By Sahar Foladi
Graduate engineers have built bikes from scratch to give Dandenong Primary School students their ‘first wheels’.
The graduates from United Energy’s 2023 program collaborated on the team-building exercise which led them to contribute to the community.
School principal, Daniel Riley, said the donations have arrived at a perfect time for the school.
“It’s amazing timing because we’ve started to have a bigger focus on bike safety around this community.
“We also have a lot of students new to Australia and new to riding a bike and these will be significant.”
While some may view this as a small gesture, for the school, it has a “flow in effect” according to Mr Riley.
The students, Naomi, Shefket, Hareem and Abigail were very excited as they jumped to action on the bikes.
Sports captain, Naomi said she feels confident when riding a bike.
“I feel confident because I can teach others to ride a bike to make them feel confident as well.”
While Shefket said riding to school inspired one to get out of bed.
The kind gesture from United Energy was also hoped to encourage students to participate in the, Around the Bay cycling event.
Cycling commentator, Matthew Keenan, also made the trip to Dandenong Primary School to support the initiative.
“I think it’s fantastic that these kids are so enthusiastic about being able to ride the bike and you can see the energy in their faces,” he said.
“Getting a bike can be a big barrier particularly in areas where parents don’t necessarily have that money.
“Sometimes in my position you can take it for granted because you have access but not everyone does.
“I think it’s important the areas where financially things are challenging to give kids the opportunity to try all different sports and activities.”
United Energy general manager, James Walker, said they’re always keen to encourage people to be active.
“It’s the first time we’ve had this initiative and it really connects well with our sponsorship, Around the Bay and community in general.”
In a three-day workshop, almost 20 graduate engineers comprising of four teams, worked to build four bicycles from scratch.
“Some (graduates) said it was a breeze and completed in 25 minutes, I thought it might have taken a few hours,” Mr Walker laughed.
Graduate student Tanika Hernandez said it was a rewarding project overall.
“Just seeing the smile on the students’ faces is so worth it. It was nice to work with people I’ve not met before and work towards a common goal.”
Nicollette Ciccarelle, said this is the first time she’s been part of an initiative like this.
“We were all really excited because a lot of the time we sit behind the desk and see things on screen, so it was nice to get involved especially when the school has number of refugees and under privileged students.”
Families and friends can get involved right now, with the ‘Around the Bay’ early bird registration period now extended until 30 July.
Details: bicyclenetwork.com.au/rides-and-events/around-the-bay/
