In one of the biggest working bees held in the hills of Adelaide, over 100 parents, coaches,  teachers and players worked all day Saturday getting the Heathfield beach volleyball courts ready for the arrival of 44 truckloads of sand. (click picture to enlarge)

Ex student Andrew Frazer from Adelaide Hills Tree and Garden had spent all Friday cutting trenches in the base of the courts so that 500m of agricultural pipe could belaid. The 44 tonne from these trenches was removed by spade, track loader and wheel barrows by the morning shift, with the pipes being laid and backfilled with aggregate by the afternoon shift.

The biggest job was cutting a 100m long conveyor belt purchased from Whyalla into two lengths so that they could be set around the courts creating a very strong barrier between the soil and the expensive Olympic quality seven times washed sand. The positioning of the belt required all hands on deck. The workers were very lucky with the mild weather and the number of parents who were able to keep the workers fed and hydrated during the day.

Local construction  company Diverse Civil and Commercial with Heathfield High School ex student Malcolm Long at the helm had prepared the sports centre site into a world class arena. The workers were certainly appreciative of the track loader operated by Mitchell and Malcolm during the day as 44 tonne of soil was moved out of the courts and 44 tonne of aggregate was moved back in.

The next project will be the seeding of the banks around the courts and the positioning of the lights so that the public can use the courts in the summer evenings. Early in the New Year a 25 meter long balcony viewing area will be built, again hopefully with the help of volunteers.

“At this stage we do have a slight problem with money for the timber and pavers,” said teacher Mr David Eldridge. The project is now registered as a tax deductible project so any donations will have tax deductibility status.

High School principal Ms Vivian Rusk, who was there to see the huge working bee in action, thanked the group for their fantastic efforts. Mark Lowrie, the father of Mt Lofty players Hannah and Josh and Malcolm Long were singled out for special thanks by the group as the project managers and for the many hour they had spent getting the project to this stage.

Mr David Eldridge also thanked the group and said, “It is humbling to be part of a community that so readily rolls up their sleeves to value add to their community.” One year10 girl had walked from Mt George to the school to start at the working bee at 8.30 am, worked both shifts on the courts and then had to work a shift in a local take away store.

“Kids like this give you a very different picture than that we have to see on television every night,” said Mr Eldridge.

The courts, with a budget of $175,000 have been totally funded by parents, Mt Lofty VBC and the Heathfield High School volleyball program.

The courts feature a full 40m grass grandstand on one side and a 30m pegola/balcony/viewing /kiosk area on the other side. The complex is surrounded by a 3.6m high security fence and will have lighting in excess of AVL standards.

The Mt Lofty Club is building a kiosk on the site which wil serve both the beach courts and the 7 volleyball court indoor heathfield complex.