Thanks to the contributions of many Italian clubs and organisations, and their participation in the annual Miss Italian Community competition, we can finally confirm that the first kindergarten for Italo-Australian children is about to begin construction in the heart of the Italian community, Carlton.
Located between Station and Canning Streets, the kindergarten will allow parents in the northern and south-eastern suburbs who work on the opposite side of the city, or in Carlton itself, to drop off their children in the morning and pick them up with ease on the way home.
It’s worth mentioning that the Italo-Australian Foundation purchased the land after a series of searches and applications between June 1973 and October 1975, when the land was definitively allocated by the Housing Commission.
Even then, bureaucratic delays and legal requisites pushed back construction; now, the project only needs the go-ahead from the Ministry of Social Services.
McIver Construction Pty Ltd won the contract, and was one of 12 companies – including from Italy – who competed for it.
The total cost is $149,500 and construction must be completed within 22 weeks of commencement (which should be in the next few weeks).
