Close to thirty KC Past students, their families, teachers, students and members of communities near to the Kingston College Melbourne Campus gave their time, money and energy to participate in the Fortis Pavilion's Melbourne Work Day, on Saturday, October 22, 2011.
The group painted the inside walls and cleared debris from the garden area at the front of the campus.
The work day followed an innovative paint drive, which saw past students and other supporters of Kingston College donating money to Edge Chem and Sherwin Williams Paint Stores to purchase purple and white paints, paint brushes and rollers.
Director of the Pavilion's Projects Committee, Kirk Bolton hails the work day as a major success. He says, "The success is evident as the paint drive was effected and we received over forty thousand dollars to purchase paints. The inside walls (at the Melbourne Campus) were painted as per our objective. Additionally, we were able to paint a section of the school building, which was well in need of painting."
KC Old Boy Mark Weir took his daughter and other members of his family to help him paint. Weir says, "This is what the Fortis Family is about. We have to ensure that Kingston College maintains an acceptable look."
Also among the painters was Ras Irie from the nearby community of Brown's Town. Ras Irie affirms that he has no reservations whatsoever to help with the painting of Kingston College because the school is an important part of the wider community. He notes, "KC is a part of the community and the vice principal gave community members the opportunity to use the facilities at the school. Education is the key, and I don't want anyone to abuse students or vandalize the school. We have to be the protectors of education. The school provides education so we need to protect it!"
The Fortis Pavilion Work Day was the result of a partnership with Edge Chem and the Sherwin Williams Paint Stores. Other sponsors such as Burger King and the Diet Centre came on board to provide meals.
This was the fourth time the Fortis Pavilion was having a work day at Melbourne since the group was convened in November 2009. In the past, the group painted the outside walls and the walls at the back of the compound. It has also undertaken major clean up exercises both inside and outside the school.
If you wish to assist the Fortis Pavilion with any of its projects, please contact them by email at fortispavilion@gmail.com.