deal with lots of breaks and remote learning due to the pandemic, and we are thrilled to see the hard work they have put in to inspire creativity, leadership and collaboration,” she said.
“We hope to see more of these kinds of projects in future, showcasing the talents of our young people.
“We want to make sure that they are engaged and empowered and we will continue to support them with skill development and leadership opportunities through our current programs including Youth Parliament, Future Folk and the Emerging CuratorsDevelopment Program.”
Disruption due to COVID-19 restrictions delayed the development of the Dance-O-Mat project, but Mortlake P-12 College VCAL students were able to persist in building the supporting infrastructure
The concept was first launched in New Zealand a decade ago in efforts to revitalise communities following the Christchurch earthquakes, and has since been built in communities around the world.
Cr Foster said the development was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students.
“This was a great opportunity for students to gain personal development skills while working on an community based project that can be enjoyed by not only Mortlake residents, but by the visitors from the broader region,” she said.
“Remote learning due to COVID and regularly unfavourable weather conditions set some real challenges for the VCAL team in terms of construction, but overall they did a fantastic job.
“The plans were followed to the letter, and the results speak for themselves.”
Cr Foster said further development at Tea Tree Lake was on the agenda, with a goal of revitalising the space as an attraction for locals and tourists alike.
“We are aiming to improve accessibility and increase health and wellbeing facilities at this popular recreation space to benefit the local community,” she said.
“In addition to the installation of the Dance-O-Mat, we have also completed works at including a new picnic shelter, new accessible footpaths and a drinking fountain.
“Council is working closely with community members to revitalise the space after receiving feedback from the Moyne Shire Youth Council members with input from the Mortlake Community Development Committee (MCDC).
“We are already seeing lots of residents visiting Tea Tree Lake, enjoying the outdoors and building social connections with their fellow community members and we want to continue to build on that.”