Bairnsdale Neighbourhood House are now the proud owners of a new air conditioning unit donated by Metung Bloodhounds with the generous support of the East Gippsland Community.
Bairnsdale Neighbourhood House is one of a number of community centres in East Gippsland Shire that offers social, educational and recreational activities where individuals from all walks of life can connect.
Run by a team of willing volunteer staff, one area of focus is supporting community members with access to food relief including fresh meals and food parcels.
“Last summer, my attention was drawn to a couple of Facebook posts by Bairnsdale Neighbourhood House informing the community that they were forced to close and cease serving any meals to community members due to the fact that the food service area was too hot. Thereby denying food services to people who really need them,” Bloodhounds treasurer, Lynne Holmes said.
“I contacted the Neighbourhood House to find out why this was the case.
“They advised that due to the increase in demand for their services brought on by the cost-of-living crisis, they had had to extend their dining area.
“The existing air-conditioning unit was not of a sufficient size to cool multiple areas, especially on hot summer days and a second unit was required to cover the additional dining space.”
Metung Bloodhounds rose to the challenge and set up a fundraising project to purchase a second air-conditioning unit for the affected area.
“We couldn’t let this happen again,” Ms Holmes said.
“The Bairnsdale Neighbourhood House is a vital resource, providing critical services to our community. We are super fortunate to have such a brilliant accessible facility in Bairnsdale and nobody should be denied a meal just because of the weather.
“We needed to raise around $3500 for a new split system and aimed to do this by holding a number of fundraising raffles in the local pubs and clubs.
“We were very fortunate to be supported by The Mitchell River Tavern, the Grand Terminus, the Paynesville Motor Cruiser Club, the Metung Country Club, the Metung Hotel and the Swan Reach Hotel.
“We also received a generous donation from the RSL Bairnsdale. Many raffle prizes were donated by local businesses including Bunnings, Woolies Bairnsdale, Evans Petroleum, The Book Orchard, New Leaf Café, Sun Cinema, Lightfoot Wines and
Bancroft Bay Gin.
“We cannot thank enough all of the local community who bought raffle tickets. The split system unit has now been installed and it’s all down to you.
“Metung Bloodhounds are elated that we have been able to help both the neighbourhood house and the local community that use the services provided by them.”
The Metung Bloodhounds has a strong record of supporting local causes through community fundraising.
It was formed in 1996, specifically to raise funds to purchase equipment for the Blood Bank at Bairnsdale Hospital (hence, the Bloodhounds name).
It has continued over the years with a plethora of fundraising activities supporting many good causes over the wider East Gippsland Community; from very small projects providing for the needs of individuals, to super ambitious projects like the new chairs for the Bairnsdale Hospital Emergency Care waiting room.
The Bloodhounds are gearing up to celebrate their 30th anniversary.
If you are inspired to get involved, come join the team of Bloodhounds volunteers.
Contact them on Facebook, email, phone, or come along to their next meeting at 2pm on September 7 2026 at Metung Yacht Club.
